On September 12 this year, the Technical-Scientific Unit to Support Biodiversity Offsets, a body established by the Environmental Impact Assessment Authority and made up of representatives from government institutions, private sector, academia and civil society organizations, met for another ordinary session in Maputo to analyze and discuss the first Biodiversity Offsets Management Plan (BOMP) to be implemented in Mozambique.
The preliminary BOMP under analysis was that of the mining company Kenmare Resources Plc, located on the northeast coast of Nampula Province, whose main activity since 2009 has been the mining, extraction and processing of minerals from the titanium and zircon group, through the Larde and Moma mineral sands mine and a processing facility. With the PGCB consolidated, the company intends to ensure essentially No Net Loss of natural habitat and Net Gain in critical habitats.
The Technical-Scientific Unit to Support Biodiversity Offsets, established under Ministerial Diploma No. 55/2022 of May 19, has the task of supporting the Environmental Impact Assessment Authority, especially the Biodiversity Offset Assessment and Monitoring Office (RAACB), in the strategic analysis of all the offset projects being proposed and implemented in the country, verifying their alignment with the biodiversity conservation targets set by the Government of Mozambique.
During the meeting, the Technical-Scientific Unit to Support Biodiversity Offsets also got to know other potential BOMPs under development to comply with Ministerial Diploma nº. 55/2022 of 19 May.
The operationalization of the Technical-Scientific Unit to support Biodiversity Offsets is supported by the COMBO+ program, a partnership between the Ministry of Land and Environment (MTA), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS-Mozambique) and the Foundation for Biodiversity Conservation (BIOFUND). The COMBO+ Program is currently funded by the Agence Française de Developpement (AFD) and the Fonds Français pour l'Environnement Mondial (FFEM), with co-financing from other donors, including NORAD. In Mozambique, COMBO+ is also funded by the MOZBIO 2 Project (World Bank), UNDP (BIOSFAC and BIOFIN) and the Government of Sweden through the Biodiversity Conservation Program.