The COMBO+ Mozambique team and partners have been conducting a series of intensive training workshops over the past few months.

This includes a training workshop for the Provincial Environment Services and Directorates and the Technical Commission for Environmental Impact Assessment (CTA) of the southern region (Maputo, Gaza and Inhambane) on the implementation of the new Ministerial Diploma on Biodiversity Offsets (Diploma nº 55/2022, published on 19 May 2022). The ‘southern’ training took place on 20-21 September in Maputo City. Training was also extended to the central and northern provinces, where the events were held on the 11 and 12th of October in Beira and on 25 and 26 October 2022 in the city of Nampula.

The two-day training events were hosted by the National Directorate of Environment (DINAB) in coordination with the Foundation for Biodiversity Conservation (BIOFUND) and the Wildlife Conservation Society in Mozambique (WCS), through the COMBO+ Program. The primary aim was to improve the awareness and strengthen the capacity of the Provincial Environment Services and Directorates including the CTA from the three regions of the country. This will help improve the roll-out and implementation of the Ministerial Diploma no. 55/2022 and the correct implementation of the mitigation hierarchy, including biodiversity offsets, in Mozambique.

The approval of the Ministerial Diploma places Mozambique on the list of pioneer countries in Africa in the creation and consolidation of the legal framework for environmental impact assessment, promotion of the mitigation hierarchy and biodiversity offsets, as measures to support efforts to reconcile economic development with biodiversity conservation in the country.

The three training events were attended by more than 120 participants, including government technicians representing the National Directorate of Environment (DINAB), Provincial Environment Services (SPA), Provincial Services of Economic Activities (SPAE), Provincial Services of Infrastructure (SPI), Provincial Directorates of Industry and Commerce (DPIC), Provincial Directorate of Territorial Development and Environment (DPDTA), Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism (DPCT), Provincial Directorates of the National Agency for the Control of Environmental Quality (AQUA). It was facilitated by the COMBO+ Program team (DINAB, WCS and BIOFUND). Specific sessions on the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), the functionality of the Mozambique Biodiversity Information System (SIBMOZ) and the Environmental Licensing Management System (SGLA) were also delivered as part of the training, focusing on the role of these tools in the implementation of the mitigation measures and biodiversity offsets in Mozambique and their alignment with national targets and international commitments. Opportunities for collaboration and synergies were also identified at the central and provincial levels in the south of the country.

This training is part of the national training program on the implementation of the mitigation hierarchy and biodiversity offsets in Mozambique, led by the National Directorate of Environment (DINAB) with the support of the COMBO+ Programme (partnership between the Government of Mozambique, WCS and BIOFUND) and with funding from AFD/FFEM, World Bank/ MozBio 2 Project and UNDP/BIOFAC Project.