Mozambique Launches $15.4m TRANSFORM Project to Scale Wildlife Conservation
Mozambique's National Administration for Conservation Areas (ANAC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have officially launched the TRANSFORM project - Transforming Wildlife Conservation and Livelihoods at Landscape Scale in Mozambique - in Maputo. Backed by approximately US$15.4 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) under its GEF-8 Integrated Programme on Wildlife Conservation for Development, the initiative runs until 2033 and targets two strategically critical landscapes: Gorongosa - Marromeu and Rovuma - Lugenda. The project aims to drive systemic change in how wildlife conservation is planned, financed, and implemented across the country.
TRANSFORM is structured around five components spanning conservation area management, policy and regulatory reform, community livelihoods and benefit-sharing, knowledge exchange, and monitoring and evaluation. The project is expected to improve management of over three million hectares of biodiverse terrestrial landscapes, reduce poaching and wildlife trafficking, restore ecological corridors, and help avoid significant CO₂ emissions. UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Cleophas Torori underscored the project's commitment to inclusive growth, noting that women and young people must have meaningful access to conservation-related economic opportunities. The initiative builds on previous GEF-4 and GEF-6 investments in Mozambique and positions nature-based solutions as central to both community resilience and the country's broader sustainable development agenda.
