Viphya Forest is a forest south of Mzuzu, a city in Malawi.[1] It is situated on the Viphya Plateau,[2] amongst the Viphya Mountains. It has an area of 560 km² and is billed as the largest man made forest in Africa[3], although Johannesburg also makes this claim. Among the birds to be found in Viphya Forest are the Scaly Francolin, (Francolinus squamatus), Olive Woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus), and the Red-faced Crimson-wing (Cryptospiza reichenovii).[4]
The forest was started in 1964, and the trees were intended to be used for a pulp mill that would create wood pulp for export.[5] However, due to an economic recession, the paper mill was never built.[5]
The forest has been deteriorating in recent years as more trees have been harvested than planted, and it has been ravaged by fires.[3]