Nov 10, 2025 |
The Mozambican government has set up a technical commission to review the boundaries of conservation areas and promote a balance between environmental protection and local communities.
The Executive approved, through Resolution No. 33/2025 of 17 October, the creation of the Technical Commission for the Resizing of Conservation Areas (CTRAC), which will be responsible for ‘coordinating and providing technical and institutional support to the Government in the process of resizing existing conservation areas in the national territory,’ revealed Lusa Agency..
The document recognises the ‘need to resize conservation areas in order to establish a balance between the conservation of biological diversity and human development’, giving the CTRAC an initial mandate of one year to carry out its functions.
Among the main tasks of the new commission is to carry out a technical and legal survey of current conservation areas, identify overlaps and conflicts with community or public interest projects, and propose new boundaries and management categories for these areas.
The CTRAC should also promote public consultations and ensure community participation in the process of redefining the boundaries of protected areas, subsequently submitting proposals to the Council of Ministers for consideration and decision.
Mozambique has 14 ecological regions considered relevant, some of global importance. The National Network of Conservation Areas covers about 26% of the national territory, encompassing 19 parks and reserves, 20 official hunting grounds and several other categories of conservation under institutional surveillance.
The commission will also have the mission of ‘ensuring compatibility between biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and the rights of local communities and third parties’.
The CTRAC will be headed by the Secretary of State for Land and Environment and will include representatives from the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC), as well as from various ministries — including the Interior, National Defence, State Administration and Civil Service, Finance, Justice, Mineral Resources, Public Works and Education — in addition to ‘two independent experts in ecology and land use planning’.
It should be recalled that in early October, the Mozambican Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries (MAAP), launched the process of revising the Environment Policy and Law in the city of Maputo. The main objective of the initiative is to update the legal and strategic framework that guides environmental management in the country, adapting it to current development dynamics and the demands imposed by climate issues and socio-economic and institutional transformations. According to Diário Económico, during the launch ceremony, Prime Minister Benvinda Levi, stressed that ‘challenges remain due to issues related to informal and disorderly human settlements, as well as pressure on forest, fishery, maritime and mineral resources,’ noting that poverty continues to be a determining factor in the uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources.
Foto: NatGeo
