On May 16 and 17, in Maputo city, a training course was held with the aim of developing capacities in the application of the regional guideline with best practices for mitigating potential negative impacts in the oil and gas sector, for three sensitive biodiversity features, namely: coral reefs, sea turtles and marine mammals.
The training was hosted by the National Directorate for the Environment (DINAB) in partnership with the COMBO+ Programme [led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in coordination with the Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity (BIOFUND)], as part of the initiative for Integrated Management of Marine and Coastal Resources in the North of the Mozambique Channel (NoCaMo), , implemented with Fauna & Flora (FF), and was attended by an impressive 50 participants representing different sectors, including the central government and representatives of the environment sector from all the coastal provinces, academia, NGOs and the private sector (developers and environmental consultants).
The newly developed regional mitigation technical guideline (subject of the training) aims to support regulators, consultants, proponents and other stakeholders in applying international best practices to mitigate potential oil and gas impacts to ensure No Net Loss (NPL) of biodiversity in marine environments. The aim is for it to be used in the development and review of environmental impact assessments and marine spatial planning, mainly for activities related to oil and gas initiatives in Mozambique's North Channel region.
During her opening speech, the national director for the environment, Enga. Guilhermina Amurane, emphasized the importance of this guideline and highlighted the commitment of the government and partners to continue to adopt and implement initiatives that contribute to the creation of technical tools to deal with new conservation approaches and mitigate the impacts on biodiversity in Mozambique. She also highlighted that this type of tool is aligned with Target 1 of the new Global Biodiversity Framework on "Plan and manage all areas to reduce biodiversity loss". This includes the components of spatial planning, strategic environmental assessment, and environmental impact assessment with a view to making development compatible with biodiversity conservation.
It is important to note that other complementary trainings are planned over the next 15 months, with the aim of contributing to reconciling economic development with the biodiversity conservation in Mozambique.