Matandwe Forest Reserve (6684)
Malawi, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Matandwe Forest Reserve
Central coordinates: Latitude: -16.7899, Longitude: 35.1698
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 177 to 965
Area of KBA (km2): 281.26739
Protected area coverage (%): 98.09
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Matandwe Forest Reserve was gazetted in 1929 for water catchment conservation and biodiversity services. The reserve is in the Rift Valley scarp zone, comprising a range of hills, including Mulaka in the North and Natundu in the South, within Nsanje district. It borders with Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve in the northwest.
The altitude ranges from 177 m above the level of the Lower Shire plain to 965 m. The soils are lithosols (very shallow and stony on steep slopes) with many boulders; a few ridges are covered with transition woodland or rock-loving communities (Aloe, Obetia, etc.).
Apart from being a source of Shire River tributaries, Matandwe is known for its Jateorhiza palmata (Thabalaba in the local name) which has medicinal properties known to cure over 38 diseases and ailments. Matandwe is also home to the endemic Chapman’s Pygmy chameleon (Rhampholeon chapmani), an endemic, critically endangered and considered the world’s rarest chameleon. It is also famous for its Columba roots (Jateorhiza palmate), a tuber with medicinal value.
The vegetation is generally open canopy woodland on hills and scarps dominated by Brachystegia species, mostly B. boehmii and a degraded form of Uaparca kirkiana. Some of the Reserve contains an example of a unique forest in Malawi, of the Zanzibar-Inhambane lowland rainforest community, the largest trees being Newtonia buchananii, Burttdavya nyasica and Khaya anthotheca (syn. K. nyasica). The reserve has three ecosystem types namely the Shire Catchment Rivers, Deciduous Forest and Thicket, and the North Zambezian Undifferentiated Woodland.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: Matandwe Forest Reserve qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance, with one reptile species, Rhampholeon chapmanorum, meeting criteria A1a as described in the Global Standard for identifying KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: The Malawi Hills Forest Reserve, within Matandwe FR, is an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA site MW022) and falls under the Alliance for Zero Extinction sites. Nearly 100 species have been recorded; the site was important for its population of Batis fratrum, estimated at over 100 pairs in 1983. In Malawi, the species was otherwise only recorded from the Thangadzi valley (where the riparian forest has been destroyed) and Lengwe (site MW021) though much scarcer with a recent record in 2022.
Other threatened and endemic wildlife recorded at the site includes 10 "Eastern" woody plant species and two others that occur nowhere in Malawi; species of Tricalysia and ofWrightia can not presently be matched and fertile material is needed. For butterflies, among 35 species of forestry fauna of some 35 species, Salamis cacta, Acraea quirina and Pentila tropicalis are found nowhere else in the country (they are Eastern elements). A. quirina reaches its southern limit here. The reserve further inhabits a species of dwarf chameleon (Rampholeon chapmani), described in 1992 by Colin Tilbury and confirmed to be present in 2021 by Tolley et, al. Some live specimens of the Chameleon were transferred to a patch of forest on a private tea estate (Mikundi) in 1996 as the new species faced extinction in the Malawi Hills. The reserve is also famous for its Columba roots (Jateorhiza palmate).
Manageability of the site: The government Department of Forestry manages Matandwe Forest Reserve. Management is guided and administered under the National Forestry Policy (2018). The policy's goal is to sustain the contribution of the national forestry resources to uplift the quality of life in the country by conserving the resources for the nation's benefit. Policy objectives and guiding principles indicate that Forest Reserves are created primarily to protect specific areas of forests where other forms of land use would be environmentally harmful.
The government’s overriding policy objective is that forest reserves remain under forest cover to maintain their essential environmental services. The conservation of biological diversity and aesthetic resources are also retained as policy objectives in special cases.
Despite the forest patches occupied by the KBA trigger species covering a small area within the reserve, adopting the reserve boundary for management purposes is more practical and advantageous for the overall improved reserve management, taking advantage of the current World Bank project support.
