This was one of the findings of the COMBO project (2016-2019) evaluation held under the theme Conservation, Impact Mitigation and Biodiversity Offset in Africa, in a partnership between Nature Conservation Society (WCS Mozambique), Biotope and Forest Trends.

The COMBO Project is BIOFUND’s main partner in implementing the Biodiversity Offset Program entitled “Harmonizing Economic Development and Biodiversity Conservation in Mozambique” which has been   collaborating with the Government of Mozambique to develop legal, technical and financial mechanisms to support the implementation of the mitigation hierarchy including biodiversity offsets.

The initiative supports the development of government policies aimed at achieving no net loss or net gain in biodiversity by improving mitigation of the impacts of development projects in Mozambique, Madagascar, Uganda and Guinea.

The final evaluation meeting was held on Ponta do Ouro village in Maputo, from 4^th to 8^th of November, with the participation of more than 50 representatives from governments, civil society, the private sector and multi and bilateral agencies working in Mozambique, Madagascar, Uganda and Guinea and allowed  sharing and exchange of experiences on the challenges and lessons learned during the implementation of the COMBO project in each country, discussions of potential future activities and field visits to potential . biodiversity offsets pilot project implementation areas. It also served to highlight the relevance of environmental funds for the implementation of the concept in question.

The project was crucial in boosting the development of public policies for the implementation of the mitigation hierarchy in Mozambique, Madagascar, Uganda and Guinea. It has created a knowledge and learning platform on the theme based on local knowledge and capacity. implementing countries.

And it is in this context of collaboration with the COMBO Project that BIOFUND is seen as one of the environmental funds with a key role on biodiversity offsets implementation within the African Environmental Funds Network (CAFÉ) awakening the relevance of the concept to environmental funds as a financial mechanism to support biodiversity conservation, culminating with the establishment of a technical group for biodiversity offsets based in the CAFÉ network, currently involving about 17 African countries.

According to Denise Nicolau, coordinator of BIOFUND’s Biodiversity Offset program “the imminent continuity of COMBO is an important example of collaboration between WCS, Government and BIOFUND and is a great result to be capitalized”.

BIOFUND is committed to continuing to implement its Mozambique Balancing and Biodiversity Program by 2023 with financial support from the World Bank through the MOZBIO 2 Project, UNDP through the BIOSFAC Project and USAID / CPI and in partnership with national and international stakeholders, including the COMBO Project in case of continuity in Mozambique.