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After a multi-year effort by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and partners, the government of Mozambique declared the Primeiras and Segundas (P&S) Archipelago Environmental Protection Area on November 6, thereby creating the largest coastal/marine reserve in Africa. The archipelago is a chain of 10 islands off the northern coast of Mozambique, spanning 1,041,175 hectares, and contains some of the continent’s most robust marine life and coral reef systems. Overfishing and unauthorized tourism have threatened the area with depletion of species and damage to fragile habitats. WWF-Mozambique, WWF-US and international poverty-alleviation organization CARE have spearheaded the effort to protect the area and conserve its biodiversity for local communities and generations to come. Early GCF support for this work helped to catalyze some of the key planning and capacity-building activities that will help the new protected area succeed.
The P&S protected area declaration is the result of ongoing dialogue between the government of Mozambique, international organizations, and local leaders about how to best preserve the islands, corals and coastal ecosystems that continue to underpin the economic viability of the region. Conservation actions entail the creation of local sanctuaries to replenish the fish stocks in conjunction with educational outreach on sustainable farming and fishing practices, with the ultimate goal of creating a sustainably managed protected area benefiting both people and the environment.
GCF has also been working with WWF-US, WWF-Mozambique and several key donor agencies to establish Mozambique's Biofund, a national environmental fund that will support the country's network of protected areas (including P&S). GCF is working directly with the Biofund to contribute $1 million toward the fund's endowment, to be earmarked to support part of the annual recurrent management costs of the new protected area.
Click here to learn more about the P&S work.