On 2 and 3 November 2020, the National Directorate of the Environment (DINAB), and its partners, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and BIOFUND, held a retreat on the Macaneta beach in Maputo to review the proposed Regulations on biodiversity offsets.

The main objective of the meeting was to analyse the fourth version of the draft Regulations on Biodiversity Offsets, and to draw up the final version of this document, which will later be submitted for approval by DINAB at the Technical Council of the Ministry of Land and environment (MTA).

The meeting also decided on the next steps to be taken and the calendar for approval of the Regulations on Biodiversity Offsets by the Council of Ministers.

The draft Regulations on Biodiversity Offsets arise in the context of establishing clear and feasible principles, methodologies, requirements and procedures that allow the correct implementation of biodiversity offsets, integrated into environmental assessment, in order to face the rapid economic development in the mining sector, which threatens the irreversible transformation of biodiversity and its ecosystem services.

Some 21 people took part in the two day meeting. They came from various Government institutions, including the sectors of the environment, the conservation areas, mining, fisheries, and partners of BIOFUND and WCS through the COMBO Project.