If we can't save our planet who will save our planet? Deforestation is a major problem in most countries, tress are being cleared each and every year. Deforestation is the process where by nature forests are cleared through logging and burning either to use the growing woods or to replace the area for alternative uses. The extent of deforestation: 12 to 15 million hector of forest are lost each year, the equivalent of football field per minute.

Malawi has one of the highest rates of population growth in the world, a 3.1% annual increase (PRB, 2004). Malawi's annual deforestation rate is approximately 2.4% (FAO, 2001), also among the highest on record. The sheer magnitude of these rates of change makes Malawi an interesting case study to explore the population-deforestation link. Are the two trends related, and if so, is it a case of cause and effect? If the link proves as robust as many researchers believe, this has bleak implications for Malawi.

Malawi is heavily dependent on agriculture, heightening its vulnerability to the effects of deforestation. Now that most arable land has already been cleared, the main threat to Malawi's forests is continuing fuel wood and charcoal-making demand. Malawi's current environmental laws have many provisions for forest protection, but are lacking in enforcement.

However, deforestation causes enormous effect which include: reduced biodiversity, deprive of habitat and becomes vulnerable to hunting, emissions gas house green of release, increase of soil erosion 

 Nevertheless, a variety of short term solutions seem possible, including. Recycling a ton of paper, buy products that are made from recycled products, reuse, agroforestry trees to increase wood supply, efficient charcoal-making to reduce demand, and agricultural intensification and land redistribution to reduce forest encroachment. Long-term solutions include community management of forests, diversifying foreign exchange beyond Malawi's environmentally destructive mainstay of tobacco, and reducing fertility rates with integrated family planning programs. Most of these solutions will have additional benefits such as economic growth, food security, and public health. When all the costs and benefits are considered, tackling the problem of deforestation in Malawi seems not only possible but imperative.

Below are some images reflecting about the discussion with the school pupils on deforestation and its impact: