On the 23rd of May, in Maputo, the official ceremony of the second phase of COMBO+ Program and the official launch of the products of CONNECT project (SIBMOZ, SGLA and Ficha Padrão) took place. The event was attended by over 230 people in a hybrid way (in person and virtual), launched by the Deputy Minister of Land and Environment, Fernando de Sousa, with the presence of representatives of the French Embassy and USAID, among other project partners.

The second phase of COMBO+ Program, an initiative implemented by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in partnership with BIOFUND and the National Environment Directorate (DINAB) aims at: i) finalizing and applying the institutional and legal frameworks for transparent and effective application of the mitigation hierarchy; ii) continuing to develop technical tools to support territorial planning in accordance with the mitigation hierarchy; iii) continuing training with all stakeholders (government, civil society, financial institutions and companies) for the application of the mitigation hierarchy as a regulatory obligation; and finally, iv) testing operational protocols through 4 pilot projects: Chimanimani, Licuáti, Maputo and Memba/Mossuril.

In his speech on the occasion, the Deputy Minister of Land and Environment highlighted that in the second phase of COMBO+ Program, the focus is on continuing to support the strengthening of sector institutions and the appropriate application of the mitigation hierarchy, namely in the use of the tools presented in the event, and in the additional ones that the Program may develop in this second phase. The Deputy Minister also highlighted that with the official launch of the products of CONNECT Project, including the new Mozambique Biodiversity Information System (SIBMOZ) (https://sibmoz.gov.mz/) Mozambique is a pioneer country worldwide, which since its National Biodiversity Strategy, has challenged itself to use Environmental Impact Assessment process tools to avoid “Biodiversity Net Loss”, designing new legal tools such as the Ministerial Diploma on Biodiversity Offsets, and the adoption of standard forms for all categories of development projects.

The success of the first phase of COMBO program has led WCS project donors (AFD and FFEM), and BIOFUND project donors (the World Bank /MozBio 2 and UNDP/BIOSFAC) to continue funding the initiative, investing in a second phase of the Program which started in July 2021 and will run thru 2025.

This phase ensures technical support to DINAB to operate the new Ministerial Diploma on Biodiversity Offsets, technical advice to the Biodiversity Offsets Department, multi-sectorial training, and the development of tools and tests on the ground through pilot projects to improve habitats.