Sep 8, 2026 |
Mozambique has moved to create a new community conservation area to protect the unique Mount Mabu ecosystem in Zambézia, managed by local communities.
According to ReGeCom, the non-governmental organisation that followed the process, the new area was created through a decree signed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, covering the Tacuane and Muabanama administrative posts, in Lugela district.
The new area will protect 9 341 hectares of mid-altitude tropical forest, one of the last large remnants of this type of ecosystem in Southern Africa and a vital habitat for the thousands of people who live around it.
According to Biofund, the Mozambican foundation behind the EU funded PROMOVE Biodiversity programme, the forest sits at around 1 700 metres of altitude and the area will be managed by the local association CONSERVAMABU, with technical support from a consortium bringing together WWF Mozambique, ReGeCom and RADEZA, under the coordination of the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC).
In the same note, ReGeCom underlines that "local communities are not simply beneficiaries of conservation, they are custodians and stewards of the natural capital from which their livelihoods and future depend".
The organisation adds that this legal recognition marks the start of a new phase of work, aimed at turning the area's legal status into effective forest restoration and economic opportunities for communities, an effort that has drawn support from the Mozambican government, the National Directorate of Forests and Wildlife, the district government of Lugela and the provincial government of Zambézia, and partners such as Rainforest Trust, the project's main funder.
Photos: Tony Jolliffe/BBC
