Malawi: Forest Cover, 2005
| Total Land Area (ha) | 9,408,000 | | Total Forest Area (ha) | 3,402,000 | | Percent Forest Cover | 36.16% | | Primary Forest Cover (ha) | 1,132,000 | | Primary Forest, % total forest | 33.27% | | Primary Forest, % total land | 12.03% | | Other wooded land (ha) | - |
Malawi : Forest types
| Tropical (% forest area) | 100% | | Subtropical (% forest area) | 0% | | Temperate (% forest area) | 0% | | Boreal/polar (% forest area) | 0% |
Malawi: Breakdown of forest types, 2005
| Primary forest (ha | %) | 1,132,000 | 33.3% | | Modified natural (ha | %) | 2,067,000 | 60.8% | | Semi-natural (ha | %) | - | - | | Production plantation (ha | %) | 204,000 | 6.0% | | Production plantation (ha | %) | - | - |
Malawi: Change in Forest Cover
| TOTAL FOREST COVER | | Forest 1990 (ha) | 3,896,000 | | Forest 2000 (ha) | 3,567,000 | | Forest 2005 (ha) | 3,402,000 | | Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) | (32,900) | -0.84% | | Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) | (33,000) | -0.93% | | Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) | (494,000) | -12.68% | | Change in rate (%) | 9.56% | | PRIMARY FOREST COVER | | Primary 1990 (ha) | 1,727,000 | | Primary 2000 (ha) | 1,330,000 | | Primary 2005 (ha) | 1,132,000 | | Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) | (39,700) | -2.30% | | Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) | (39,600) | -2.98% | | Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) | (595,000) | -34.45% | | Change in rate (%) | 29.52% | | OTHER WOODED LAND | | Other 1990 (ha) | - | | Other 2000 (ha) | - | | Other 2005 (ha) | - | | Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) | - | - | | Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) | - | - | | Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) | - | - | | Change in rate (%) | - | | PLANTATIONS | | Other 1990 (ha) | 132,000 | | Other 2000 (ha) | 180,000 | | Other 2005 (ha) | 204,000 | | Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) | 4,800 | 3.64% | | Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) | 4,800 | 2.67% | | Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) | 72,000 | 54.55% | | Change in rate (%) | -26.67% | TOTAL DEGRADATION/CONSERVSION
Forest area+Wooded Area-Plantations | | Other 1990 (ha) | 3,764,000 | | Other 2000 (ha) | 3,387,000 | | Other 2005 (ha) | 3,198,000 | | Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) | (37,700) | -1.00% | | Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) | (37,800) | -1.12% | | Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) | (566,000) | -15.04% | | Change in rate (%) | 11.43% |
Malawi: Primary
| Primary or "old-growth" vegetation | | Primary Forest 2005 (ha) | 1,132,000 | | Other primary wooded land 2005 (ha) | - | | Other primary wooded land 2005 (ha) | 1,132,000 | | Undisturbed vegetation 2005 (% land area) | 12.03% |
Malawi: Forest designation
| Ownership of forest land, 2000 | | Public (%) | - | | Private (%) | - | | Other (%) | - | | Ownership of other wooded land, 2000 | | Public (%) | - | | Private (%) | - | | Other (%) | - | | Designated functions of forest � primary function 2005 | | Production (%) | - | | Protection (%) | - | | Conservation (%) | - | | Social Services (%) | - | | Multiple Services (%) | - | | None of Unknown (%) | - |
Malawi: Disturbances affecting forest land 2000
| Forest Area annually affected by | | Fire (%) | - | | Insects (ha) | - | | Diseases (ha) | - | | Other (ha) | - |
Malawi: Protected areas
| Protected areas | | Biosphere reserves, 2005 | 1 | Wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites), 2005 | 1 | | World Heritage sites, 2004 | 1 | | Protected Areas: IUCN categories I-V, percent of total land | 8.9% | | Protected Areas: IUCN categories Ia, Ib, and II, extent, percent of total land | 5.88% | | Protected Areas: IUCN categories III, IV, and V, percent of total land, 2004 | 3.06% | | Protected Areas: IUCN categories VI and other, percent of total land, 2004 | 7.44% |
Malawi: Biodiversity - Wildlife
| Amphibians | | total species | 56 | | endemic species | 4 | | threatened species | 5 | | Birds | | total species | 658 | | endemic species | 3 | | threatened species | 13 | | Mammals | | total species | 207 | | endemic species | 0 | | threatened species | 7 | | Reptiles | | total species | 108 | | endemic species | 10 | | threatened species | 0 | | Wildlife diversity | | total species | 1029 | | endemic species | 17 | | threatened species | 25 |
Malawi: Biodiversity - Plants
| Growing stock composition | 3 most common species
% of total growing stock | - | | Growing stock composition | 3 most common species
% of total growing stock | - | | Number of Native tree species | | | Native tree species | - | | Number of tree species in IUCN red list | | Critically Endangered | | 0 | | Endangered | 2 | | Vulnerable | 6 | | Vascular Plant Species, 2004 | | Total | 3765 | | Number endemic | 49 | | Number of Threatened Plant Species, 2004 | | Species threatened | 14 |
Malawi: Value of forests
