15 July 2010

Being the single most important water catchment in Malawi, the Shire Basin (inclusive of Lake Malawi) is a natural asset of national importance. Through a range of ecological services the Shire Basin supports key economic sectors in Malawi and further downstream, including food production, transport, energy, tourism, agriculture, fisheries and industries. In order to maintain the vital role of the Shire Basin in contributing to the health and prosperity of Malawi, the Government of Malawi and cooperating partners have decided to develop a long-term Environment and Natural Resources Management Action Plan (ENRMAP) which will provide a sustainable solution to managing the basin and upper catchments. LTS is preparing a comprehensive ENRMAP for the Malombe East and Malombe West catchments based on an integrated ecosystem services approach that considers the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of land use and resource management problems in the Upper Shire with the primary objective of identifying and prioritising specific interventions to promote more sustainable land use practices.