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(July 04, 2022) Background The East Coast of Africa including the shorelines of Mozambique contain some of the most biodiverse marine systems in the world, and mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs provide ecologically interconnected systems that support the livelihoods of millions of people. For example, the World Bank has identified Mozambique as a nation where protecting mangroves can greatly protect its coastlines, which are very susceptible to climate change effects. The Ministry of Land and Environ...

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(June 30, 2022) Just launched at UN Ocean, a new 5-year, 7.9 million euro project will scale up much-needed conservation work in northern Mozambique for the benefit of ecosystems and local communities alike. From left to right: Sean Nazerali, Director of Innovative Financing at Biofund, Simeão Lopes, CEO of ProAzul Trust Fund, Markus Knigge, CEO of Blue Action Fund, and Hugo Costa, Marine Program Director for WCS Mozambique “Building a Blue Future for Ecosystems and People on the East African Co...

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(June 23, 2022) WCS Mozambique continues to invest on identifying Key Biodiversity Areas and supporting Red List Assessments that will inform biodiversity assessments, prioritization and planning, and support the implementation of the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework in the country. In 2019, Mozambique started one of the first KBAs assessments worldwide which was applied to the whole country, including terrestrial and marine realms, assessing ecosystems, flora and fauna, including invertebrates. Impor...

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(June 12, 2022) WCS has offered communication material to the Ministry of Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries (MIMAIP), in an event held as part of the celebrations of the World Ocean Day (June 8th). The communication material consists of 14 Rollups on the Regulation of Protected Marine Species (REPMAR), and the delivery was made by the Country Director of WCS Mozambique, Afonso Madope, to the Minister of Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries, Lídia de Fátima Cardoso. Thus, WCS has strengthened its commit...

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(June 08, 2022) Southern Mozambique (SWIO) is a hotspot for shark and ray biodiversity, yet some of these species are threatened with extinction, or classified as data deficient (meaning there is insufficient data to assess their conservation status). A project has therefore been initiated through funding provided by the Shark Conservation Fund to contribute to improving the conservation status of threatened shark and ray species in Mozambique, through a combination of policy and on-the-ground conservation init...

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(June 08, 2022) On 7 June 2022, in the presence of the French Ambassador to South Africa, SANBI signed a financial agreement with Agence Française de Développement to implement a spatial biodiversity assessment, prioritisation and planning project (SBAPP).  Mapping the occurrence and status of species and ecosystems in South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Malawi will produce information that assists in the development of national strategies and action plans to ensure biodiversity is integrated into the...

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(June 01, 2022) On 19th May 2022, the Ministerial Diploma 55/2022 on the implementation of Biodiversity Offsets was published in the Mozambican Official Gazette. This legal instrument arises as a requirement of the Environmental Impact Regulation (Decree 54/2015 of 31 December) and will now enable the Government of Mozambique to ensure that development projects of category A+ or A that cause residual negative impacts on biodiversity considered very important (e.g. threatened species or ecosystems) implement bio...

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(May 31, 2022) On May 23, 2022, at a public ceremony chaired by H.E. Fernando de Sousa, Vice Minister of Land and Environment, the new Biodiversity Information System of Mozambique (SIBMOZ) was officially launched. This pioneer tool for the country was developed between 2021 and 2022 through a partnership between the National Directorate of Environment, under the Ministry of Land and Environment, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which developed the concept with support from SPEED program...

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(May 25, 2022) The official launch ceremony of the CONNECT project products - and the second phase of the COMBO+ program took place yesterday in Maputo. The products comprise the Mozambique Biodiversity Information System (SIBMOZ), Online Environmental Licensing and Auditing Management System (SGLA) and a new standard form to support evaluation of Environmental Impact Studies. WCS was the technical partner for this work. The event was attended by more than 230 people (around 70 in person and more than 160 v...

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(April 18, 2022) Within the spirit of the Co-Management Agreement recently signed between WCS and Government of Mozambique, a new warden was appointed since last February to take the leadership of the Niassa Special Reserve Management. Mr. Terêncio Tamele was introduced to the community authorities of Mecula District about two weeks ago and that was attended by more than 10 community leaders at 5º Congresso region. The main objectives of this meeting were the opening of effective communication cha...

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