The Mozambican government took part in an international conference in Washington, USA, with the aim of mobilizing funds to protect the Miombo forest. The Minister of Land and Environment, Ivete Maibaze, highlighted the importance of the event to increase the funding needed to implement conservation actions, revealing that the action plan drawn up for 2022 requires a total investment of 550 million dollars.
So far, Mozambique and its partners have managed to raise 154 million dollars, and the conference aims to raise the rest. The agenda includes a ministerial meeting, panel discussions and a speech by President Filipe Nyusi, as well as the verbal adoption of the Declaration of Commitment on the Miombo Forest.
The Maputo Declaration on the Miombo Forest, signed by several African countries, establishes priorities for the sustainable management of the natural resources of this vital ecosystem. The Miombo forest plays a crucial role in the livelihoods of more than 300 million inhabitants, as well as maintaining the Great Zambezi, an important transnational river basin.
Figures revealed by the National Director of Forestry show that Mozambique loses 267,000 hectares of forest every year. Recently, the Global Environment Facilities (GEF) and the Italian Cooperation Agency made 17.6 million dollars available for forest revitalization and monitoring initiatives in the country.
