On 1 and 2 June 2026, the Government of Mozambique, through the National Directorate for Environment and Climate Change (DINAMC) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries (MAAP), convened the first regional public consultation for the revision and updating of its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) in Maputo City. The meeting brought together government institutions, civil society organizations, the private sector, academia, local communities, and development partners from the southern provinces of Maputo, Gaza, and Inhambane. It forms part of the ongoing process to align the country’s biodiversity priorities with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Over two days, participants reviewed the proposed revisions to the NBSAP and explored opportunities to strengthen biodiversity conservation efforts across Mozambique. Discussions gave particular attention to protected areas and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), along with ways to enhance multisectoral collaboration and stakeholder ownership of the revised strategy.

Working in thematic groups, stakeholders then identified specific activities tied to each of the 23 national targets. These activities are intended to form the basis of the national action plan, translating strategic objectives into concrete, implementable interventions.

Through group discussions and plenary sessions, stakeholders assessed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats affecting biodiversity conservation in the southern region. Among the main weaknesses, participants pointed to limited capacity for monitoring and enforcing environmental regulations, inadequate community organization around access to and management of conservation benefits, and insufficient technical capacity to design projects capable of accessing global biodiversity and climate finance.

At the same time, stakeholders identified several opportunities: the ongoing revision of biodiversity and conservation legislation, the recognition of OECMs, the promotion of sustainable wildlife-based tourism, and the creation of local employment linked to conservation. They also emphasized threats that continue to undermine conservation efforts, including increasing human-wildlife conflict, poaching and illegal wildlife trade, and the growing impacts of climate-related extreme events such as droughts, floods, and cyclones.

The recommendations gathered in Maputo, together with the activities developed for each of the 23 national targets, will feed directly into the revised NBSAP and its action plan. As the revision process advances, continued engagement and collaboration among government, civil society, local communities, the private sector, and development partners will remain essential to achieving Mozambique’s biodiversity goals and supporting the implementation of conservation actions on the ground.