Mozambique’s Niassa Special Reserve supports communities engaged in conservation

As first appeared in Faisca Jornal in Mozambique, here. Written by Suizane Rafael.

December 5 2023

Communities receiving benefits from conservation are less likely to engage in wildlife crime and retaliate in cases of human wildlife conflict

NSR comprises 31% of Mozambique's protected land and harbors the most significant populations of wildlife, including the largest populations of elephant lion , leopard and wild dog. Image by Leon Pauleikhoff.

Local NGO supports beekeepers

The honey produced in the district of Mecula is one of the main sources of income communities places that practise Apiculture, being much sought after inside and outside the province of Niassa.

The Niassa Carnivore Project, an initiative being run in collaboration with the reserve management, aims to support the establishment of a “lion friendly community.” 

Last week, they  provided beehives to five communities in the District of Mecula, inside Niassa Special Reserve. The aim is to increase yields of honey in order to boost the local economy.

Reserve management provides sporting equipment to local youth

In order to strengthen the partnership between the Niassa Special Reserve and the communities residing inside it, park management presented sports equipment to  two teams from Mecula village - Mambas and Mabecos – last week. 

Both teams promised to make good use of equipment and through sport keep spreading good protection practices of the biodiversity of the greater area of conservation of the Country. 

This action is part of the social operations with the communities by the Reserve Niassa Special (REN) and its partners, aiming to integrate the local communities in biodiversity conservation in the largest wildlife area Mozambique.

This article is reproduced here as part of the African Conservation Journalism Programme, funded in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe by USAID’s VukaNow: Activity. Implemented by the international conservation organisation Space for Giants, it aims to expand the reach of conservation and environmental journalism in Africa, and bring more African voices into the international conservation debate. Written articles from the Mozambican and Angolan cohorts are translated from Portuguese. Broadcast stories remain in the original language.