On Thursday (30th), the Minister of Land and Environment, Ivete Maibasse, inaugurated the new facilities of the Primeiras and Segundas Islands, Environmental Protection Area in Angoche, Nampula Province. This project involved an investment of 7 million meticals.
As reported in the newspaper O País, this marine conservation area, one of the largest in Africa, covers the provinces of Nampula and Zambézia. The construction was financed by the government and partners, with the aim of promoting environmental conservation and improving service provision.
During the ceremony, Minister Ivete Maibasse said that ‘the new facilities will contribute significantly to improving environmental protection strategies’. The First and Second Islands Environmental Protection Area, created in 2012, was the first of its kind in the country and is part of the East African Marine Region, which stretches from southern Somalia to the coast of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa.
Launch of the Territorial Planning Plan
In addition to the inauguration, on Wednesday the government launched the public consultation for the preparation of the territorial planning plan for the First and Second Islands. ‘This plan aims to guarantee the protection and sustainability of one of the largest aquatic ecosystems in the world, located in the north of the country,’ reads the information.
According to the information provided by Minister Ivete Maibasse, ‘the archipelago, with an area of approximately one million hectares, faces threats due to climate risks and human action. The government emphasises the urgency of creating a land-use plan to protect the archipelago, covering the districts of Moma, Angoche, Larde and Mucubela, in the provinces of Nampula and Zambézia’.
It was also emphasised that the plan should establish guidelines and conditions for the use of ecological zones, defining the limits of human activities of an economic nature, and guaranteeing respect for the rights of local communities, which are particularly vulnerable to extreme climatic events.
