TUI Forest Mozambique
The Maputo National Park is a biodiversity haven, covering over 1,700 square kilometres of land and sea area. It’s home to a number of endangered species and essential ecosystems.
However, the park struggles with funding gaps to support its operations, as well as a lack of cooperation from local communities, who have a negative perception of animal conservation due to frequently occurring human-wildlife conflicts. Inadequate funding for education, research and knowledge-sharing also means that awareness work and information is not reaching those who need it the most.
TUI Forest Mozambique tackles these issues by restoring mangrove habitats and increasing support for communities adjacent to protected areas. In a concerted effort to bring together locals and the tourism industry for the protection of its precious ecosystems, it also increases the number of people participating in nature-based tourism experiences.
80% of all nesting turtles in Mozambique can be found along the 80km of Maputo National Park’s coastline. Four key ecosystems, namely coastal dunes, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and coral reefs cover both terrestrial as well as maritime parts of the park. These ecosystems are regarded as critical habitats, harbouring numerous species of flora and fauna as well as providing socio- economic opportunities for local communities.
This beautiful region faces multiple challenges. As well as a lack of collaboration from local communities, the park suffers from unsustainable land use in the buffer zones which encroach into the protected area. Low levels of resilience and a lack of alternative livelihood options at community level further exacerbate the problem. In Mozambique, over 80% of the population in rural areas depends directly on agriculture and natural resources for its livelihood, with limited access to alternative income sources.
TUI Forest Mozambique plants over half a million mangrove trees across 150 hectares in the Park. 100 volunteers are involved in the project’s planting campaigns throughout the year.
To support the local communities, the project provides training in conservation practices to teachers managing environmental clubs across 12 schools in the park’s buffer zones. It also supports the upgrade of a local school and further improvements in two additional schools, ensuring a holistic approach to education.
The project also creates additional income opportunities for the communities adjacent to the National Park by establishing four enterprises for guest activities in Santa Maria and Ponto do Ouro. Improvements in the tourism infrastructure are also planned, including the building of a 200m mangrove walkway with educational signage and facilities for tourists.
Project Partner
Peace Parks Foundation is a non-profit organisation aiming to facilitate the establishment of peace parks, or transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs), in southern Africa. To achieve its goals, the Foundation deploys a co-management approach to its areas and science-based solutions to protect, restore and reconnect key terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The organisation works through three key intervention areas: conservation at scale, restoring and conserving Africa’s wild spaces; community development, strengthening the resilience of communities; and commercial development, enabling the financial sustainability of protected areas.
