About
DEVECON Limited was established in January 2019. It’s primary goal is to promote biodiversity conservation and entrepreneurship development in Malawi. Its services range from promoting environmental education, outdoors recreation, creating awareness about Malawian culture, and providing consultancy, research, and advisory services to the biodiversity sector in Malawi, Southern African Development (SADC) and beyond.
DEVECON’s associates and board of trustees are professionals that have had long-term and recognised contribution and commitment to the positive transformation of the environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, and entrepreneurship development across the SADC region.
Restoration Activities
RESTORATION OF LILONGWE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER, MALAWI
Development of a Management and Zonation Plan
Delineating the available and planned developments, biomes, and inventories of wildlife species (fauna & flora) and their distribution in the Sanctuary.
Production of Learning and Knowledge Products
Inclusive of banners for display in the auditorium, nature trails, and bird-watching towers; re-mounting the wildlife artefacts in the auditorium; and production of the Sanctuary’s Map, and pamphlets/brochures on the full range of biodiversity found in the Sanctuary, and the country. These information brochures will also include briefs on Malawi’s culture, and its diversity.
If we pollute the air, water and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no amount of money will save us.
– David Suzuki
RESEARCH PROJECTS IN THE PIPLINE
Planned Flora Inventory
DEVECON in partnership with University of Mzuzu will undertake a comprehensive flora inventory to document and broaden knowledge of plant species diversity within the Sanctuary. This initiative will identify and map indigenous vegetation, catalog species distribution, and highlight the ecological value of the Sanctuary’s plant life. By expanding understanding of Malawi’s botanical richness, the inventory will strengthen environmental education, support conservation planning, and enhance visitor appreciation of the Sanctuary’s unique natural heritage.
Mondia whitei, locally known as gondolosi, is a culturally and medicinally important vine now endangered in Malawi due to unsustainable harvesting of its tuberous roots. DEVECON will conduct a science‑based solution: developing practical propagation methods that communities can adopt to reduce reliance on wild stocks. By shifting from destructive harvesting to sustainable cultivation, the initiative directly addresses biodiversity loss while safeguarding livelihoods.
DEVECON is planning to conducted research on this endangered plant in the Lilongwe Nature Sanctuary, to generate Malawi’s first comprehensive dataset on Mondia whitei, integrating ecological surveys with propagation trials. Specific objectives include mapping abundance and distribution, identifying enabling ecological conditions, and testing scalable propagation techniques such as seed germination, stem cuttings, and tuber sections.