Mount Mulanje Cedars

    The critically endangered Mulanje cedar, Widdringtonia whytei, occurs atop a single granite massif—Mount Mulanje. Designation as the national tree of Malawi hasn’t stopped an onslaught of overexploitation. The cedar’s pleasantly fragrant wood is poisonous to insects and repels rot—rare and precious features in tropical Africa that spur a hefty timber price for woodworking and construction. Under protection from Malawi’s poorly funded and corrupt Department of Forestry, illegal logging is rampant. Like a pox, freshly cut stumps cover the plateau. Tree-poaching kingpins tag trees with crude drawings to mark territories. Their minions stream down the mountain with impunity, hauling huge, hand-hewn, contraband beams. Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust aims to reverse the decline and save the species. They’ve financed guards, boosted tourism, and orchestrated an unprecedented tree-planting campaign. They’ve built and staffed 13 nurseries on Mount Mulanje to produce and plant 1.2 million seedlings over four years. Hopefully, many will grow into great trees. Parts of this photo essay have been published in The Guardian and Terre Sauvage and won first prize in the IUCN Terre Sauvage Nature Image Awards photo report category in 2015 and 2nd prize in the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement's Science Lens competition.
    Mount Mulanje is an imposing granite massif that rises abruptly from the tea estates of southern Malawi; the top of the steep-sided plateau grows the endemic and critically endangered Mulanje cedar
    Mulanje cedar, Widdringtonia whytei, grows up to 50 m high and is a valuable timber species that was commercially exploited during British rule over Nyasaland. The cedar’s pleasantly fragrant wood is poisonous to insects and repels rot and is thus very valuable.
    Under protection from Malawi’s Department of Forestry, harvesting Mulanje cedar is against the law, but enforcement is lax, and even forestry officials are implicated in tree poaching. Illegal harvesters are axing the remaining trees towards extinction without threat of punishment.
    An illegal logger carries a massive beam of Mulanje cedar down the mountain. Most walk barefoot and work for very low wages. The small risk of being caught by forestry department officials isn't much of a deterrent.
    An illegal logger carries a massive beam of Mulanje cedar down the mountain. Most walk barefoot and work for very low wages. The small risk of being caught by forestry department officials isn't much of a deterrent.
    Illegal logging on the mountain is managed by poaching kingpins who mark territories with crude drawings. Some are rumoured to be involved in government and the Department of Forestry itself.
    A pile of aromatic woodchips is all that remains of a great tree. A porter, Grey Frison, looks on. Under protection from Malawi’s Department of Forestry, harvesting Mulanje cedar is against the law, but enforcement is lax, and even forestry officials are implicated in tree poaching. Illegal harvesters are axing the remaining trees towards extinction without threat of punishment.
    Desperate men work to haul the contraband timber off the mountain. They walk over treacherous terrain, usually barefoot, caring impossibly heavy loads for the equivalent of about $1.00 per day. Despite the illegality of their actions, many didn’t mind being photographed.
    Desperate men work to haul the contraband timber off the mountain. They walk over treacherous terrain, usually barefoot, caring impossibly heavy loads for the equivalent of about $1.00 per day. Despite the illegality of their actions, many didn’t mind being photographed.
    Illegal loggers have eradicated Mulanje cedar from huge swathes of the mountain. It’s estimated that cedars now cover less than 5 square kilometres, and loggers are moving into the last strongholds for the species.
    Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust director Carl Bruessow poses on Mount Mulanje. His pockets are bulging with rubbish he has picked up along the trail, mostly food packets discarded by illegal loggers. Carl is part of a team overseeing a massive effort to grow Mulanje cedar seedlings in locally staffed nurseries across the mountain, a new hope for the species.
    Even in this dire situation, a ray of hope has emerged. Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust aims to reverse the decline and save the species. They’ve built and staffed 13 nurseries on Mount Mulanje to produce and plant 1.2m seedlings over four years. Men, proud to be working to create rather than destroy, show off their newly sprouted seedlings in one of the nurseries.
    Even in this dire situation, a ray of hope has emerged. Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust aims to reverse the decline and save the species. They’ve built and staffed 13 nurseries on Mount Mulanje to produce and plant 1.2m seedlings over four years. Men, proud to be working to create rather than destroy, show off their newly sprouted seedlings in one of the nurseries.
    Even in this dire situation, a ray of hope has emerged. Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust aims to reverse the decline and save the species. They’ve built and staffed 13 nurseries on Mount Mulanje to produce and plant 1.2m seedlings over four years.
    Planting 1.2m seedlings in four years will be a monumental accomplishment, but in the past seedling survival has been low. In the wild, natural regeneration is exceedingly rare due to harsh conditions and fire regimes and very limited natural seed stock. Planting seedlings is the only solution.
    With luck and continued hard work and support, stands of majestic Mulanje cedar will once again become common on Mount Mulanje.
    Enforcement from the Department of Forestry is extremely lax although they do occasionally confiscate contraband wood and store it at their offices. In the unlikely event that poachers are caught, the penalties are minimal.
    Wood from the Mulanje cedar is pleasantly fragrant and prized for woodworking. Carvers at the foot of the mountain work openly even though there is no legal source for the timber. Large-scale syndicates exporting the wood pose a much greater threat than local use.
    Wood from the Mulanje cedar is pleasantly fragrant and prized for woodworking. Carvers at the foot of the mountain work openly even though there is no legal source for the timber. Large-scale syndicates exporting the wood pose a much greater threat than local use.
    Wood from the Mulanje cedar is pleasantly fragrant and prized for woodworking. Carvers at the foot of the mountain work openly even though there is no legal source for the timber. Large-scale syndicates exporting the wood pose a much greater threat than local use.
    Curios made of Mulanje cedar are prevalent in the region.
    One of the problems driving tree poaching is a lack of economic opportunity. Tea picking is one formal industry around Mount Mulanje.
    One of the problems driving tree poaching is a lack of economic opportunity. Tea picking is one formal industry around Mount Mulanje.
    Tea harversters smile for a photo at sunrise in the tea plantations surrounding Mount Mulanje. Picking tea is one of the limited opportunities for employment around the mountain. But there aren't enough jobs to go around. Alternatives are needed.
    With luck and continued hard work and support, stands of majestic Mulanje cedar will once again become common on Mount Mulanje.