World Wildlife Fund

Opening of a fish replenishment zone in June 2007 in the Quirimbas National Park yielded good results, following six months of being closed. Here, over 300 kilos of mullet and other species were caught per boat. After three days of fishing, the village elders decided to close the area again.
© WWF Mike Mascia

When it emerged from a civil war in 1992, not many people would have imagined that Mozambique would become a global leader in conservation within 10 years. But with a series of bold announcements of new national parks - and the political will to back them up - this diverse country has become Africa's "hidden jewel," and a haven for endangered dugongs, sea turtles and other creatures.

WWF is intimately involved with this transition, and in 2002 helped establish Quirimbas National Park in Northern Mozambique, one of Africa's newest and largest national parks. In Quirimbas, WWF is now implementing a large-scale management plan with local communities that rely on the natural resources for their livelihoods. The plan will allow local, artisinal fishing, while keeping out industrial trawlers that literally "vacuum" the oceans, leaving little in their wake.

Also with WWF's help, the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park was recently doubled in size. WWF works with partners to manage tourism development, encourage sustainable fishing practices, and protect the humpback whales, sea turtles, and dugongs that inhabit the islands. Farther north along the coast, at the request of local fishermen and the Mozambican government, WWF is helping to establish a community-run protected area with sustainable use zones and fish replenishment zones (known as "no-go zones"). This area will be known as the Primeiras and Segundas National Park and is modeled after the newly established Quirimbas National Park.

These developments put Mozambique at the forefront of marine conservation while involving local communities in the protection of their resources and allowing them to make a living.