Professional Documents
Culture Documents
JUNE 2 2013
An examination of the conflict involving local people, miners and conservationists over Mulanje Mountain.
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special essay
Kondwani Kamiyala Sub Editor
NATION on Sunday
JUNE 2 2013
he Chambe Basin, perched at over 2 000 metres above the sea level on Mulanje mountain, typifies how forestry resources can benefit many. The extraction of the Mulanje cedar began in 1950, with locals and foreigners earning a living from the basin. History records that in that year, the Nyasaland Timber and Trading Company was given an exclusive licence to saw the cedar, with growing world demand for timber after World War Two. Within a year, Swiss engineers of the Wyssen Company installed a skyline timber extraction cableway which made it easier to transport wood from the basin to the foot of the mountain. A few years ago, even after so much depletion, the basin could give you over 800 hectares of breathtaking pine plantations. There were hundreds of sawyers and forestry workers making a living from the mountain. The number of tourists was ever increasing, with an array of plants and wildlife beckoning them up the mountain. In 2010, 5 242 tourists visited the mountain, a sharp rise from 1 457 in 2000. In 2012, the mountain recorded only 3 813 tourists. For one, the drop comes on account of vanishing vegetation. This comes at an inopportune time when the application to make the mountain a United Nations Education and Science Commission (Unesco) World Heritage Site is pending. Acquiring the status would not only lead to increased numbers of tourists, but would also source more funding for conservation. The drop in tourism figures comes because the Chambe Basin today is nothing but a stretch of bare ground. All the pine plantations are gone. Signs of uncontrollable bushfires are evident in burnt tree stumps and bushes. There is no sign of life in the deserted forestry houses.
The conflict could affect the prospects of the mountain becoming a Unesco World Heritage Site
NATION on Sunday
JUNE 2 2013
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indigenous tree can grow. The effects of the eradication are clear. People who earned a living from the lumbering trekked to other parts where the forests are thicker: Chikangawa and Dedza, for instance. Since 2011, Spring Stone Limiteda joint venture company between Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation and Gold Canyon Resourceshas been exploring the basin for rare earth elements (REEs). Locals feel the exploration has hit them hard, citing an an ash contamination that polluted Mulanje Mountain water sources late last year. They also feel exploration works have left the basin even bare, with the fear of flush floods and landslides growing by the day. With a December 7 2012 High Court injunction stopping MMCT from working on the Chambe Basin and Spring Stone ceasing exploration works, the locals, coming together as Concerned Citizens, smiled. Not for long though, as on May 3 2013, the High Court vacated the injunction, but urged the environmentalists, miners and locals to agree on the way forward. Mulanje District Commissioner Jack Ngulube has since summoned the three parties. Will they find a solution that will save the Mulanje Mountain and bring back its glory? n
projects on the mountain must be changed. We cannot allow our children to drink contaminated ash water. We cannot allow hectares of forest cover to be repudiated and expose people to floods. Mulanje chiefs have sent us to say no to all this. We are not saying no to mining, which is a unique component of our economy, but it must be sustainable, said Mpinganjira. The strongest opposition to the mining and conservation appears to come from the local chiefs, including senior chiefs Mabuka and Mkanda, Traditional Authority Chikumbu and other local chiefs such as Village Headwoman Nankhonyo. There were many people earning a living as sawyers on the mountain. Many people in my village [at the foot of the mountain] are farmers and they used to go up the mountain to sell their produce. That is gone. Others who are tour guides are crying as the number of tourists hiking the mountain is dwindling since the beautiful scenes on the mountain have been depleted, she said. The chiefs, political leaders and their subjects vow to fight on. We will use whatever means to stop the mining and MMCT from operating on the mountain. Mulanje must reclaim its glory, said Kalindo. Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Mining Dr Leonard Kalindekafe could not respond to our qquestionnaire sent to him two weeks ago. His minister, John Bande, was unavailable for comment.n
NATION on Sunday
JUNE 2 2013
