Balancing Development and Coastal Conservation: Mangroves in Mozambique

This research report examines the critical role of mangroves in Mozambique for coastal protection and carbon sequestration, highlighting the conflict between their conservation and the expansion of extractive industries like oil and gas. It argues for an 'ecosystem services approach' to integrate ecological value into economic planning and recommends the adoption of Blue Carbon financing to incentivize restoration and protection.

• Mangroves are among the most threatened vegetation types globally, with more than 20% lost in the last 30 years. They provide critical services including coastal protection against monsoonal tidal floods, support for fisheries, and the sequestration of large amounts of carbon dioxide to mitigate climate change.
• In Africa, mangrove forests often overlap with fossil fuel deposits and related infrastructure. In countries like Mozambique, Nigeria, and Guinea Bissau, this creates a risk where extractive booms may lead to unwise trade-offs and devastating consequences for fragile ecosystems.
• Mozambique possesses the most mangrove forests in East Africa and the third most in Africa, following Nigeria and Guinea Bissau. These forests are essential for maintaining fisheries stocks and protecting the coastline from natural disasters.
• Mangrove governance in Mozambique faces significant challenges, including a lack of enforcement and surveillance even in demarcated protected areas. Approximately 50% of the country's mangrove forests are located outside protected zones and lack legal protection.
• There is a critical lack of accurate, up-to-date data on Mozambique's coastal ecosystems. The last national mangrove census was in 2007, and current data from private companies and international donors often vary and do not align with official state reports.
• The report advocates for the 'ecosystem services approach' to balance economic growth with environmental protection. This includes using ecological accounting and ecosystem valuations to justify conservation priorities and integrating these into national development and poverty reduction strategies.
• Blue Carbon—the carbon stored in coastal ecosystems like mangroves, sea grasses, and tidal marshes—presents a new financing opportunity for African countries. However, these are currently largely absent from national emission reduction strategies and international GHG inventory submissions in Africa.
• A pilot project was initiated in 2012 in the Zambezi Delta by the WWF, USAID, the US Forest Service, and Eduardo Mondlane University. This project aims to provide baseline carbon data to support the development of REDD+ and other climate mitigation activities in Mozambique.
• The report recommends that the Ministry for the Co-ordination of Environmental Affairs (MICOA) be expanded to a role that actively manages the coastal zone rather than just coordinating functions, to strengthen the capacity for informed decision-making.

APA

Chevallier, R. (2013). Balancing Development and Coastal Conservation: Mangroves in Mozambique. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Research-Report-14.pdf

Chicago

Chevallier, Romy. Balancing Development and Coastal Conservation: Mangroves in Mozambique. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Research-Report-14.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chevallier |first1=Romy |title=Balancing Development and Coastal Conservation: Mangroves in Mozambique |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=November 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Research-Report-14.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chevallier2013balancing, author = {Chevallier, Romy}, title = {{Balancing Development and Coastal Conservation: Mangroves in Mozambique}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Research-Report-14.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }