The world’s forests are declining at unprecedented rates. Losses result directly into open land for agriculture, roads and settlements, logging for timber and cutting for fuelwood (National Research Council, 1991). With such increasing demands of a growing world population focussing more attention on tropical forests as a source of food and raw materials, the time has come for scientists to review the present day status of our forest genetic resources. From this review, the methods of intervention should be formulated to enhance sustainability of this important resource.
Malawi is one of the countries in the tropics where population growth is very high, estimated at 3.2 percent per annum. The pressure that is being exerted on natural forests is also enormous. Malawi has undergone rapid social, economic and environmental change. The landholding in some areas of the country has declined down to 0.2 hectares per farming family that has forced people to cultivate in marginal areas or encroach into forest reserves where there is land. The rate of deforestation in the country has also increased over the years and it is estimated at 1.0 to 2.8 percent per annum. Land clearing for agriculture and increasing wood consumption for domestic use and industry are depleting the plant life at a fast rate (Tambula, 1991), and these pose a great threat to some species that may go into extinction if this is not checked.
As understanding of the nature and distribution of genetic diversity in agricultural crops has improved, plant exploration, especially in known centres of genetic diversity and collection, evaluation and conservation of seeds and sometimes of vegetative materials have become an increasingly important part of agriculture and forestry research (Tambula, 1991). As much as we appreciate what these institutions are doing, it is important to see whether the efforts tried match with the negative developments taking place in most forest ecosystems in the tropics.
