Name: Plastic pollution threatens Lake Malawi’s unique fish
Uploaded: 2025-12-26T13:44:50.952Z
Duration: 2 min 31 s
Description: For conservationists, the message is clear: while community-led clean-ups are making a visible difference, protecting one of the world’s most remarkable freshwater ecosystems will ultimately require stronger enforcement of plastic bans and a decisive move away from single-use plastics.

For conservationists, the message is clear: while community-led clean-ups are making a visible difference, protecting one of the world’s most remarkable freshwater ecosystems will ultimately require stronger enforcement of plastic bans and a decisive move away from single-use plastics.

Lilongwe

Lake Malawi, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is facing significant threats from plastic pollution, which endangers both its unique fish biodiversity and the communities reliant on the lake. Plastic waste disrupts fish breeding, introduces microplastics into the food chain, and deters tourism, while the lack of government-run recycling facilities exacerbates the problem.

Local efforts, including regular underwater clean-ups by divers working with the NGO HEED, aim to mitigate the issue by removing waste and upcycling materials into crafts for visitors. However, experts emphasize that broader action, such as banning single-use plastics, is necessary to address the root causes of pollution and protect the lake’s ecosystem.

Plastic pollution threatens Lake Malawi’s unique fish

Lake Malawi, one of Africa's most important freshwater ecosystems and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is under growing threats from plastic pollution, endangering both its extraordinary biodiversity and the communities that depend on it. Garbage can come on the breeding platforms or in the territories of the males, makes it difficult for the fish to breed. The fish can ingest not only full plastic, but also the microplastic. And the plastic's breaking down in the lake, people are drinking it, so they're going to be getting microplastics. So we think one of the major things is we can go out and clean up very small areas with divers for the tourists, but what is necessary is to stop the single-use plastics in Malawi and follow the example of other countries such as Tanzania and Kenya. At the front line of clean-up effort is a local team of divers working with NGO HEED – Health, Education, Environment and Economic Development, based in Cape Maclear. The team conduct regular underwater clean-ups. The garbage that is underwater seems useless, but it is destructive. When diving tourists come here with cameras to see fish, instead they see garbage underwater, which is not good. Not only that, fish eats plastic and this also has impact on humans, as humans eat fish. Collected waste is not simply discarded, some of it is repurposed through upcycling initiatives that provide livelihoods for local residents. Garbage diver Fushani Choice is part of a team that transforms recovered waste into craft products sold to visitors. We dive three times a week to clean up the lake. We collect garbage like glass bottles, plastic bottles, plastic bags, tins. We work with these items to recycle them into crafts. Despite Malawi producing tens of thousands of tons of plastic annually, most of its single use the country lacks government-run recycling facilities, allowing waste to be blown or washed into the lake.

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