Country Overview
Location: Mozambique lies along the southeastern coast of Africa, with about 1,430 miles (2,300 kilometers) of coastline washed by the Indian Ocean. Encompassing 309,475 square miles (801,537 square kilometers), Mozambique is the world’s 35th-largest country. The Zambezi River divides Mozambique into two topographical regions. The southern broad lowlands feature the Mashonaland Plateau and the Lebombo Mountains in the deep south. The northern coastal area transitions to inland hills and low plateaus that become rugged highlands in the west. Maputo, the capital and largest city, is found in the southern half of the country. Mozambique is bordered to the north by Tanzania, and Malawi and Zambia on the northwest. Zimbabwe meets its western border and Eswatini and South Africa abut the southwest borders.
Engagement with AWCF and SCIF Involvement
Mozambique has always participated at the AWCF, hosting the 6th AWCF in 2007 in Pemba and participating in numerous meetings on the status and management of leopards and lions to address international concerns on populations and the impact of trophy hunting. In 2016, while there was no formal AWCF meeting, a pre-CITES gathering of AWCF participating governments was hosted in Maputo, Mozambique, in preparation for CoP17 held in South Africa.
The 2022 AWCF commemorates its 20th anniversary in Maputo, Mozambique, supporting the National Administration for Conservation Areas and its work to elevate the country’s conservation initiatives and hunting industry. The meeting continues SCIF’s history of capacity building there, particularly with support for lion management planning and the Association of Mozambique Safari Operators.
Safari Club International Foundation, which facilitates the annual AWCF, is also proud to announce its newest partnership with the Mozambique Wildlife Alliance’s (MWA) elephant conservation initiative, which supports Mozambique’s National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC)’s conservation mandate. The project focuses on human-wildlife conflict mitigation in the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, shared by Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
MWA will create rapid HWC response units, work with communities for natural elephant conflict mitigation solutions or innovative technology integrated approaches and assist with improved agricultural practices. Finally, and where applicable, MWA, in coordination with national authorities aims to support the development of community led partnerships where sustainable utilization models could create further incentives for habitat conservation with direct and tangible financial benefits.
Current Travel Information
Status
As of April 20, 2022, His Excellency President Filipe Nyusi transitioned the country from a State of Calamity to a Public Health Emergency in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Mozambique is open to travelers from abroad and commercial flights to the country have resumed.
COVID-19 Protocols
A PCR test is no longer required to enter the country if a person presents a valid certificate showing proof of full vaccination against COVID-19. Arriving travelers without proof of vaccination may present a negative PCR, valid for 72 hours on arrival in the country; or they may perform an Antigen-based Rapid Test upon arrival, at their own expense. Children 11 and younger are exempt.
It is mandatory to wear masks in all closed places and advisable elsewhere whenever the recommended physical distance is not possible.
Wildlife Conservation
Celmira Frederico Pena da Silva
Director General of ANAC
Avenida 10 de Novembro, nº 40, Praceta 1196
Maputo, Mozambique
Tel. (+258) 21302362 / (+258) 21302373
E-mail: [email protected]
The National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) is a state entity created by the Government of Mozambique to manage the country’s parks, reserves, official coutadas (hunting blocks), game farms and other conservation areas legally created and placed under its administration.
Established in 2011, ANAC is responsible for the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable development of the country’s ecotourism and biodiversity. Its main activities are the planning, coordination and execution of activities in the conservation areas, in partnership with local organizations and communities.
The conservation areas administered by ANAC total just over 18 million hectares, around 25% of the national territory, and include 10 national parks, seven national reserves, and game hunting areas composed of 20 official game reserves, nine hunting blocks, 13 community programs and 31 game farms. The hunting areas are awarded through public tenders and managed by concession holders through an agreement with the government.
National Parks
- Maputo
- Banhine
- Bazaruto
- Chimanimani
- Gile
- Gorongosa
- Limpopo
- Magoe
- Quirimbas
- Zinave
National Reserves
- Marromeu
- Pomene
Special Reserve
- Niassa Special Reserve
Transfrontier Area
- Grande Limpopo
- Lubombo
- Niassa-Selous
- Zimoza
Mozambique Wildlife
Mozambique’s wide range of habitat types is home to 5,500 plant species, 220 mammal species and 690 bird species, some of which are endemic. Of those, more than 30 are game species for which ANAC issues hunting quotas.
Game Species of Mozambique
Baboon
Blue Wildebeest
Blue Duiker
Buffalo
Bushbuck
Bushpig
Cape Porcupine
Common Duiker
Crocodile
Eland
Elephant
Hippopotamus
Impala
Kudu
Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest
Leopard
Lion
Nyala
Oribi
Reedbuck
Sable Antelope
Sharpe’s Grysbok
Spotted Hyena
Steenbok
Suni
Waterbuck
Warthog
Zebra
Game Birds
Doves
Duck
Francolin
Geese
Guineafowl
Pigeon
Quail
Sandgrouse
Snipe
Hunting Industry
Association of Mozambican Safari Operators (AMOS)
Adamo Valy, President
AMOS supports the conservation and ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources for the benefit of current and future generations. The association believes this can be done through sustainable and ethical hunting. It promotes the protection and conservation of a species-rich and healthy wild fauna. Members support the securing of livelihoods while respecting local customs, traditions and cultures. They promote environmental, natural and animal welfare and the maintenance and improvement of existing natural habitats.
