Strengthening the role of traditional leaders for effective local community participation in environmental management in Malawi

Abstract

It is increasingly acknowledged that participatory environmental and natural resource governance is indispensable for effective environmental protection and management. Malawi's current policy and legislative framework in this respect shows a clear move from centralized environmental governance to local community participation. Various environmental statutes have established local committees to promote the participation of local communities and the private sector in environmental management and sustainable natural resource utilization. Interestingly, despite the prominent role that traditional leaders play in Malawian society and the influence and power they exert, these local committees have not included traditional leaders in their composition nor given them any meaningful role. This chapter will analyse the institutional framework for local community participation in environmental governance in Malawi. It will argue that the efficacy of such institutions and their legitimacy has been and will continue to be undermined by the lack of involvement of traditional leaders and that there is an urgent need to enhance local community participation by taking advantage of the role of traditional leaders, among others.