Journalists form environment body

Journalists in Malawi have formed an association to combat environmental destruction in the country, news reports said. The association, to be known as the Forum for Environmental Communicators, plans to set up a secretariat to create and manage a data bank on environmental statistics as well as oversee and manage relations and joint programmes with environmental organisations, communities and donors, the reports added. According to Malawi's Forestry Department, deforestation continues to claim more than 500,000 hectares of trees every year against 8,000 hectares that are planted every year. The department estimates that wood provides about 93 percent of the country's fuel requirements, most of which is used in households and hydro-electricity is accessible to only four percent of the country's 11 million people.