The National Statistics Institute (INE) has announced that revenue from parks and conservation areas increased in 2023, totalling 226 million meticais (3.5 million dollars), well above the 221 million meticais (3.4 million dollars) of 2022 and the 149 million meticais (2.3 million dollars) recorded in 2021.
In the report on the ‘Basic Environmental Indicators 2023’, published by Lusa, the organisation said that in 2020, due to the effects of the restrictions imposed by the covid-19 pandemic, revenues were only 68 million meticais (one million dollars), while in 2019 they were 181 million meticais (2.8 million dollars).
‘The country has 11 national parks, the largest of which is Limpopo, located in Gaza province, covering 11,200 square kilometres. There are also seven reserves and protected areas,’ said INE.
The document clarified that, in 2023, a total of 205,300 people lived inside the protected areas, spread over 162 communities.
In April, it was announced that the Maputo National Park, a protected reserve located 70 kilometres from the city of Maputo, recorded a record number of visitors in 2023, receiving more than 20,000 tourists, which contributed to the growth and recovery of investments there.
According to the administrator of Maputo National Park, Miguel Gonçalves, the number of tourists has increased by between 10% and 15% every year, and last year was the best ever.
‘It was the best year ever in terms of visitors. We’re reaching the levels we were at before covid-19. In terms of marine activities, we’re still recovering, but 2017 was the best year ever in terms of the number of divers,’ he explained.
Maputo National Park brings together two historically established protected areas, on land and at sea: the Maputo Special Reserve and the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve.
