This week, PeaceParks.TV follows the journey of threatened orchids in Malawi’s Nyika National Park, from poached to re-planted. Norman English, Peace Parks Foundation’s Counter Poaching Coordinator in Nyika, and the team of community scouts have confiscated orchid tubers from poachers encountered on patrol. “To give you an idea of the numbers of tubers involved, here I weighed out two kilograms of tubers. Comparing this to the weight of our total amount, we probably have between five and six thousand plants,” says Norman. Now they are replanting them one by one in the hope that they will thrive and restock the park’s precious population.
Nyika National Park, in particular the high grasslands, supports a remarkable diversity of orchids numbering more than 200 species. Thirty of these are not found anywhere else on the planet. Unfortunately, illegal poaching is threatening their survival in the wild.
Studies have identified 43 potentially edible species which are targeted as part of an illegal and regional trade. The tubers are rich in nutrition and are considered a delicacy; these are dug up, dried, and then traded locally and further afield. Illegal harvesting has been recognised by park managers and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife to be a critical conservation issue, driving operations to apprehend poachers and seize tubers which can then be returned to the soil.
Gesturing at the haul, Norman explains: “The majority of them are Disa ukingensis, an absolutely beautiful little orchid. Replanting is very labour intensive, so we will be here for most of the morning. The ground is still pretty moist, and we might have a few showers still to come which will bed them in nicely. If we’re lucky I’m hoping we will get a 40% survival rate; the orchids flower every second year, which would be quite a spectacle for visitors.”
The backbreaking work keeps the team busy; some members clear the grass and others dig trenches, into which the tubers are carefully placed. For almost three years Peace Parks TV has been following these orchid rescue efforts, and recent updates show good progress. Some orchid species have survived well after being replanted, whilst the more sensitive species are sadly less likely to recover.
In 2023, Peace Parks Foundation signed a landmark co-management agreement with the Government of Malawi, to secure the long-term protection and sustainability of Nyika National Park and nearby Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve. For the first time in the country’s history, an independent trust is being established that will efficiently manage these conservation areas whilst bringing together the Government, NGOs, private sector, Indigenous Peoples and local communities on an equal footing.
This exciting development reflects both the power of partnerships and teamwork on the ground to ensure that Nyika’s unique ecosystem flourishes, and secure a future of #NatureWithoutBorders in Malawi.
Stay tuned to PeaceParks.TV as we follow this rehabilitation story and other incredible conservation initiatives.
