1. General information
2. Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
The Lilongwe river corridor has been subjected to several threats throughout the years. These threats include: the urban sprawl that developed due to the growing urban rate of the city and the erection of informal settlements in the riverine buffer zones; invasive alien species such as Water Hyacinth and Salvinia Molesta; pollution caused by discharges and untreated sewage contributing to the loss of aquatic biodiversity; sand mining; urban agriculture that increases the use of cultivation techniques with effects on the soil's erosion; and climate change which increases flooding and prolonged droughts. The intervention was prepared and developed to address these threats and has the following goals:
1. To provide awareness-raising of the ecological area by ensuring responsible human development along the river of Lilongwe. These goals involve the local community to encourage a restoration of the riparian zone through the dissemination of information, cleaning activities, and control of invasive species.
2. To help strengthen the skills and resources of the local communities by identifying funding opportunities and local stakeholders.
3. To provide opportunities for eco-tourism.
4. To provide a protected habitat for local flora and fauna (a riverine ecosystem with key sites of biological importance) and provide communities with recreational areas (2)
5. To provide better local protection against flooding, improved air and water quality, lowered temperatures (including UHI effects), stable water flow, and less unsightly and hazardous waste for all of Lilongwe’s citizens. (3)
1. To provide awareness-raising of the ecological area by ensuring responsible human development along the river of Lilongwe. These goals involve the local community to encourage a restoration of the riparian zone through the dissemination of information, cleaning activities, and control of invasive species.
2. To help strengthen the skills and resources of the local communities by identifying funding opportunities and local stakeholders.
3. To provide opportunities for eco-tourism.
4. To provide a protected habitat for local flora and fauna (a riverine ecosystem with key sites of biological importance) and provide communities with recreational areas (2)
5. To provide better local protection against flooding, improved air and water quality, lowered temperatures (including UHI effects), stable water flow, and less unsightly and hazardous waste for all of Lilongwe’s citizens. (3)
Quantitative targets
Benefiting approx. 1.1 mil. people
Relocating the Lizulu and Tsoka markets, significant point sources of pollution along the Lilongwe River with associated challenges including encroachment into the river buffer zone, urban agriculture on the river banks and waste dumping alongside and in the river
Allocating 15 hectares around city landscape nursery to be used for a riverine public park. (1,2,3)
Relocating the Lizulu and Tsoka markets, significant point sources of pollution along the Lilongwe River with associated challenges including encroachment into the river buffer zone, urban agriculture on the river banks and waste dumping alongside and in the river
Allocating 15 hectares around city landscape nursery to be used for a riverine public park. (1,2,3)
Monitoring indicators defined
No of people benefiting from the intervention
No of informal settlements considered for relocation
Area size planned for a riverine public park (1,2,3)
No of informal settlements considered for relocation
Area size planned for a riverine public park (1,2,3)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Implementation activities
It is paramount to mention that Lilongwe's Ecological corridor strategy has been developed as part of ICLEI's UNA Rivers project, which dates back to 2016. At that date ICLEI developed a close partnership with the Lilongwe City Council, as well as community members, through intensive public participation processes. This led to the Lilongwe Urban River Revitalisation Plan and an update of the City of Lilongwe’s Local Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. In 2017 a series of actions took place: awareness and capacity building around waste management, followed by training in composting for women, as well as the development of wildlife sightings and biodiversity maps, habitat distribution maps, land-use change maps and information to showcase the spatial extent that the Lilongwe River and its catchment, an urban natural asset priority map, risk assessments relating to climate change impacts for the Lilongwe catchment, a water quality overview for sections of the Lilongwe River, and planning recommendations based on priority natural assets. To this, in 2017, ICLEI also invested in mobilising local authorities through capacity building. In 2018 the UNA Rivers project focused on capacity building and dissemination of environmental awareness by converting a mobile app into posters for schoolchildren. The posters present a step-by-step guide on how to implement nature-based solutions. River clean-up activities and waste management activities were also conducted. In 2019 a greening campaign began. In 2020 ICLEI supported the local authorities in developing the plan for an ecological strategy of the Lilongwe natural corridor, its river. It was critical to undertake an extensive and inclusive stakeholder engagement process in order to gather all relevant information and inputs from key stakeholders for inclusion in the plan. (1,2)
3. NBS domains, ES and scale
4. Governance and financing
5. Innovation
Type of innovation
Please specify technological innovation
Throughout the process of actively engaging community members, before the issuance of the Strategic plan for an Ecological corridor, the method of PhotoVoice was used to document change in a local Malawi community. This method, called photovoice, can help visualise the changes taking place during a project. At the same time, photovoice allows diverse perspectives from groups of citizens whose voices are sometimes not heard such as women and marginalised groups. Photovoice is an action-oriented, participatory method that invites participants in a project to take photographs as a way of telling their own stories through images that represent their point of view at a particular moment in time. (1)
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
In terms of the governance approach, the intervention in its form was implemented in different other countries and cities in Sub-saharan Africa: Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, and others. (1)
Replicability/Transferability
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
In terms of the governance approach, the intervention in its form was implemented in different other countries and cities in Sub-saharan Africa: Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, and others. (1)
