Mitigation analysis for the forestry and land use sector

Forests in Malawi play an important role in both social and economic development of the country. Among the environmental services provided by forests is carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is the uptake and storage of carbon on land which reduces atmospheric accumulation and thus delays its impact on the global climate. The destruction of forests through burning and decaying of woody biomass results directly in significant contribution of carbon to the atmosphere. However, the expansions of forests and maintenance of existing stands can capture carbon from the atmosphere and maintain it on land over decades. Thus, it is important for Malawi to identify mitigation options in the forest and land use sector that would reduce the atmospheric accumulation of carbon.

The major objective of this assessment is to identify carbon mitigation options and analyse their costs, benefits and impact in the forest and land use sector in Malawi. In particular the study intends to identify a mix of options that is likely to provide the desired forestry products and services at the least cost and minimum negative environmental and social impacts.

In conclusion the paper argues that forest mitigation options include maintaining existing stands of the trees through reduced deforestation, or forest protection; expanding the stand of trees and the pool of carbon in wood products through reforestation programmes; and providing wood fuels as a substitute for fossil fuels. The study’s results show that forest protection can reduce carbon emissions in Malawi at lower cost per tonne (or cost per hectare) than reforestation under the Tree Planting for Carbon Sequestration and other Ecosystem Services programme.