Fires and Weak Monitoring Hinder Reforestation in Mozambique

MOCUMBA, Zambézia – Mozambique is among the ten countries in the world with the highest deforestation rates, with an annual loss of about 267,000 hectares, particularly in the provinces of Nampula, Zambézia, and Manica. Therefore, the country set an ambitious goal about 10 years ago to reforest one million hectares by 2030 while also establishing, in 2025, the goal of restoring 52,000 hectares per year until 2029, with a budget of 105 billion meticais (1.65 million dollars). However, to date, only 58,000 hectares have been reforested, including plantations that already existed before the one million goal, according to information collected by professor and researcher in forestry, Sá Nogueira Lisboa, from Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM). The province of Zambézia, in central Mozambique, has one of the main forest areas in the country and is of high importance for biodiversity conservation, regulation of water resources, soil protection, as well as carbon sequestration and support for local communities. However, it is one of the provinces heavily threatened by deforestation and with the greatest loss of forest cover. Between 2000 and 2024, for example, the Provincial Directorate of Territorial Development and Environment (DPDTA) indicates that the accumulated forest loss in the province was 1.26 million hectares, which represents about 19% of the total forest area. Thus, replanting plays an essential role in restoring degraded areas, but the poor monitoring of species after replanting has wasted efforts by…This article was originally published on Mongabay