Mozambique establishes the country’s first ever trust fund dedicated to biodiversity conservation
President Filipe Nyusi officially launched BIOFUND on 10 June 2015 at an event in Maputo attended by international and national conservation and development partners, ambassadors, ministers, NGOs, and dignitaries of Mozambique.
In honour of the occasion, and in recognition of the importance of BIOFUND for conserving Mozambique’s globally outstanding natural heritage, new financial and technical commitments were announced at the event. To date, the support of the German and French governments,The World Bank, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Conservation International have resulted in a total investment of over $20 million into BIOFUND. “With the launch of BIOFUND we take another decisive step in promoting sustainable development”, said President Nyusi.
BIOFUND will play a major role in supporting Mozambique’s exceptional national conservation area system that includes landscapes in 14 major ecological regions from the lakes of the Rift Valley, to the wetlands of the Zambeze River delta, forests of the South Rift Mountains, mangroves of East Africa and many more.
President Nyusi’s recognition of this innovative funding approach to the future of biodiversity conservation sends a clear signal that sustainability is an integral part of the country´s new development agenda. The president stated that “in fact, protecting our resources is not enough. The best way to conserve our resources for future generations is to use those resources wisely without causing damage to the natural systems, which support our daily life. It is necessary to conserve and use resources sustainably. There is no conflict between the development of people and nature conservation.”
President Nyusi also emphasized the role of local communities in conservation: “We have to remember that those populations, perhaps the poorest of the country, have known over centuries how to look after this patrimony of which we are so proud today. These populations, motivated and mobilised, will be the best monitors and defenders of our biodiversity.”
To celebrate the event, an exhibition and fair was held at Eduardo Mondlane University, which included stalls from conservation projects and parks throughout Mozambique. The three-day fair was attended by large numbers of people and included a day dedicated to visits by schools from the city of Maputo.
The Limpopo National Park stand was a particular favourite with the children. Decorated with a number of fascinating exhibits, which included traps and arms confiscated from poachers, as well as the skulls and skins of some of the park’s most iconic wild animals, it drew large groups of curious pupils. Park staff were on site to answer questions and explain to the young audience the importance of biodiversity conservation. As a special treat a climbing wall had been erected in front of the stand by Additive Adventure, which will be assisting the park to develop trail races in 2016.
Prior to this event, Limpopo National Park celebrated World Environment Day on 5 June. Ceremonies involving about 200 people, including park workers, government officials from the Massingir district, local community members and children from the local primary school were followed by an extensive cleanup of the area in and around Mavodze village.
Story and photos by Valdemar Casimiro
Limpopo National Park
