Empowering communities for sustainable management of natural resources

Background

This project aims to contribute to improving the livelihoods of communities in the Chipange Chetu conservation area, in Niassa province, by strengthening the capacity of the local population to protect the exploitation of natural resources, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, diversifying sources of income and collecting non-timber forest products.  These requirements are fundamental for good governance of natural resources for the benefit of the communities and, at the same time, for the sustainable conservation of biodiversity.

In order to achieve this goal, the project is working with the local authorities, especially the Natural Resources Management Committees, and other relevant stakeholders to promote biodiversity conservation in Chipange Chetu - a community area established in 1998 by the Niassa government, with the support of partners.

Participatory and environmentally friendly approach

To minimize the footprint of human intervention on the biodiversity of Chipange Chetu, the project strives to establish basic social conditions for income generation and promotes the capacity building of communities and local government institutions to effectively manage natural resources by:

a)     Establishment of a community conservation area: this consists of completing the process of establishing and officially acknowledging Chipange Chetu as a Community Biodiversity Conservation Area, a initiative that began in 2000 but was interrupted due to a lack of funds. This means that the process was never properly concluded in accordance with the applicable national legislation. Although the Chipange Chetu area has been considered as such by communities, government entities and the private sector for around 20 years, there is no official document certifying this status. Even so, the five communities that are part of it have been granted a Certificate of Territorial Delimitation for a community conservation area, the equivalent of the Right of Use and Exploitation of Land (DUAT).

b)     Human-wildlife conflict management: includes training relevant local stakeholders in human-wildlife conflict management; strengthening the capacity of the Natural Resources Management Committee to settle conflicts and promote transparency.

c)     Management and fair distribution of community benefits: supporting communities in the development of plans to manage income from the exploitation of natural resources for the equitable benefit of the community. Special emphasis is placed on promoting the involvement of women and men, in equal proportions, in the management bodies of the Chipange Chetu Conservation Area.

d)     Sustainable Land Management: aims to facilitate and promote the planning of local community areas through the practice of agricultural activity and the elaboration of local land use plans to avoid deforestation and, therefore, the expansion of production areas.

Benefits for more than 6,000 people

The Chipange Chetu area comprises the administrative posts of Matchedje and Macaloge (in the district of Sanga, Niassa province) and is made up of five communities, namely Nova Madeira (includes Gogoma), Matchedje (includes Mowoola), 2º Congresso, Lilumba (Lungula) and Maumbica, with a total population of around 6,863 inhabitants (INE, 2020 Census).