| Biomass stock in forest, 2005 | | Above-ground biomass (M t) | 260 | | Below-ground biomass (M t) | 62 | | Dead wood (M t) | - | | Total (M t) | - | | Carbon stock in forest, 2005 | | Carbon in above-ground biomass (M t) | 130 | | Carbon in below-ground biomass (M t) | 31 | | Carbon in dead wood (M t) | - | | Carbon in litter (M t) | - | | Soil carbon (M t) | - | | Change in growing stock 1990 - 2005 | | Annual change rate (1000 cubic m/yr) | | 1990-2000 | -3,600 | | 2000-2005 | -3,600 | | Growing stock per hectare 1990 - 2005 | | Annual change rate ( cubic m/ha per yr) | | 1990-2000 | n.s. | | 2000-2005 | 0.01 | | Wood removal 2005 | | Industrial roundwood (1000 cubic m) | 655 | | Wood fuel (1000 cubic m) | 5,617 | | Total wood removal 2005 (1000 cubic m) | 6,272 | | Total wood removal 2005 (% of growing stock) | 2 | | Plant products 2005 | | Food (t) | - | | Fodder (t) | - | | Raw material for medicine and aromatic products (t) | - | | Raw material for colorants and dyes (t) | - | | Raw material for utensils, handicrafts & construction (t) | - | | Ornamental plants (t) | - | | Exudates (t) | - | | Other plant products (t) | - | | Animal products 2005 | | Living animals (units) | - | | Hides, skins and trophies (units) | - | | Wild honey and bee-wax (t) | - | | Bush meat (t) | - | | Raw material for medicine and aromatic products (t) | - | | Raw material for colorants and dyes (t) | - | | Other edible animal products (t) | - | | Other non-edible animal products (t) | - | | Value of wood and non-wood forest product removal 2005 | | Industrial roundwood (US$) | - | | Wood fuel (US$) | - | | Non-wood forest products (US$) | - | | Total value (US$) | - | | Total value ($USD/ha) | $- | | Employment in forestry 2000 | | Total people employed | 1,000 |
Malawi : Production, trade and consumption of forest products, 2002
| Woodfuel ('000 cubic m), 2002 | | Production | 5,029 | | Imports | - | | Exports | 0 | | Consumption | 5,029 | | Industrial roundwood ('000 cubic m), 2002 | | Production | 520 | | Imports | 0 | | Exports | 0 | | Consumption | 520 | | Sawnwood ('000 cubic m), 2002 | | Production | 45 | | Imports | 0 | | Exports | 3 | | Consumption | 42 | | Wood-based panels ('000 cubic m), 2002 | | Production | 18 | | Imports | 3 | | Exports | 0 | | Consumption | 21 | | Pulp for paper ('000 metric tons), 2002 | | Production | - | | Imports | 0 | | Exports | - | | Consumption | 0 | | Paper and paperboard ('000 metric tons), 2002 | | Production | - | | Imports | 4 | | Exports | 0 | | Consumption | 4 |
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Malawi: Environment
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations | | Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea | | Natural hazards | NA |
Malawi: Land use / Resources
| Land use (%) | arable land: 23.38%
permanent crops: 1.49%
other: 75.13% (2001) | | Natural resources | limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite |
Malawi: Economy
| Economy - overview: | Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounted for nearly 36% of GDP and 80% of export revenues in 2005. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for over 50% of exports. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In late 2000, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. The government faces strong challenges, including developing a market economy, improving educational facilities, facing up to environmental problems, dealing with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and satisfying foreign donors that fiscal discipline is being tightened. In 2005, President MUTHARIKA championed an anticorruption campaign. Malawi's recent fiscal policy performance has been very strong, but a serious drought in 2005 and 2006 will heighten pressure on the government to increase spending. | | GDP - per capita | $600 (2005 est.) | | GDP - real growth rate (%) | 1% (2005 est.) | | Agriculture - products | tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses; groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats | | GDP - composition by sector (%) | agriculture: 35.9%, industry: 14.5%, services: 49.6% (2005 est.) | | Industries | tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods | | Economic aid - recipient | $401.5 million (2001) | | Debt - external | $3.284 billion (2005 est.) | | Population below poverty line (%) | 55% (2004 est.) | | Labor force - by occupation (%) | agriculture 90% (2003 est.) |
Malawi: Population / Demographics
| Population (July 2005) | 12,158,924 | | Population growth rate (%) (2005) | 2.06% | | Population density (people/sq km) (2005) | 129.2 | | Percent rural (2003) | 83.7% | | Median age (years) | total: 16.34 years | | Total fertility rate (children born/woman) | 5.98 (2005 est.) | | Ethnic groups (%) | Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European |
Largest Cities in Malawi
Cities and urban areas in Malawi with population over 100,000 All figures are estimates for 2002.
| City | Country | City Population | Urban Area Population |
| Blantyre | Malawi | 533000 | 533000 |
| Lilongwe | Malawi | 486000 | 486000 |
 Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005
Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005) and the State of the World�s Forests (2005, 2003, 2001)
Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.
Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.
RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site
The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund
With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com
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