Afonso Madope is the new national director of the Wildlife Conservation Society Mozambique (WCS), the first Mozambican to hold the position. In his new role, Madope brings a life dedicated to conservation matters and extensive experience in the field.
Afonso Madope is a Mozambican conservation and biodiversity expert with 30 years of experience in advancing conservation initiatives throughout Mozambique. Dr. Madope worked 9 years at Office Forestry and Wildlife at the Ministry of Agriculture, first as a technical expert and later as the National Director of the Office of Forestry and Wildlife. Madope also served as the Inhambane Provincial Director for Agriculture and as the National Director for for Conservation Areas at the Ministry of Tourism.
Madope then helped oversee de-mining efforts in and around Gorongosa National Park through a project funded by the European Union before coordinating the Mozambique Conservation Areas for Biodiversity and Development Project, known as Mozbio, on behalf of the Ministry of Environment and Rural Development.
Madope joined the USAID-funded Supporting the Policy Environment for Economic Development (SPEED+) Project as the Portfolio Manager for Biodiversity, where he oversaw implementation of over $11 million in conservation-related assistance to the Government of Mozambique, including support to the Prosecutor’s Office and the Supreme Court on prosecuting wildlife crime.
Madope also supported the completion of the Law of Protection, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity (Law No. 5/2017), including key implementing regulations such as on General Regulation, Game Farm Regulation, Avifauna Regulation and the Professional Hunters Regulation as well a numerous other technical assistance activities around conserving Mozambique biodiversity resources.