About
The CBNRM Forum is Malawi's national umbrella network of Community Co-Management Associations, working across governance, conservation, livelihoods, and rights, equity and justice in and around protected areas.
Communities living in and around Malawi's protected areas are the people who carry both the cost and the responsibility of conservation. The Forum exists so they can act together: to negotiate co-management agreements, hold institutions to account, and build livelihoods from resources they manage well.
Our members represent some 3.8 million people, steward 1.8 million hectares of community-managed forest, and lead reforestation across 0.5 million hectares of protected area buffer zone and 1.3 million hectares of customary land.
The Secretariat, based in Lilongwe, coordinates national representation, capacity building, and partnerships with government, funders and civil society.
Malidadi Langa
Executive Director, CBNRM Forum
Message from the Executive Director
For decades, communities living in and around Malawi's protected areas have carried the cost of conservation — and too often missed its benefits. Today, more than forty Community Co-Management Associations have come together through the Forum to change that equation: to manage forests, wildlife, water and land as partners with government, and to build livelihoods from stewardship done well.
The 28th of August 2026 opens a renewed chapter for the Forum — a new brand mark, a new website, and a stronger, more visible network speaking with one voice across all three regions of Malawi. This Forum belongs to its members: the Village and Zone Natural Resource Committees that govern from the ground up, and the trustees who carry their mandate.
I invite every member, partner and friend of the Forum to walk this journey with us. Together, we are showing that conservation and community can — and must — hold together.
Malidadi Langa
Executive Director, CBNRM Forum
Governance structure
Authority flows upward from community structures, and accountability flows back down.
The frontline structure. Elected village members manage local forests, fisheries and land, monitor resource use, and raise issues upward.
Coordinates several VNRCs across a zone, aggregating plans, resolving cross-village resource disputes and reporting to the association.
Elected representatives of member associations. Sets the Forum's work plan, oversees the Secretariat and speaks for members nationally.
Holds ultimate fiduciary responsibility: strategy, compliance, financial oversight and safeguarding of the Forum's mandate.
Leadership
The Secretariat, based in Lilongwe, coordinates national representation, capacity building and partnerships.
Executive Director
A retired economist and development planning specialist who now dedicates his time to community-focused causes on the edge of Kasungu National Park. He is a staunch advocate of progressive rights-based conservation approaches that benefit both nature and people while respecting the human rights of rural communities near protected areas.
Program Coordinator
A retired Community Extension and Development Manager with vast experience in building a "Constituency for Conservation". He facilitates awareness and promotes livelihood initiatives, and is a Board Member for Linyangwa Lodge, using traditional knowledge to protect Kasungu National Park's buffer zone.
Monitoring & Evaluation Officer
An economist specializing in banking and international development, he supports rural communities across Malawi in achieving sustainable livelihoods and ensures natural resource use and conservation efforts are based on local rights, traditional knowledge and cultural practices.
Finance & Administration Officer
A Certified Public Accountant with over 10 years of experience in financial management, auditing and tax strategy, she oversees budgeting, reporting and grants management. Tamala holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and is a registered member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi (ICAM).
Board of Trustees
| Name | Position | Community Association |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Pickford Jere | Senior Chief Mpherembe | Nyika/Vwaza Association |
| Lundu Chapter Nkhuku | Paramount Chief Lundu | Lengwe Wildlife Association |
| Yobe Jolomu Nthondo | Senior Chief Nthondo | Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve Association (NAWIRA) |
| Hermes Malio Kanduku | Senior Chief Kanduku | Majete Wildlife Reserve Association (MWRA) |
| Francis Alex Njanje | Businessman | Mangochi-Salima Lake Park Association (MASALAPA) |
| Benedicto Malunga | University Administrator | Upper-Shire Association for the Conservation of Liwonde National Park (USACOL) |
| Felix Phalakasa Lukwa | Senior Chief Lukwa | Kasungu Wildlife Conservation for Community Development Association (KAWICCODA) |
