Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi on Thursday called for communities to be encouraged to defend conservation areas, pointing out that distancing them from the population can encourage practices that harm ecosystem protection.
‘Getting communities to fight for the cause of conservation is ideal. The primary defenders are the communities, if these communities don’t want it, we’ll have headaches and confusion,’ he said.
Nyusi was speaking at the ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the Niassa Special Reserve, located in Niassa province, northern Mozambique.
The survival needs of communities can collide with the protection of endangered species, a conflict that requires shared and harmonious management, he continued.
In the case of the Niassa Special Reserve, the families living there depend on local water, hunt animals and look for firewood for fuel, he said.
In this sense, he continued, the resources must be exploited sustainably, for future generations.
‘We find what our ancestors left (…). Ecosystem conservation is a way of promoting local and regional development,’ he emphasised.
The government pointed out that the partnership between private entities linked to nature conservation, communities and governments has generated benefits for the Niassa Special Reserve.
‘Since 2019, there have been no elephant deaths (…) Investments in conservation have brought a new dynamic and gains to the Niassa Nature Reserve,’ he emphasised.
He pointed to the adoption of modern surveillance technologies and the mobilisation of more resources as strategies for strengthening the protection of that area.
Established in 1960, the Niassa Reserve, located in the north of the country, is Mozambique’s largest protected area, covering 42,400 square kilometres and home to the largest number of elephants in the country.
According to official figures, with the growing demand for ivory, especially in 2008, the number of elephants in the reserve fell from 14,000 to less than 4,000 between 2009 and 2018.
To halt the decline, Mozambique’s government and cooperation partners have been developing strategies to curb poachers, and this year marks seven years without a single incident.
