About Mwabvi & the Establishment of the Wildlife Reserve.

The name of the protected area is Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve taken from the Mwabvi River which meets with the Thangadzi River inside the reserve. Mwabvi, is a beautiful wilderness of woodland, plains, rivers and sandstone outcrops, located at the Southern tip of Malawi in Central Africa. It is not only a stunning place to visit, but most importantly offers an essential home for a variety of diverse flora and fauna, endangered species and some exceptional birdlife. As one of the only National Parks in Malawi under private management it is entirely reliant on revenue from tourism and charitable donations.

‘Mwabvi’ is a Henga word for the tree Erythropheleum suaveolens (formerly E. guineense) commonly known as the Forest Ordeal Tree. The tree is found along the Mwabvi River, there is only one tree remaining, and is protected as one of Malawi’s natural heritages. The roots and the bark of the tree contains a poisonous alkaloid, erythrophlein, which can be used as a valuable drug when administered carefully under medical supervision and is known under the African name of ‘Mwabvi’.

Geography of Mwabvi

Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve covers an area of some 135 sq km and is approximately 170 km from Blantyre, the commercial centre of Malawi. The major part of Mwabvi is a low-lying area centred on the Thangadzi River, which enters the park at an altitude of about 120m above sea level in the South and leaves the park at 80m above sea level in the North. Both sides of the river rise gently to a height of about 225m (750Ft) and, in the East, a small area (about 15km) of the Mulaka Hills falls within the park boundary. The highest altitude in this hilly terrain within the park is slightly over 400m (1400Ft). The park is effectively a small basin flanked on the southern, eastern and western sides by the watersheded hills which form the International boundary with Mozambique. Due to political pressure In the 1970’s the park was reduced to a quarter of its original size leaving three quarters to the local community residing around the park and as a consequence very little of this higher broken country occurs within current park boundary.

The topography within the reserve is generally broken with steep sided outcrops of rocks set between gullies. A relatively flat dambo runs through the centre of the park through Kanyimbi area in the south-west to join the Thangadzi River in the north-east about 1km north of Migudu.

Early History

Records indicate that the Lower Shire Valley was probably inhabited between 10,000 and 35,000 years ago. Due to its fertility it has probably supported high densities of people since the introduction of agriculture at the start of the Iron Age some 2000 years ago. It is widely believed that the Shire Valley was for a long period (1600-1850 AD) a focal area for the Maravi Kingdom which, at one point (about 1650 AD) extended from the Luangwa and Zambezi Valleys to the Indian Ocean. In the later period of the Maravi Kingdom it became divided between a northern section ruled by the Kalongas around the shores of Lake Malawi who retained the name Maravi and to southern section ruled by Kabhwiti under the name Mang’anja. During the 18^th century the Maravi power declined as Portuguese influence increased and Yao and Arab slave traders took a toll on the human population. As a result of the decrease in cultivation, the wildlife population was seen to increase in the 19^th century. However, it was not long before human influence returned to the area impacting once again on the wildlife population and this has continued to date where the majority of the fauna and flora in the park are on the verge of extinction.

Legal Status

Mwabvi enjoys Wildlife Reserve status under the National Parks and Wildlife Act (Act No.11 of 1992); the purpose of National Parks and Wildlife Reserves is given in Part V of the Act.

History of Establishment

Mwabvi Game Reserve was proclaimed in 1953 and included all of the Thangadzi Stream Reserve which had originally been established in 1928.

In 1975 the Reserve was extended to the international boundary with Mozambique thus increasing its size to 340 km^2. The boundary which included this extension is described in the Proclamation of Alteration Boundaries (Mwabvi Game Reserve), 13^th May 1975, published as Government Notice No. 146 of 1975. Several residents, including those of Misamvu village, had been moved out of the extended area prior to gazetting as a consequence of civil unrest in Mozambique.

In 1982 the people of Misamu village made representation to their member of parliament to be allowed back into their former homeland. This request was granted by Presidential order on 29^th January 1982. It was then decided to reduce the Reserve approximately to its pre-1975 dimensions and the officer-in-charge reported, on 21^st June 1982 that the new boundary had been demarcated on the ground. People had begun to settle the area outside the new line.

The name ‘Mwabvi Game Reserve’ was altered to ‘Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve’ by the National Parks and Wildlife Act (Act No.11 of 1992) which repealed the earlier Game Act (Cap. 66:03).