There are currently 29 safari operators who are members of AMOS. Hunters can confirm a safari operator is a legal registered operator and member of AMOS through the Operators and Professional Hunting Association of Africa at https://ophaa.org/
Eco-Tourism
Conservation areas ensure the balance of the ecosystems, essential for the development of ecotourism in Mozambique. Sustainable growth in its ecotourism industry creates much-needed jobs, attracts foreign exchange, and supports broader economic development in the country. Increased investment in eco-tourism in the country’s protected areas also helps Mozambique protect its biodiversity.
Across Africa, governments, their conservation managers and NGOs struggle to fund protection of wildlife and habitats while also benefiting local communities living around conservation areas. Nature-based tourism, including hunting, is one of the solutions. By promoting wildlife and natural spaces as attractions, Mozambique is preserving its ecosystems and creating tangible benefits for those who live with wildlife.
Mozambique is working to develop and promote exciting nature-based tourism products in collaboration with private investors, tourism operators and conservation organizations. Nature-based tourism is expected to become one of the country’s largest growth sectors. Public-private partnerships that include communities are indispensable in bringing first-rate tourism offerings to conservation areas and ensuring the sustainability of wild places for the future.
Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM)
Mozambique understands that community participation in the management of natural resources is vital to successful conservation. In the 1990’s the government began creating the legal guidelines to manage the country’s forests and wildlife, culminating in the Biodiversity Conservation Law, which defined with clear principles of public-private partnership, citizen participation in the management of benefits and construction of community-based tourism ventures in conservation areas.
Currently, communities living beside conservation areas are benefiting from 19 projects, of which 10 are agriculture, five tourism and four beekeeping, as well as other benefits in addition to 20% of revenues from sustainable use of natural resources. These include:
- Production and processing of rice in Bilibiza
- Ecologic Agriculture in Chimanimani
- Beekeeping in Chimanimani
- Commercial Agriculture in Chimanimani
- Improvement of access to water for human consumption, livestock watering and horticulture
ANAC has three ongoing long-term projects to improve management of conservation areas and create conditions for the participation of the communities allowing them to subsist through these progresses in management. These projects are MOZBIO and PROFIN. Each one of these projects has specific implementation locations and independent actions.
- MozBio – Conservation Areas Project for Biodiversity and Development – Currently in Phase 2
- APPEM – Conservation Areas and Elephant Protection in Mozambique
- Profin — Sustainable financing project for protected areas in Mozambique
The Tchuma Tchato community program is the model for community-based natural resource management in Mozambique. Based on Zimbabwe’s Communal Areas Management Program for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE), the Tchuma Tchato community in the province of Tete works with a safari hunting operator and receives direct benefits from the sustainable use of wildlife in the area. Since the program was first implemented over 20 years ago, the community has built schools, a community mill and clean water projects. It has also created skills development programs for adults. These socioeconomic benefits have increased the value of wildlife and habitat conservation for community members, who now participate in anti-poaching and reforestation efforts.
Chipanje Chetu community conservation area is adjacent to the Niassa Special Reserve in the Sanga district of northern Mozambique. The program there is a community-based natural resource management initiative with primary sources of income coming from agriculture and fishing. The program’s main objective is to improve agricultural practices that are regenerative in nature and do not infringe upon the natural landscape. Program partners help mitigate damage from wildlife by supporting a trained and armed human-wildlife conflict (HWC) response team. The program has successfully funded new schools, clinic upgrades, and employment, in addition to small businesses associations for carpentry, micro-lending banks, agriculture and beekeeping.
Many of the hunting operators in Coutadas around the country also have robust community benefit and engagement programs.
Tourism Opportunities/General Travel Info
Mozambique’s strongest tourism assets are its numerous national parks and reserves, including marine areas. Both viewing and hunting safaris are readily available from luxurious lodges to simple tent camps. A full range of fishing opportunities allow anglers to pursue marlin offshore, focus on reef fishing or cast into the surf from the beach.
Pemba, the Quirimbas Islands and the Archipelago of Bazaruto are just a few areas offering beautiful beaches for sunbathing and aquatic sports. Inhambane Province is popular with international divers for a reef system that stretches from the coast of Chidenguele to Inhassoro north of the Bazuruto Archipelago.
The capital of Maputo also offers lots to enjoy with a wide selection of hotels and restaurants, sidewalk cafes and an enchanting cultural scene. Its Mediterranean-style architecture, seaside settings and wide avenues lined with jacaranda and flame trees lure travelers on architectural and cultural tours.