Oct 13, 2026 |
A community in the Futhi Corridor has received a new office, solar power and 43 kilometres of fencing to reduce conflict with elephants.
The investments benefit the Mwai Community Conservation Area, managed by the Futhi Corridor Community Conservation Association, and were made under the Biodiversity Conservation Programme, funded by the Government of Sweden.
According to BIOFUND, the initiative was coordinated by the foundation in collaboration with the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) and included the installation of a modular structure that now serves as the association’s office.
The fence, erected along the corridor, aims to mitigate conflict between local people and elephants and to strengthen habitat connectivity and protection. The programme also funded a solar system for the community area’s main camp, environmental education activities, sustainable livelihood projects and capacity building for local governance structures.
Support will continue through the Community Conservation and Investment Programme, a new BIOFUND initiative funded by the Government of the United Kingdom through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
The foundation states that the new programme will strengthen investment in community conservation and in development alternatives compatible with biodiversity protection.
In statements gathered by BIOFUND, community leader Armando Tembe stresses that “for us, this office is very important, because it will help us to have a place where we can work, meet and deal with the affairs of our community”.
The Futhi Corridor was created in 2011 to link the then Maputo Special Reserve, today Maputo National Park, to Tembe Elephant Park in South Africa, allowing coastal elephants to resume their ancient migration routes along the Futi River and the floodplains of the Maputo River. The Mwai community area is the result of a partnership between six villages that voluntarily incorporated 10,000 hectares of land into the protected area network.
Photo: Biofund
