Forests are only as safe as the people who live beside them, says Professor Judith Kamoto, and those people need a proper stake in the trees they guard.

The newly inaugurated professor at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) used her inaugural public lecture in Lilongwe on Friday to make the case.

Kamoto, a forest management specialist, said communities should not be treated as cheap labour in conservation schemes.

They should also see real benefits from the work they do.

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Good governance, accountability and meaningful participation, she argued, are the keys to protecting the country's forests.

Minister of Natural Resources Patricia Wiskes, the guest of honour, said government would use the lecture's recommendations to shape practical action on deforestation and natural resource management.

Her lecture was titled "The Paradoxes of Governing the Commons: Explaining the Gap Between Natural Resources Governance and Benefits for Human Wellbeing in Malawi".

Research of this kind, Wiskes said, offers a clear roadmap for tackling the problems facing the country's forests and other natural resources, and for making sure communities benefit from what is on their land.

LUANAR Council Chairperson Professor Joseph Seyani called her achievement an inspiration, insisting the university's top academic posts are open to everyone, regardless of gender.

"The path to the highest level of academic achievement is open to everyone, as witnessed today," he said.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Emmanuel Kaunda called Kamoto a game changer, noting that she is the first female college director in the university's history.

He said the milestone shows the growing role of women in academic leadership.