The government has highlighted the significant reduction in elephant poaching in the Niassa Special Reserve, coinciding with the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of its creation. The reserve, which was established on 9 October 1954, covers an area that encompasses eight districts, six of them in Niassa province and two in Cabo Delgado province.
According to Noticias, poaching in the region was once a serious problem, drastically reducing the elephant population, which fell from around 12,000 individuals to just over 3,000 in 2016. However, in recent years, the authorities have seen a notable improvement in the protection of fauna.
In 2021, the government signed a co-management agreement with the US organisation Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), with the aim of strengthening conservation actions in the reserve.
This agreement has resulted in the reinforcement of inspections on the ground, as well as the provision of operational resources for inspectors, which is already producing positive results, according to Filipe Nyusi.
The President of the Republic also emphasised that, in addition to reinforced inspection, the use of monitoring technologies, such as the placement of satellite collars on animals, has been an effective strategy for tracking the movements of fauna and preventing conflicts between animals and humans.
In a symbolic gesture during the celebrations, Nyusi personally placed a satellite collar on a leopard, reinforcing the government’s commitment to biodiversity conservation.
For her part, the Minister of Land and Environment, Ivete Maibaze, recalled that poaching has been one of the biggest threats to conservation areas in Mozambique, but emphasised the progress made in recent years, which now allows for greater protection of elephants and other endangered species in the Niassa Reserve.
