I was lucky enough to visit the Zomba Forest Lodge and meet the founders of TREEZ in Zomba, Malawi in 2022. Incredible geography, interesting people and compelling issue of deforestation--both from wildfires and over-logging.

Malawi is one of the smallest countries in Africa but has one of the densest populations and with over 90% of people depending on trees for fuelwood for cooking/heating but more recently for construction (they are used to burn the bricks), the country's forests and wild spaces are dwindling rapidly.

With the loss of trees, the water table drops, rivers and streams which used to flow all year round now dry up in the long dry season. The lack of water means that cultivation is made harder, access to clean water increasingly difficult and all the other issues that devolve from there.

Being able to protect/preserve any area of forest/trees is essential, and TREEZ is working hard on the south western slopes of Zomba Plateau to achieve this.

The promise of better future is not enough when food is needed on the table today. So TREEZ pays a survival rate for the trees in each of the designated areas thus providing a small, basic income in exchange of for environmental protection.