Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change says Malawi is doing well in implementation of initiatives to restore biodiversity, which has been negatively affected by issues of climate change and rising population.

Principal Secretary in the Ministry, Yusuf Mkungula, was speaking on June 3, 2025, during opening ceremony for a mid-project mainstreaming forum on the Spatial Biodiversity Assessment, Prioritization and Planning (SBAPP) project in Salima district.

SBAPP is a regional project being implemented in Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia and in Malawi, the co-implementers are Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) and Environmental Affairs Department.

Mkungula said biodiversity is significant because it helps in promoting ecosystem and livelihoods of communities.

SBAPP is funded by French Development Agency (AFD) and Fonds Francais Pour L'Environnment Mondial (FFEM) and Counselor for Environment and Climate Regional Economic Department for Southern Africa at the French Embassy in South Africa, Ghoussé Gaffar said they aim to stop misuse of natural resources by 2030.

"We cannot stop people using natural resources but they have to be managed for sustainability. And this meeting will explore best practices of doing that from colleagues in the region through sharing of knowledge and experiences. Through the SBAPP project we are collecting data on biodiversity but we need to use it for action," said Gaffar.

The workshop runs until Friday, June 6, 2025 and has drawn participants from SBAPP project implementing countries with the African Union Commission (AUC) also supporting other players in the biodiversity management project from countries such as Seychelles, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Angola.

SANBI Director of Biodiversity Assessment, Dr Farai Tererai said mainstreaming for biodiversity was critical as ensures a wholesome approach to management. 

AUC Head of MEA Coordination, Dr Oduetsi Koboto, said although SBAPP is being implemented in four countries in southern Africa, biodiversity challenges cut across the whole of Africa hence the need to adopt best practices and employ them in other countries instead of re-inventing the wheel.