By Janado Nazaré Cher
Gorongosa National Park celebrated the International Day of the Forest with dances and chants, a special visit from Gorongosa District Administrator Pedro Mussengue, and theater plays, with themes that illustrate the importance of forests for the environment.
The event, held in and around the Canda locality, aimed to raise awareness about the importance of forests for community sustainability and the importance of local involvement in restoring and maintaining ecosystems.
Currently there are thousands of hectares of forests in the province of Sofala, which in recent years have been suffering threats due to the practice of unsustainable activities. To address the situation, several strategies are being implemented in the Sustainable Development Zone that – through design and forest management plans – will help ensure the control and sustainable management of forests and their products.
Mr. Mussengue praised the Park’s efforts to preserve biodiversity and to work closely with the Natural Resource Management Committees to create native plant nurseries for reforestation. Mussengue also spoke about the importance of conserving forests, as an essential part of protecting soils from erosion, maintaining most of the planet’s fresh water sources, and harboring much of the world’s biodiversity, both flora and fauna.
