Malawi’s ‘most comprehensive environmental assessment’ in over a decade and a half

For the past three years, 60 Malawian authors consisting of scientists and data experts collaborated on Malawi’s National State of the Environment and Outlook report (NSEOR). On World Environment Day, 5 June 2026, key partners and government officials gathered to celebrate its launch during a festive ceremony in Lilongwe.

More than 80 percent of Malawi’s land is degraded. About 33,000 hectares of forest is lost every year. Soil erosion is affecting around 85 percent of agricultural land, while maize yields remain far below their potential because of poor soil fertility and climate pressures. According to the State of the Environment report, land degradation alone is costing Malawi an estimated 7 percent of its GDP each year. Environmental degradation furthermore is undermining food security, resilient livelihoods and healthy communities.

The report, coordinated by the Malawi Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), finds that safeguarding Malawi’s land, water, forests, biodiversity, and climate is essential to achieving the country’s development vision. It warns that unsustainable practices are eroding the country’s natural foundations but highlights that decisive action can put the country on a path of strong governance and economic prosperity, while enabling environmental sustainability.

The NSEOR also calls for environmental policies that focus on people’s daily lives. Many current policies treat environmental problems separately from issues such as livelihoods, food security, energy access, health, and waste management. For example, protecting forests or conservation areas without supporting nearby communities often leads to poor results. Sustainable environmental solutions are more likely to succeed when they also improve livelihoods and support local communities as environmental stewards, including women’s empowerment.

“Continuing on a business as usual path would undermine Malawi’s food and energy security, as well as health and economic prosperity. Timely and decisive action is needed for resilient livelihoods, thriving communities and inclusive economic growth”, says Clever Mafuta, Pollution Impact Lead from GRID-Arendal, who supported the process throughout.

The launch event in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe was attended by around 350 people, including the Minister of Natural resources, Ms. Patricia Wiskes, and Norway’s deputy ambassador to Malawi, Rannveig Rajendra. Principal Secretaries and senior officials from the Malawi government and development partners also attended.

The journey started in Lilongwe, three years earlier, when the Malawi Environment Protection Authority (MEPA), UN Environment Programme, and GRID-Arendal defined the roadmap for the production of report, developed the report’s draft outline, and agreed on the required expertise to produce the report. Since then the partners collaborated through various in-person and online meetings and workshops to draft the report. Part of the assignment was to train data scientists and young academics in order to support future reports.

It had been 15 years since the previous assessment had been undertaken, in 2010. The Environment Management Act requires the Environment Authority to produce a NSEOR report every five years, but national challenges – including economic pressures, climate-related disasters, and public health crises – diverted resources and attention away from long-term environmental reporting.

The Malawi National State of the Environment and Outlook Report builds on key findings from peer reviewed reports and defines the country’s state and trends of the environment since 2010 when the last Malawi State of Environment and Outlook Report was published. The report follows the Global Environment Outlook methodology and explores future scenarios. It suggests policy options that are available to bring the country onto a path of environmental sustainability while also solving the key challenges of extreme climate change events such as droughts, cyclones, and floods.

The NSEOR presents three scenarios:

1. Business‑as‑usual, marked by corruption, weak governance, and sluggish growth.
2. Good governance but poor economic performance, leading to unsustainable development.
3. Strong governance and economic prosperity, enabling environmental sustainability within a generation.

The report calls for strengthening environmental governance, promoting green industrialisation, renewable energy expansion and sustainable agricultural practices, as well as restoring degraded ecosystem, protecting endangered species, and integrating indigenous and local knowledge into national policy. Building resilience against climate shocks, such as droughts and floods, is increasingly important in the face of climate change.