Following the discovery of Kaziwiziwi-Mchenga Chiweta Coalmines in 1984 in Rumphi district, these areas have heavily experienced the loss of natural resources due to poor settlements within landscape/seascape of the protected areas of Phwezi, Jalawe, Boliboli and Chiweta. Such settlements have contributed to the loss of vegetation for farming and housing hence the influence of land degradation and poor forests management and among others. The situation is pathetic because a number of forests reserves in the area have been depleted resulting into low ecosystem and ecological interactions and this problem has also affected the aquatic lives and other creatures in Lake Malawi and surrounding rivers. For example, in the Chiweta and Mzokoto-Phwezi hills, there have been a number of landslides due to loss of vegetation.
4.2 Project primary objective
Promote landscape/seascape conservation through proper land use and forests management for better rural livelihoods.
4.3 Project specific objectives
? Increased community knowledge and capacity on proper land use and management of natural resources through training and sensitization.
? Improved land and reduced environmental degradation through community engagement on natural forest recovery and re-a forestation initiative.
? Improved stakeholders? mutual cooperation on project implementation and management.
? Increased women and youth access to socio-economic empowerment through vocational and entrepreneurial skills and other microfinance programmes.

Sustainability Plan
-There are steps that have been put in place to ensure that the beneficiaries will continue with the project beyond the funding period and these are through capacity building programme of the organization and community/stakeholders and through socioeconomic empowerment.