With the aim of seeing up close the activities that are being undertaken with the funds from the Bio card, a project resulting from a partnership between the Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity (BIOFUND) and the Commercial and Investment Bank (BCI), teams from BIOFUND and the BCI  recently visited the Sábiè Game Park, the Conservation Area where the first pilot project financed with funds from this card has been implemented, for the conservation of white and black rhinoceros, which are species threatened with extinction in  Mozambique. This project, designed by MozParks Initiative INC., supported the placing of satellite tags in order to better follow and protect these species.

The BIOFUND team, consisting of the Director of Innovative Financing, an accountant, an administrative Assistant and a Monitoring and Assessment Officer, together with four BCI staff, had the opportunity to view a unique landscape and were also fortunate enough to see various animal species that are part of the Sábiè Game Park.

Sean Nazerali, the BIOFUND Director of Innovative Financing, stressed that, regardless of the area of work. BIOFUND makes a point of ensuring that all its workers have opportunities to contact the nature of the grass roots work of the institution, so that they understand the importance of conservation. Hence the fact that professionals who have no technical training in conservation formed part of this visit.

For the BCI team, who were visiting a Conservation Area for the first time, this contact with nature was doubtless very important for raising their awareness about the conservation of biodiversity and the intervention of BIOFUND in this  sector. It is striking to see the commitment of all these professionals to conserving biodiversity. I am pleased to now that the BCI is participating in this cause that is so useful to our ecosystem – added Esménia Nhane of the BCI.

It should be recalled that the funds from the Bio card are exclusively a contribution from the BCI, driven by the action of its clients who, in choosing to use the Bio card  are contributing so that a percentage of a value of the transactions made through this card are channelled to  BIOFUND for the implementation of projects which seek to conserve biodiversity, without any additional cost for the BCI’s clients.

For more details about the Bio Card, click here