A two-day training course on the new Ministerial Diploma for the implementation of Biodiversity Offsets in Mozambique (Directive no. 55/2022) for the private sector took place on August 10 and 11 2022 in Maputo.
The National Directorate for the Environment (DINAB) organised the training event together with the Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity (BIOFUND) and the Wildlife Conservation Society in Mozambique, as part of the COMBO+ Programme. The training aimed to raise awareness and strengthen the capacity of the private sector to comply with provisions in the new Offsets Directive (Ministerial Diploma no. 55/2022 of May 19th), including proper implementation of biodiversity offsets in the country, as required.
The Ministerial Diploma 55/2022 sets out the principles, methods, requirements and procedures for designing and delivering biodiversity offsets in Mozambique, allowing the Government to ensure that category A+ and A development projects subject to an environmental license and with significant residual negative impacts on biodiversity, apply the mitigation hierarchy and prepare and implement biodiversity offset management plans to achieve at least No Net Loss (NNL) or Net Gain (NG) of biodiversity at sites, preferably in conservation areas or important areas for biodiversity.
The two-day course was conducted by the local COMBO+ team (DINAB, WCS and BIOFUND) and saw 50 participants receive intensive training. The content offered included a detailed interpretation of the Diploma and the application of each article. Focus areas included the scope of the Diploma, understanding the mitigation hierarchy including offsets, the biodiversity impacts that need to be offset, potential offset sites, metrics to assess biodiversity losses and gains, key role players, management and financing of offsets and the content of the Preliminary and Final Offset Management Plan. Also as part of the training, the content of the new Biodiversity Portal SIBMOZ was shared.
This capacity building event is part of the national training programme on the implementation of the hierarchy of mitigation and biodiversity offsets in Mozambique for government professionals, the private sector, academia, NGOs and other key stakeholders.