Similar Nyika National Park, Nkhotakota Game Reserve, Lengwe National Park, Liwonde National Park, Chongoni Rock Art Area | ||
Viphya Forest is a forest south of Mzuzu, a city in Malawi. It is situated on the Viphya Plateau, amongst the Viphya Mountains. It has an area of 560 km2 and is billed as the largest man made forest in Africa, 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).
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. However, due to an economic recession, the paper mill was never built.
The forest has been deteriorating in recent years as more trees have been harvested than planted, and it has been ravaged by fires.