Mozambique Considers Redrawing Protected Areas for Mining

In Mozambique, on Friday, 15 October 2026, the government instructed conservation managers to map mineral deposits while a state commission considers redrawing protected areas, with prospecting rights already issued in buffer zones adjoining the Niassa Special Reserve and close to Gorongosa National Park.

This development signals a significant potential shift in Mozambique's land use policy, indicating a prioritisation of mineral extraction over conservation in certain areas, which could have profound implications for environmental protection, land rights, and foreign investment in both mining and eco-tourism sectors. For legal practitioners, this highlights the ongoing tension between economic development driven by natural resource exploitation and the imperative of biodiversity preservation, potentially leading to new regulatory challenges and opportunities.

The legal context for this situation involves Mozambique's Mining Law (Lei de Minas), environmental protection legislation, and land use planning regulations. The involvement of a