UNESCO launches consultation on Quirimbas candidacy to Biosphere Reserve, the first in Mozambique

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UNESCO launches consultation on Quirimbas candidacy to Biosphere Reserve, the first in Mozambique

11:46 CAT | 23 Jun 2017

Lusa (File photo)

UNESCO launches public consultations on the application process of the Quirimbas National Park in Maputo today (Friday), the first of its kind in Mozambique.

Located in northern Mozambique and with an area of more than 750,000 hectares on both land and sea, the park was created for its environmental and architectural value in 2002 with the support of the French Agency for Development and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The area’s forests are under threat from timber companies and the species are targeted by poaching, which has already wiped out the rhinoceros population and significantly reduced that of elephants, according to the WWF.

In the coming years, attention will be focused on the construction of the “gas city” accompanying natural gas exploration of the Rovuma Basin in the neighbouring district of Palma.

In such a threatening scenario, UNESCO believes that classification as a Biosphere Reserve will offer greater protection.

“The international recognition of Quirimbas Park as a world-class conservation area, and its joining the World Network of Biosphere Reserves will lead to opportunities for the conservation of cultural heritage and sustainable use of natural resources,” UNESCO says in its public consultation announcement.

UNESCO’S biosphere reserves are intended to be “representative areas of the world’s terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems,” the organisation explains. Last week, 23 new areas were classified and joined the 669 that are already part of the worldwide network.

Source: Lusa