The Centre for Community Organisation and Development (CCODE) implemented a project entitled “Building Resilience of Informal Settlements through Nature-Based Solutions and Biodiversity Actions in Lilongwe City, Malawi” from March to June 2022. The project funded by Sida, through the United Nations Human Settlements programme (UN-Habitat), demonstrated solutions that will significantly reduce flooding, pollution of water sources, preserve biodiversity and consequently, mitigate general human suffering and reduce degradation of the environment along the river banks of Mchesi and Lilongwe Rivers. The main outputs of the project were a community led vegetative cover restoration campaign which led to planting of approx. 5,300 trees and vetiver grass, as well as the institutionalization of community by-laws on issues of waste disposal and management, cultivating along riverbanks and drainage management.
A year after project inception, to understand the perspectives of the beneficiary communities (Kawale 1, Kawale 2 and Kayileka informal settlements in Lilongwe), CCODE organised a dedicated Focus Group Discussion with 19 community representatives engaged in the project, jointly with a visiting doctoral researcher from Utrecht University.
What became clear from this discussion is that tree planting in informal settlements is a very complex endeavour. The following important takeaways emerged that future NBS/biodiversity projects in African informal settlements can learn from:
- To increase the prospects of long-term sustainability and positive impacts for society and nature, initiatives must be built on an in-depth understanding of community perspectives and dynamics, and build synergies with the priorities of local communities. This involves understanding, building capacity of and working with, established committees and structures.
- The question of ` trees for whom, and where? ` matters. Survival of seedlings has shown to be most effective at household level, linked to the direct benefits for individuals taking care of the trees. Trees planted along river banks on public and are in conflict with other (illegal) uses, such as sand mining, and seedlings are not likely to survive unless alternative livelihoods for the urban poor depending on these activities are heavily promoted.
- Community by-laws are helpful if they can be enforced. Working together with the police can support this, but massive community involvement in terms of civic education, sensitization and awareness raising are key.
- The technical complexity of tree planting should not be underestimated. Trainings by professionals (e.g., municipal technicians from departments dedicated to parks/environment) to communities have proven to be important elements. This involves choosing species appropriate to the soil and microclimatic context, or planting with the right techniques and at the right time. Regeneration, as alternative to tree planting, can also be an effective measure to increase vegetative cover.
Throughout urban Africa, there is a growth of tree planting initiatives promoted by international, national and subnational actors, which is much needed to counter the deforestation rates and increase urban resilience and enhance biodiversity. Yet, what may be perceived as a quick and easy `green fix`, can lead to contestation at local level and decrease prospects of long-term sustainability, if not building on what people want and need. For communities engaged in the project, job creation is a key priority. They recommend that donors should explore options of working with nature in informal settlements that include encouraging urban gardening, orchards and waste entrepreneurship to generate income, especially for the youth. Realizing such vision of enhancing livelihoods in harmony with nature could be beneficial for both society and biodiversity at large.
