Staff Spotlight: Madalitso Kaferawanthu
It is because of her incredible work in wildlife and forestry management and combating conservation crimes that she was recently promoted to Deputy Director of the Office of Sustainable Economic Growth, where she now promotes sustainable land use across sectors like agriculture, which is a main greenhouse gas emitter in the region, and food security, with a focus on preserving critical upstream forests and ecosystems that are vital in protecting downstream resources and communities.
Mada first became interested in biodiversity conservation while working at the Government of Malawi’s Environmental Affairs Department on a regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) Biodiversity Support Programme. In this role, she assisted in developing Malawi’s first National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. After this experience, Mada came across a World Wildlife Fund advertisement in a local paper offering scholarships for education in biodiversity conservation. Thanks to the advert, Mada applied for and accepted a spot at the University of Reading where she earned a Master’s degree in Plant Diversity. Upon her return to Malawi, she joined the Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi where she supported projects on wildlife management and environmental education for youth. Since joining USAID in 2008, Mada has been working as an expert in international development programming and implementation of environment and natural resources management activities.
In Malawi, biodiversity conservation and forestry protection is extremely important. As Mada explains, habitat loss can irreparably damage the land and negatively impact critical water sources. Everything flows into the rivers and lakes when the heavy rains arrive, eroding and degrading the landscape. Due to this soil loss, it is harder to grow and produce enough food to support the local population the following year. In early 2022 heavy rains from Tropical storm Ana, for example, severely eroded the landscape, causing catastrophic flooding that killed people, destroyed crops, and knocked one of the country’s main hydropower stations out of service. The damage to the hydropower station has led to severe power outages, exacerbating the population's economic hardships and increasing food security concerns from the loss of agriculture.
These challenges also heighten the risks to biodiversity. Deforestation in Malawi is driven by a heavy reliance on wood fuels for energy, despite access to the electrical grid in some cases, Mada says. More than 96% of Malawian households continue to rely on firewood and charcoal as their primary cooking fuels. Conservation efforts, such as those supported by USAID, are challenged by what Mada calls a “free for all” – people chop down whatever species of tree they see for charcoal production without consideration of its protected status. Unfortunately, this deforestation has been an ongoing issue.
Mada currently works on Modern Cooking for Healthy Forests (MCHF), a five year activity that is jointly funded by USAID and UKAID, and implemented by Tetra Tech. MCHF promotes sustainable forest management and energy options to preserve forest cover and reduce land-based emissions in Malawi.
Before MCHF, a previous USAID activity, Protecting Ecosystems and Restoring Forests in Malawi (PERFORM), had built a solid foundation by supporting effective governance and forest management processes, building Malawi’s REDD+ readiness capacity, and promoting low-emissions land use opportunities. MCHF builds on PERFORM’s gains by encouraging the adoption of alternative energy sources and efficient cooking technologies to reduce demand for illegal and unsustainable wood fuel and charcoal. The activity applies a landscape approach, developing inclusive market systems, building local capacity, and working with government institutions to strengthen policies and strategies.
Mada emphasizes that to achieve sustainable change, it is important to consider people’s needs and integrate activities across sectors. If you ask people why they cut down trees, “they will say we are doing it because we are poor,” she says. “If we really want to achieve our goals…we have to give communities other sources of income. Impact has to bring change at a household level.”
