To mark World Ranger Day, President Nyusi attended The Giants Club signing ceremony in the Niassa Special Reserve, supporting The Independent’s Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign by joining The Giants Club, and thus proving the country’s commitment to conserving Africa’s most important natural ecosystems and protecting endangered species.
President Nyusi joined The Giants Club at the signing ceremony in the Niassa Special Reserve, held as part of Mozambique’s World Ranger Day celebrations on July 31.
After attending a parade of rangers working on the front lines to protect Mozambique’s wildlife, President Nyusi became the seventh African head of state to join The Giants Club, an international forum of political leaders, businessmen, financiers, philanthropists, conservationists and scientists, all dedicated to supporting presidents in achieving their domestic conservation agendas.
President Nyusi thus joins President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, President Ali Bongo Ondimba of Gabon, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who are all co-leaders of The Giants Club. Former Botswana President Ian Khama serves as President Emeritus.
The Giants Club is an initiative of the international conservation organization Space for Giants which, with partner organizations, implements the programs that the Heads of State of The Giant’s Club choose as conservation priorities. Space for Giants is based in Kenya and operates in 10 countries across Africa, including Mozambique.
Alongside the Heads of State, the nearly 40 members of The Giant’s Club include businessmen from Africa, the US, Europe, the UK, Russia, and the Gulf. Conservation scientists from Space for Giants and other organizations advise the Club.
Together, these individuals combine their political strength, vast financial resources, pioneering scientific expertise, and global reach and influence to fulfill the Club’s goal of protecting Africa’s remaining populations of large animals and their habitats, advising governments as they build their “nature-based economies” by linking them to conservation investment that drives sustainable businesses and job creation.
By joining The Giant Club, President Nyusi is committing to forging new partnerships to protect nature, while driving the development of a nation rich in natural resources, and home to more than 4,000 species of wildlife – including large mammals such as elephants, rhinos, lions and giraffes – and more than 5,500 species of plants. It has one of the longest coastlines in Africa, with over 1,800 km of coral reefs, and 400,000 hectares of mangroves.
Stuart Slabbert, Executive Director of Conservation at the Giant Club, tells the Independent he is “proud of President Nyusi’s visit “as well as the fact that he is joining this cause to become our newest head of state member. His commitment to conservation is clear, and partnering with organizations like Space for Giants supports Mozambique in addressing challenges such as human-elephant conflict, while bringing new knowledge and experience to promote national and international investment in responsible conservation and tourism enterprises. Public and private sector partnerships will generate new revenue from wildlife for the benefit of Mozambique’s citizens, and can support efforts to deter illegal wildlife trade.”
The Giants Club Heads of State lead the countries that are home to more than half of Africa’s 415,000 remaining elephants. Botswana hosts between herds up to 150,000 elephants strong, mostly centered in the Okavango Delta in its north. Gabon has more than half of the continent’s remaining forest elephants, a distinct species, as well as lowland gorillas.
