The International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem was celebrated on 26 July, under the motto “Mangroves restored, Mozambique resilient”. The mangroves are unique, highly productive and complex forests that develop in zones of transition between the terrestrial and marine environment in tropical and sub-tropical areas.

The mangroves are extremely important for living beings and for nature, because they provide a series of ecosystem services, such as a nursery for the reproduction of various marine species, coastal protection against strong winds and sequestration of carbon, contributing to the mitigation of climate change.

Mozambique has the 13^th largest coverage of mangrove forests in the world and the 3rd largest in Africa with about 300,000 hectares and 9 separate species. However, despite their great importance, the mangrove forests of Mozambique are under great pressure because of natural and anthropogenic causes, mainly due to the impact of extreme climatic events, the exploitation of wood resources and urban growth in the coastal areas.

The Ministry of the Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries (MIMAIP) and its various partners, including the Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity (BIOFUND), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the National Sustainable Development Fund (FNDS), and ProAzul, among others, joined on 26 July for the launch of the National Programme for the Restoration of the Mangrove Eco-system with the objective of publicizing the Mangrove Management Strategy (2020 – 2024), guiding management and restoration measures at national level, and increasing the awareness of of Mozambican society about the importance of the mangroves.

Through its programmes, BIOFUND has participated actively in the development of the National Mangrove Strategy. It promotes the creation of knowledge about the mangroves through the development of metrics to assess the condition of the mangroves, makes civil society aware of their ecological and socio-economic importance, and supports their protection in all the country’s marine conservation areas.

Watch the video of the Launch of the National Programme for the Restoration of the Mangrove Eco-system by clicking here.