Campaign to protect forests launched in Zambezia- Mozambique

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Campaign to protect forests launched in Zambezia- Mozambique

7:16 CAT | 31 Jan 2017

World Bank / Andrea Borgarello (File photo) / Miombo forest in Gilé National Reserve, Zambezi province

The governor of the central Mozambican province of Zambezia, Abdul Razak, warned on Friday against deforestation in the province, reports Monday’s issue of the Maputo daily “Noticias”.

Speaking in the town of Mocuba, at the launch of a campaign to combat illegal exploitation of timber in the province, Razak said that Zambezia is rich in forest resources, but using them unsustainably causes many environmental problems. He attacked indiscriminate logging, the destruction of mangrove forests, and the practice of uncontrolled bush fires (often used to clear land for farming).

Illegal logging, the governor added, also led to the destruction of roads and bridges because the trucks carrying the logs are overloaded.

Razak invited all segments of society, the district governments, forest wardens, and legitimate timber operators to make this campaign an opportunity for seeking appropriate solutions. He stressed the need for rigorous inspection of the management plans of forestry operators, to ensure replanting.

The campaign is being promoted by the Zambezia Forum of NGOs (FONGZA) and the Zambezia Network of Environmental and Sustainable Community Development Organisations (RADEZA). The year long campaign will cost 6,000 US dollars.

The executive director of RADEZA, Daniel Maula, said the aim of the campaign is to raise the awareness of communities about inspection and denouncing the illegal use of natural resources. He called, in particular, for close monitoring of the areas surrounding the Gile National Reserve, to prevent them from being used as corridors for contraband in timber illegally felled inside the reserve.

“We have to unite for a just cause to avoid the illegal exploitation of timber and to respect the rights of communities”, he said.

The campaign is being funded by the Mozambican branch of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), under the motto “Forestry Governance in Mozambique is an Urgent Question”.

Source: AIM