The Bazaruto Archipelago National Park could become a global benchmark in marine conservation, sustainable tourism, economic growth, and job creation, according to African Parks. The outlook was presented on Wednesday during an audience between President Daniel Chapo and African Parks Chief Executive Peter Fearnhead, in which both sides reviewed results achieved and the challenges facing the co-managed protected area.
The meeting took place at the Office of the Presidency and provided an opportunity to take stock of the work carried out by African Parks at Bazaruto, whose management is secured through a partnership with the Mozambican government. Both parties also identified areas requiring further improvement to strengthen administration of the protected area and maximise the initiative’s impact.
At the close of the meeting, Fearnhead said the audience had allowed both sides to assess progress made and pinpoint areas where the organisation and the government can sharpen their performance. According to the executive, the objective is to consolidate Bazaruto as a strategic asset for biodiversity conservation and tourism development in Mozambique.
“We came to discuss the successes, but also to talk about some of the areas where we can improve as a managing organisation, as well as in our relationship with the government, in order to ensure that Bazaruto is a truly important tourism and conservation asset for Mozambique,” Fearnhead said.
He added that strengthening the partnership is intended to drive development in the region while simultaneously promoting economic growth and creating more employment opportunities for local communities. “This with the objective of promoting the development of the region, stimulating economic growth and, very importantly, the job creation that results from it,” he stated.
The African Parks CEO described the audience as productive and expressed confidence that the alignment between the government and the organisation would allow the remaining challenges affecting the project to be overcome in the short term. In his assessment, the commitment made by both parties should reinforce outcomes in the management of the protected area and accelerate the achievement of agreed targets.
Founded in 2000, African Parks is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to nature conservation that establishes long-term partnerships with African governments and local communities to ensure the sustainable management of national parks and other protected areas.
Under these partnerships, the organisation carries out activities spanning wildlife and flora protection, anti-poaching operations, recovery of endangered species, sustainable tourism promotion, scientific research, and community support programmes in the areas of education, health, employment, and income generation.
Source: Diário Económico
