Author
Lessah Mandoloma | DPhil Student
Growing up in a country that is endowed with unique natural resources and yet threatened by human population growth, climate change, and limited livelihood options sparked my interest in conservation. Peoples’ interaction with nature fascinated me the most and I thought I can somehow contribute to generating and disseminating knowledge on the phenomena. Malawians depend on natural resources and the ecosystems services derived from them for almost all the basic necessities such as food, water, energy, health, and shelter. Although that is the case, increased human population growth has created demand on these resources resulting into conversion of land for agriculture to feed the growing population. The population growth coupled with limited livelihood alternatives for the rural and urban masses, has exacerbated poverty levels and increased vulnerability especially of rural communities to dire poverty.
My interests centres around finding solutions on how best natural resource can be managed while balancing the needs of the growing human population and development. During my masters I studied the effectiveness of different protected area management regimes on wildlife management and surrounding peoples’ livelihoods.
