Top photo – Gorongosa Park Administrator Pedro Muagura and USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman prepare to plant a tree. Text and photos – Janado Nazare Cher
Deputy Administrator of USAID, Isobel Coleman and her delegation paid a visit to Gorongosa National Park earlier this year to tour the projects being developed by the Gorongosa Restoration Project. The tour primarily focused on the Agriculture Program, which is funded by USAID and is designed to support nearby communities in the sustainable development zone.
Coleman spoke with farmers from the Madzimachena community in the Gorongosa district, where they discussed the support the Project, Park and USAID are providing to the communities by teaching best agriculture conservation practices, as well as the benefits – which in addition to creating a good income – range from new home construction and renovation, access to education for their children, family nutrition and more.
Still in the district of Gorongosa, Coleman visited the community of Canda and toured the native tree nursery developed by the community for reforestation of degraded areas. She also spent time learning more about the role the Gorongosa Rangers and community mobilizers play in protecting local natural resources such as rivers, forests and the soil. To conclude the visit to the Agriculture Program, the USAID delegation visited the local coffee plantations and toured the processing factory to better understand the entire coffee production value chain.
For the second day of her visit, Coleman toured the Department of Conservation where she learned about the great work being carried out at the Pangolin rehabilitation center and the commitment of the Gorongosa Rangers to protect the Park wildlife and the biodiversity of Gorongosa National Park and across Mozambique. She also visited the E O. Wilson Laboratory, where she learned more about the Gorongosa National Park Bio Education Program and the Master’s Degree in Conservation Biology.
Satisfied with the activities being developed the Park and nearby communities, Coleman assured Park officials she would take positive and encouraging messages with her and will continue to try and support local communities.
Coleman and the USAID delegation also went on safari where they toured Gorongosa National Park from the mountains to the floodplain.
