Marine and Coastal EbA for Enhanced Resilience in Southern Africa Country Review: Mozambique

The document assesses Mozambique's coastal ecosystems—specifically mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds—and their role in ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) against climate threats. It identifies significant vulnerabilities to cyclones, sea-level rise, and temperature increases, while highlighting institutional gaps in technical capacity and inter-sectoral coordination. The report evaluates the role of state actors, NGOs, and local communities, and recommends integrating EbA more deeply into national development strategies and exploring innovative financing like biodiversity offsets.

• Mozambique possesses critical marine biodiversity, including the second-largest mangrove forests in Africa and diverse coral reefs, but these are threatened by urban expansion, logging, overfishing, and pollution.
• Climate change is projected to cause severe socioeconomic and ecological damage, with estimated costs of addressing climate hazards reaching $7 billion by 2050.
• The country is highly vulnerable to extreme weather; for example, in 2019, Cyclones Idai and Kenneth caused massive infrastructure loss and human casualties, with Idai alone resulting in 602 deaths in Mozambique.
• Institutional arrangements for EbA are comprehensive but hampered by a lack of technical and financial capacity, poor inter-sectoral communication, and confusion over mandates following the 2015 transfer of coastal habitat management to the Ministry of Sea, Inland Waters and Fisheries (MIMAIP).
• Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Mozambique face sustainability threats from illegal fisheries, logging, and insufficient funding, often remaining heavily dependent on donors.
• While NGOs provide essential technical and financial support for EbA, their efforts are often fragmented, poorly documented, and not always aligned with government priorities or community needs.
• The private sector's involvement in EbA is currently minimal, though there is significant potential for innovative financing through Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) and biodiversity offsets, particularly in the mining and gas sectors.
• National policy documents, such as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), fail to adequately recognize the role of coastal habitats like mangroves and seagrasses in carbon sequestration.
• Practical EbA initiatives have shown success when involving local communities, such as the restoration of 59ha of mangroves in Quelimane and the implementation of community-managed octopus closures in Quirimbas National Park.

APA

MACAMO, C. (2019). Marine and Coastal EbA for Enhanced Resilience in Southern Africa Country Review: Mozambique. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Special-Report-macamo.pdf

Chicago

MACAMO, CÉLIA. Marine and Coastal EbA for Enhanced Resilience in Southern Africa Country Review: Mozambique. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2019. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Special-Report-macamo.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=MACAMO |first1=CÉLIA |title=Marine and Coastal EbA for Enhanced Resilience in Southern Africa Country Review: Mozambique |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=November 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Special-Report-macamo.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{macamo2019marine, author = {MACAMO, CÉLIA}, title = {{Marine and Coastal EbA for Enhanced Resilience in Southern Africa Country Review: Mozambique}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Special-Report-macamo.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }