Tenure and REDD+ in Malawi

This assessment report provides a comprehensive review of Malawi’s tenure regime in the context of developing the country’s national REDD+ program. The document includes information on the historical context, legal and policy framework, sources of land tenure insecurity, gender issues, and other cross-cutting governance challenges. While the existing legal and policy frameworks support strong tenure rights as a facet of community-based management, their implementation has been hindered by a number of factors, including the lack of a clear legal basis for defining forest tenure rights under various forms of management. In order to support effective and sustainable planning, the analysis intends to clarify the role of various institutional players (including traditional leaders) in the Forestry and/or the Land Acts. A set of recommendations for next steps is included in the conclusion.