Environmental conservation is directly related to the socio-economic development of any country, especially those that are in the process of development, as is the case of Mozambique, in this regard, experts advocate greater action by the public and private sectors, in order to invest in sustainability and in the existing natural capital.
The preservation of natural resources is one of the points that make up the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined by the United Nations (UN) and which must be achieved by 2030.
The fulfilment of the SDG indices, which range from economic development issues to issues related to the environment and social justice, still fall short of expectations, and the most recent global phenomena (economic crisis, covid-19, wars and climate change) further condition the capacity of countries to solve the most pressing issues, particularly those of a social nature.
Mozambique has taken significant steps, but there is still much to be done, especially when it comes to access to finance for the development of sustainable and social inclusion initiatives.
Speaking on Wednesday (26) in Maputo, at a conference called “SDGs and ESG Indices in Mozambique: challenges and opportunities for national companies and organisations”, more specifically in the panel on “Pathways to Sustainable Development”, the director of Innovative Financing at the Biodiversity Conservation Foundation (BIOFUND), Sean Nazerali, said that biodiversity is fundamental for growth, stressing that it is aligned with the development of large cities, as it helps to eradicate poverty.
“We advocate for biodiversity in every sense, no goal is achievable in a scenario where there is unsustainability of the environment. Natural resources (fauna and flora), are a source of income and have great importance, so if they are degraded, they will have no way to grow. We need to improve the state of conservation and invest in sustainability,” he explained.
According to Mr Nazerali, incentives should be created, through the provision of accessible bank credit for companies to operate in the environmental field, and promote practices that help conserve resources, adding that investments cannot end with natural gas and heavy sands exploitation.
“You can’t breathe natural gas, you can’t eat titanium. In this sense, we must invest seriously in biodiversity,” he said.
Sharing the same opinion, the CEO of HIMPACT and Chief Sustainability Officer of Hemera Capital Partners, Sidney Magalhães, stressed that priority should be given to initiatives that impact on the SDGs, emphasising that “When we come into harmony, the environment produces as it should and creates livelihoods for families”.
“Integrated actions by various public and private companies and organisations, operating from the financial to the productive sector, are needed to help Mozambique achieve the Sustainable Development Goals outlined by the United Nations,” he said.
