Mozambique Launches $15M Wildlife Project for Biodiversity Management

Maputo — Mozambique's National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) has announced the implementation of "Landscape-Scale Wildlife Conservation and Livelihood Transformation" project, budgeted at 15 million US dollars. The initiative, simply known as TRANSFORM project, is aimed at strengthening sustainable biodiversity management and improve the living conditions of local communities. According to Pejul Calenga, ANAC Director-General, speaking during the project's launch workshop, the main objective is to transform biodiversity management in priority landscapes, focusing on the Quirimbas, Marromeu, and Gorongosa conservation areas. "The project also focuses on community inclusion by promoting sustainable livelihoods and leveraging the wildlife economy. We want these conservation areas to serve as vehicles for promoting livelihoods, focusing on the wildlife economy value chain, in which the community will play a major role", he said. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines Calenga also believes that TRANSFORM can help reduce human-wildlife conflict, particularly in critical zones within the Sofala and Niassa provinces by creating income-generating alternatives and improving land-use planning. "If we can provide families with the opportunity to secure additional sources of income, we can reduce dependence on natural resources and, in doing so, decrease conflict," he explained. For her part, Cleophas Torori, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) representative in Mozambique, said that TRANSFORM represents one of the Global Environment Facility's (GEF) largest investments in the country, with funding estimated at 15.4 million dollars. According to Torori, the initiative is built upon four interconnected areas: biodiversity conservation, combating illegal wildlife trafficking, promoting sustainable livelihoods, and shifting attitudes toward biodiversity. "We want to go beyond good results and achieve a profound, sustainable impact for the people of Mozambique. The project is slated to run for seven years and aims to improve the management of over three million hectares of priority landscapes, restore ecological corridors, and strengthen community resilience in the face of climate change affecting the country", she said. "Community participation is strengthened when people see tangible results and benefits from conservation," Torori said. Read the original article on AIM . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.