ialogue, says Mulanje district commissioner Jack Ngulube, is the solution to the wrangle between locals on one hand and environmentalists Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT) as well as miners Spring Stone Limited on the other. This, however, is an uphill battle. That is if an abortive meeting on the way forward after the High Court lifted an injunction stopping MMCT and Spring Stone from operating on the Chambe Basin is anything to go by. Spring Stone shunned the May 15 2013 meeting, while MMCT executive director Carl Bruessow refused to talk, saying the court process was not over yet. We cant have two processes to find a solution to the same problem. We cannot hold talks while the case is still in court, said Bruessow, who later called the talks onesided. In a media statement on May 25 2013, MMCT said during the meeting, the Concerned Citizens made numerous threats to disregard the dissolution of the injunction. Ngulube said Spring Stone, a joint venture by Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (Jogmec) and Canada-based Gold Canyon Resources, stayed away because they were waiting for a nod from their international headquarters. Talks are still a priority. We will invite the MMCT board of trustees, the locals and Spring Stone for more talks. There is a lot at stake here, said Ngulube. A member of the Concerned Citizens, Brown Mpinganjira, said they were ready for talks. It is not true that the court processes are still on since we have not appealed. It is sad that Spring Stone shunned the meeting, which means they
NATION on Sunday
JUNE 2 2013
Declining tourism has affected curios sellers in the district Kondwani Kamiyala Sub Editor
ulanje Mountain is sold to the world as the Island in the Sky, but tourism figures are shrinking. The environmental degradation on the mountain is cited as one of the reasons for the downward trend. But Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT) director Carl Bruessow says that is not true, saying tourism figures are soaring. According to the Mulanje tourism office annual visitors report from 2000 to 2012, the number of tourists visiting the mountain dropped from 5 242 in 2010 to 4 273 in 2011 and 3 813 last year. Mulanje district tourism officer Richard Buya said although tourism figures went down during the period due to factors such as hard economic times, severing of diplomatic ties with some countries and lack of marketing, environmental degradation
played a big part in the drop. For people to visit the mountain, they must be assured that the natural resources are intact. Most visitors cite wanton cutting down of trees and the environmental degradation as some of the reasons the mountain can no longer attract tourists the way it used to, said Buya. He said the removal of pine plantations was done without consultations with some stakeholders, arguing that only the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT) and the Department of Forestry knew what was going on. There are so many players
Most visitors cite wanton cutting down of trees and the environmental degradation as some of the reasons the mountain can no longer attract tourists the way it used to.
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JUNE 2 2013
ormer Minister of Energy Grain Malunga says mining at the expense of the environment is worthless, arguing that the world market does not accept such minerals. Malunga said even in exploration works, miners must replant original species. He observed that exploration for rare earth elements (REEs) on Mulanje Mountain was a step forward in the Malawi mining industry, but protecting the environment should not be left out of the picture. Nobody buys minerals from areas that are unfriendly to the environment. Mining is not destructive, but it is how miners conduct themselves. Rehabilitation is most important in mining. Mining is supposed to be systematic, said Malunga, one of the founding members of the Geological Society of Malawi. According to Malunga, removal of trees on Mulanje Mountain could lead to more flooding as more water would run off into streams. There is a danger if you dont replace trees as you drill. Vegetation protects the soil. If the rains come, there is more runoff water where there is no cover and as a result there is no control, he said. Malunga said apart from some areas of the mountain, rare earths are also found in the Chilwa Basin, Songwe in Karonga, Kangankunde in Balaka, Chikhala Hills in Zomba and the Liwonde National Park. He said Malawi has deposits of rare earth elements cerium and tedium. According to the website of IamGold Corporation, cerium will contribute 40 percent of the estimated world supply of rare earth elements in 2015. It is used to polish glass, metal
NATION on Sunday
JUNE 2 2013
A party to the conflict: The Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust Kondwani Kamiyala Sub Editor
ulanje district forestry officer Duncan Masonje believes all is not lost as cooperation can help bring back the greens to the Chambe Basin. While admitting it was wrong to eradicate over 800 hectares of pine plantations, Masonje said the Mulanje Cedar that was replanted did not grow due to the effects of climate change. We removed pine and other plants from the basin to grow cedar but that has not worked out. Following the injunction the concerned citizens got last year, we have not been able to work on the mountain, as forestry officials have been beaten up by the locals, said Masonje. He said apart from bush fires, illegal harvests of the cedar renowned for its durability and sweet aromahas become more rampant.
We removed pine and other plants from the basin to grow cedar but that has not worked out.
