The Sofala districts of Dondo and Nhamatanda are in the process of creating Community Conservation Areas.
Both communities held public input meetings in August to hear reactions to the proposal from different groups.
According to ANAC Director of Conservation Armindo Araman, the objective of the consultation was to hear reactions to the proposal from different social strata.
Sofala Secretary of State Stella Zeca encouraged the communities to recognize the ecological value and to protect and conserve their local resources, and establish sustainable use and management models to increase community income.
A Community Conservation Area is considered to be a public and community space for sustainable use, delimited under the management of one or more local communities holding the right of land use and benefit (DUAT). The areas ensure the maintenance and protection of conservation, aesthetic, historical and cultural values, as well as to improve the socioeconomic situation of local communities, through the generation of special and sustainable use of natural resources.
Proposals for the creation of the Community Conservation Areas were discussed in the city of Beira, Sofala province and involved community leaders, members of civil society from the Provincial Government, the Districts of Dondo and Nhamatanda and universities.
The conservation areas will be managed by local boards and management committees representing each community.
