The Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) His Excellency Mr. Elias M. Magosi on 17th April 2024 joined His Excellency Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of the Republic of Mozambique and partners in natural resource management in calling for concrete and sustainable actions on the conservation of the Miombo Woodlands.
The call was made on 17th April, 2024 at the International Conference on the Miombo Woodlands in Washington, DC, United States of America, an event which was convened and presided over by His Excellency Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of the Republic of Mozambique with the objective of promoting the potential of the Miombo Forest in contributing to global efforts to achieve goals on climate change, biodiversity conservation, and integrated sustainable development.
H.E. President Nyusi called on the signatory countries to the Miombo Declaration to translate their commitment into concrete actions which will ensure the conservation and sustainable management of the Miombo Woodlands. H.E. President Nyusi also called for sustainable financing of the Miombo Initiative so that it delivers tangible benefits for biodiversity conservation, community development and sustainable development.
The SADC Executive Secretary commended President Nyusi for his commitment to the conservation and sustainable management of the 2.7 million square kilometre Miombo Forest, whose resources provide a source of livelihood for more than 250 million people in southern Africa.
The SADC Executive Secretary underscored the importance of the Miombo Woodlands in the ecosystem and highlighted that the conference came at right time as the Miombo Woodlands face numerous challenges that threaten their survival and sustainability. He cited indiscriminate deforestation, effects of climate change and a growing population that has exerted pressure on natural resources, as some of the challenges that Miombo Woodlands face.
The Conference was convened in support of the common regional approach for the “Sustainable and Integrated Management of the Miombo Woodlands and the Protection of the Greater Zambezi Basin’’, which is championed by the Republic of Mozambique, and endorsed as the “Maputo Declaration on the Miombo Forest” by 11 countries of which 10 are SADC Member States, in Maputo, Mozambique, in August 2022. The Maputo Declaration on the Miombo Forest establishes priorities for the sustainable management and governance of the natural resources of the Miombo ecosystems.
During the conference, Heads of Delegation of the signatory Member States to the Maputo Declaration on the Miombo Forest, namely, Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Namibia, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, took turns to adopt the Commitment Statement, expressing their commitment to ensuring the conservation and resource mobilisation for the sustainable management of the Miombo Woodlands in the years ahead.
The conference was organised by the Republic of Mozambique in partnership with the International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), the Rainforest Foundation, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and the International Foundation for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
