The Ministry for the Coordination of Environmental Affairs (MICOA) is responsible for implementing the national environmental management programme and associated environmental policy. The Ministry has a coordinating role and is also responsible for implementation of the Convention on biological diversity in Mozambique.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has formulated an agricultural policy which states in its primary declaration that all agricultural activity will have as its basis “the sustainable use of natural resources and guarantee of social equity”.
The DNFFB has the responsibility for managing forestry and wildlife resources in Mozambique. The DNFFB is responsible for protected areas in Mozambique as well as management and conservation of wildlife and forest resources outside protected areas.
Scientific research in biodiversity conservation is being carried out by CEF, the Forestry Inventory Unit, the National Herbarium, the INIA and the National Animal Institute.
The new forestry wildlife policy seeks to promote community-based natural resources management projects in areas adjacent to gazetted protected areas. Importantly, the DNFFB is responsible for the transfrontier conservation area which seeks to conserve biological diversity in areas recognized for their biological importance in collaboration with local communities with local communities residing in these areas.
It is recognized that sustainable forest management could contribute significantly to Mozambique’s economy. To this end, the DNFFB has formulated a national policy and strategy which seeks to realize the potential of forest resources through sustainable use and the conservation of biodiversity. The Strategy includes an ecological objective which aims at improving management and conservation of forest and wildlife resources in order to contribute to sustainable national and local development, proper use of land and conservation of biological diversity.
The conservation of biological diversity and maintenance of ecological systems and processes take into account the need for sustainable development and fair and equitable distribution of benefits arising from the use of biological diversity.
The Mozambican Parliament ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention to Combat Drought and Desertification in 1994 and 1996 respectively.