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iners Spring Stone Limited (SSL) say prospects for rare earth elements (REE) deposits at the Chambe Basin are difficult to determine until exploration works are over. But conservationists Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT) have vowed to legally fight against the mining. SSL is a joint venture between Canada-based Gold Canyon Resources Inc and Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation exploring a 400-square kilometre expansion on the Chambe Basin up the Mulanje Mountain. Gold Canyon Resources general manager in Malawi, Ryoco Kojima, said the value of the REE is difficult to determine. The analysis is still under way. We should also monitor the current market of REE to determine the economic feasibility, said Kojima. He dismissed allegations by the Concerned Citizens that SSL has already started mining works. According to one of the citizens, Brown Mpinganjira, for the past two years, SSL has been employing over 50 people who have been carrying 20kilogramme loads of earth each down the mountain every Friday for the past two years. But Kojima said this is not true. The High Court verified that by its ruling. What we sampled were soil samples identified by the terms and conditions of its EPL (Exclusive Prospective Licence) granted by the Malawi government. We have taken sample soils for laboratory analysis to determine the elements at Chambe. Those were strictly inspected by Geological Survey of Malawi for them to issue Inspection Certificate and thereafter the Mines Department issued Export Permits, said Kojima. Earlier, media reports indicated that the Chambe Basin hosts clay-type REE deposits and that phase one drilling started in 2011, costing the miners K305 million. Phase Two began in 2012. The second phase entails drilling of 167 shallow cores on a staggered 200-metre grid across the basin. The company states on its website that analysis of core from these wholes indicates the clay comparable levels of total REEs to its Chinese counterparts as well as similar heavy REE enrichment. Very low radiation is associated with clays at Chambe,
NATION on Sunday
JUNE 2 2013
We oppose the mining. It is an unexpected challenge which has required our significant attention and will continue to do so for the next couple of years.
NATION on Sunday
JUNE 2 2013
ast year, communities at the foot of the Mulanje Massif experienced floods, which they attributed to increased run-off from the bare Chambe Basin. Group Village Head Nogwe in T/A Mkanda said wanton cutting down of trees at the basin resulted into floods. The deforestation led to so much run-off that maize fields and homes were swept away. Right now, where there were no waterways in my village now are ravines. We fear for the future, said Nogwe. With 231 families affected in the village, Nogwe observed that hunger is looming: Those who usually harvest 10 [50kg] bags, this season only managed to get three. Government has promised us free fertiliser and seed for winter cropping to save us from hunger. Mulanje Passani MP Peter Nowa said 300 families
For many people in the district, their lives revolve around Mulanje Mountain
were affected by floods in the constituency. On a field where I normally get 62 bags of maize, this season I only got 10. This is because the fertiliser I applied was washed away, said Nowa. But MMCT director Carl Bruessow said it was wrong to attribute the Mulanje floods to the pine eradication, as there have always been floods in Mulanje. Water from the Chambe Basin goes down the Likhubula River and there were no floods recorded from that river. Other rivers swelled but not Likhubula, said Bruessow. n
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NATION on Sunday
JUNE 2 2013
The taps were running with ash contaminated water. It was like some form of porridge. The ash was coming from the remains of a great forestry fire which was set by the miners to make way for their rare earths exploration.
NATION on Sunday
JUNE 2 2013
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Precious trees such as Mulanje cedar are critical for the curio industry in Malawi
alawis national tree, the Mulanje cedar, faces extinction as illegal logging and wanton bushfires threaten the tree highly valued for its fine timber, fragrance and pesticide-resistant sap. Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT) director Carl Bruessow said only six square kilometres of cedar remain on the mountain. We only have 600 hectares left. In the past few years, there were 900 hectares. The cedar is much sought after due to its high market value. One plank (17 feet by 2) can fetch up to K50 000, said Bruessow. The tree, which is endemic to Mulanje Mountain, takes between 100 and 150 years to mature and it is difficult to grow. It can easily be grown in the nursery, but to have it out there is no mean feat, said Bruessow. According to the 2007
Cambridge Journal, the first assessment of the Mulanje cedar since 1994 was commissioned by MMCT, identifying an area of 845.3 hectares of Mulanje cedar, which represents a loss of 616.7 hectares in 15 years. Of the recorded trees, 32.27 percent [37 242 cubic metres] were dead cedars. Mulanje Cedar was declared Malawis national tree in 1984. Unauthorised harvest of the tree is barred by law. According to J D Chapmans 1995 book, The Mulanje Cedar: Malawis National Tree, the scientist says the cedar is one of the finest yellow pine. It was extensively used for the roof timbers for colonial residences in Zomba and was in demand in Blantyre and the coffee estates. Mulanje cedar is an excellent construction timber, light to moderately heavy, impervious to termites and woodborers, and strongly resistant to fungal attack, says Chapman. n
Without trees, life for people such as these Mulanje curio makers would be difficult
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NATION on Sunday
JUNE 2 2013