Mozambique to Introduce Wildlife Culling Decree Amid Conservation Policy Overhaul
Mozambique's government has announced plans to authorise the selective culling of wildlife in conservation areas with excessive animal populations, as part of a broader revision of its national conservation policy. The announcement was made on 7 August by Secretary of State for Land and Environment Gustavo Djedje at the opening of the National Dialogue on Transboundary Conservation Areas in Maputo, attended by representatives from Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Eswatini, SADC, cooperation partners and conservation organisations. A dedicated decree is being prepared to regulate the culling process, with initial implementation planned on a pilot basis in areas where growing wildlife numbers are intensifying human-wildlife conflict.
The policy revision also includes the reclassification of conservation area boundaries, many of which date back to the 1960s and no longer reflect current land use patterns driven by population growth and economic expansion. The first results of this reclassification are expected in September. Mozambique's latest national census recorded 22,708 elephants - a figure attributed to strengthened conservation efforts and anti-poaching measures - though the increase has heightened tensions in communities surrounding protected areas. Mozambique is part of five SADC transboundary conservation areas, including the Great Limpopo, Lubombo, Chimanimani, Niassa-Selous and ZIMOZA, all considered strategic for joint biodiversity management and ecological corridor conservation.
Source: Club of Mozambique
