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Niassa Reserve Management
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About SRN the Management Authority
The “Sociedade de Gestão e Desenvolvimento da Reserva do Niassa”, SRN, is based on an innovative partnership between the public and private sector, where the Government of Mozambique retains ownership of the land and wildlife resources and assists in the management of the Reserve.
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Institutional arrangements for Niassa Reserve Management - History:
The Niassa Reserve was established in 1954 as one of the first elements of Mozambique’s protected area system but it has been without formal protection and physical administration until recently. The country was ravaged by war since 1964 and during the long period of conflict northern Mozambique was largely depopulated as local communities fled to neighbouring countries. After the peace agreement in 1992, appreciating that people would slowly return to the area, the Government of Mozambique was determined to put in place sound management systems to protect the area’s outstanding wilderness quality, while recognizing essential human needs. In this context, Niassa Reserve was considered to be one of the most important components of the Mozambique Government National Strategy for the rehabilitation of the war-torn parks and reserves. It was identified in the forestry and wildlife policy and strategy of Mozambique as one of the priority conservation areas in the country.
In the mid 1990’s the Mozambique Government entered into an arrangement with a private concessionaire to investigate management options and to initiate the steps in securing the long-term conservation of the Reserve. The Management Plan produced in the process, suggested the extension of the Reserve area up to its natural borders – the Rovuma and the Lugenda rivers, the creation of a buffer zone of multiple-use areas around it and the establishment of a management agency. Recognizing the high biodiversity level of the area and the need for its conservation for future generations, the Government of Mozambique approved these proposals in April 1998. The extension of the Reserve’s boundaries and the establishment of a buffer zone for private conservation initiatives were formalized through a law decree gazetted in October 1999.
Active since 1998, SRN, the Niassa Reserve Management Agency, was legally established in July 2000. SRN received from the Government the exclusive rights for the Management and Development of the Niassa Reserve in the form of a leasing contract valid for 10 years until 2012 and renewable after that every five years. |
SRN Board and Executive Director
The Board comprises representatives of both private sector and Government namely the National Director of Forestry and Wildlife and the National Director for the Conservation Areas. The management team is composed of experienced Mozambican nationals assisted by a team of wildlife conservation specialists. An Executive Director operates from Maputo and has overall responsibilities for the SRN management activities, including providing support for the reserve, fundraising, liaison with the governmental agencies and investors in the buffer zone.
Niassa Reserve Management Unit (NRMU)
This is the authority responsible for the conservation and management activities in the field and is headed by the reserve warden, who reports directly to the Executive Director of SRN. A special adviser, who was recruited from the local
communities and has extensive knowledge about the cultural and biological diversity of Niassa, assists the reserve warden in his daily work. The NRMU operates from the Main Camp in Mbatamila (40 km from Mecula) and from the 10 outposts across Niassa Reserve. With a staff of 100 permanent workers, the NRMU has four main departments: (i) Conservation and Management; (ii) Maintenance and Infrastructure; (iii) Administration; and (iv) Community Development.
Investors/Operators in the buffer areas
The buffer area is divided in six blocks, which surround the Reserve on its eastern, southern and western boundaries. The management of these blocks is contracted out by SRN to operator/investors through long-term leases, under which they
develop commercial tourism operations, in addition to having some clearly defined development obligations. Under present
established principles, the operators pay a fixed fee to the SRN, as a contribution to the revenue needed to operate the reserve, including a community fund to support the local communities’ development. More, each investor has to establish and train an anti-poaching unit, which is working very closely with the NRMU staff. A careful selection process was carried out to identify operators prepared to invest for a number of years without the prospects for large profits in the early years. In spite of this difficulty a number of investors have been identified and have already begun operations.
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