Southern African leaders signed last Friday, August 5, the Maputo Declaration for the protection and conservation of miombo forest ecosystems in the region, an instrument that will promote “joint and integrated actions for the recovery and management” of the resources.
“The declaration promotes joint, coordinated and integrated actions for the recovery, management, monitoring and conservation of miombo forests and other forest formations throughout the Southern African Development Community [SADC] region,” said Filipe Nyusi, President of the Republic.
The head of state was speaking in Maputo during the regional conference on the management of miombo woodland ecosystems, which was attended by his Zimbabwean counterpart, Emmerson Mnangagwa, and other members of regional governments.
According to the Mozambican President, forest conservation is of “collective interest, for the good of the people and the planet”, considering that “climate change does not respect borders” and, therefore, the regulated exploitation of resources is important.
“If we want to transform our relationship with nature, we have to do it together,” he stressed, noting that the signing of the Maputo Declaration is a milestone in the consolidation of regional commitments for the conservation of miombo woodlands and the greater Zambezi.
For the Mozambican Head of State, the promotion of good practices of sustainable forest management will allow the “sharing of benefits among millions of people” of the present and future generations.
According to Filipe Nyusi, the miombo woodlands occupy 82% of Mozambique’s territory.
The conference, which started on Thursday, aimed to discuss the current conditions of miombo woodlands in the region, defining joint strategies for their protection.
The aim of the meeting focused on biodiversity conservation and mitigation of the impact of climate change on miombo woodland ecosystems, by increasing the capacity to manage natural resources and introduce innovative methods among the countries of the region.