Other site values: Matandwe Forest Reserve is a protected area governed by the Forestry (Amendment Act) of 2020 and the Forestry Policy of 2018.
Delineation rationale: It aligns with the Matandwe Forest Reserve boundary under the management of the Department of Forestry (WDPA ID: 33181). Three traditional authorities share the reserve, and part of the western segment borders with Mozambique. The top falls under TA Mbenje, the middle falls under TA Tengani, and the bottom falls under TA Malemia.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: The Matandwe forest reserve is characterized by Miombo woodland. Common species include Brachystegia speciformis (Miombo), Brachystegia floribunda (Tsamba), Lonchocarpas floribunda (Tsamba), Lonchocarpas capassa (Mphakasa), Combretum imberbe (Mtsimbiti), Acacia galpinii (Mkunkhu), Adansonia digitata (Mlambe) and there is a lot of Khaya anthontheca along the rivers of the reserve and surrounding customary forests. Due to illegal activities in the reserve, many trees have been depleted. The vegetation is open canopy woodland of hills and scarps dominated by Brachystegia species, especially B. boehmii and degraded form of Uapaca kirkiana.
According to the most recent vegetation survey (Mwanyambo, et al., 2019) a total of 107 species were recorded in 39 families in Matandwe forest. Fabaceae is the most dominant species composition followed by Poaceae, Rubiaceae and Combretaceae families. The most dominant tree species include Diplorrhynchus condylocarpon, Brachystegia longifolia, Pterocarpus rotundifolia and Combretum zeyheri, ranked by importance value. Diplorrhynchus condylocarpon derives its dominance primarily from stem density as it appears to coppice profusely when cut and is highly resistant to fire. The reserve has three ecosystem types namely the Shire Catchment Rivers, Deciduous Forest and Thicket, and the North Zambezian Undifferentiated Woodland.
Land use: Malawi's Forestry Act and the National Forestry Policy regulate land management and utilization in the reserve, restricting the land to conservation purposes such as forestry and water management.
The land use in surrounding areas is predominantly farming, settlement, grazing of animals, and natural
and planted forests (Nsanje District Council, 2017).
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 100 | Forest – Subtropical/tropical dry |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Matandwe Forest Reserve faces significant challenges due to the high population density around its borders. Encroachment by agriculture and settlements, with the increased demand for fuel wood, is a constant threat to the ecosystem. Late-season, illegal wildfires, often caused by neighbouring communities further exacerbate the situation. Its proximity to the Mozambique border results in cross-border poaching and logging activities.
Rampant poverty in surrounding areas contributes to negative attitudes towards conservation efforts among local communities. Additionally, the extreme climate change impacts, such as persistent food insecurity, result in overreliance on forest resources for livelihoods. Conservation efforts are also hindered by interference from some politicians and local leaders, who sometimes prioritise other interests over environmental protection. Mining occurs at a very low scale, confined to the Malemia region where corundum is mined. Quarry mining occurs along the reserve's periphery, especially at GVH Mwanda and Mbangu.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | In the past but now suspended and likely to return |
Additional information
References: DoF & DNPW. (2021). MWABVI-MATANDWE PROTECTED AREA COMPLEX INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT PLAN. DEPARTMENTS OF FORESTRY AND NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE ,. October.
Dowsett-Lemaire, F. Dowsett, R.J. and Dyer, M. (2006). A Contribution to the Ornithology of Gilgit. In Ibis (Vol. 23, Issue 3). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1881.tb06597.x
Tolly Krystal A, Tilbury Colin R, DA Silva Jessica M, Brown Gary, Chapeta Yankho, A. C. V. (2021). Clinging to survival: Critically Endangered Chapman’s pygmy chameleon Rhampholeon chapmanorum persists in shrinking forest patches. 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605320000952
UNEP-WCMC (2025). Protected Area Profile for Matandwe from the World Database on Protected Areas, January 2025. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net
Contributors: Krystal A Tolly, South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
Moses Mtambo, Nsanje District Forestry Office.
Tiwonge Gawa, Malawi University of Science and Technology.
Fred Barasa Munyekenye, Birdlife International.