Mozambique and Portugal launched a joint programme of mangrove reforestation and plastics collection in the north of the Mozambican coast, the Mozambican government announced.
The Coastal Biodiversity Protection project (Probico) “guarantees reforestation with 300,000 mangrove seedlings,” in 10 communities in Mogincual district, Nampula province, and “will contribute to less plastic ending up in the sea, via upstream collection,” explained Ivete Maibaze, minister for Land and Environment.
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Probico was approved with a budget of 358,000 euros funded by the Portuguese government, she said.
The minister was speaking at a ceremony to launch the programme on the occasion of the World Environment Day.
The project is a joint initiative between the Mozambican and Portuguese governments, via Camões – Institute for Cooperation and Language and the Nampula Youth and Adult Education Association (Asejana).
The mangrove is one of the tree species that holds land and stops coastal erosion, and Mozambique has approved a National Mangal Management Strategy and Action Plan for the period 2020-2024.
“Avoid plastic pollution, be part of the solution” was the slogan chosen for this year’s celebrations in Mozambique, a country that produces around 4.2 million tonnes of solid waste per year.
“Of this amount, 30 percent is produced in urban areas, composed mostly of inorganic matter that includes metal, plastic, paper and cardboard, glass, electronic material, batteries among others,” Maibaze detailed.
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The authorities are currently identifying “at national level” artisans for “the production of ecological bags and other biodegradable materials, a measure that has been allowing the placement on the market of alternative solutions to the proliferation of plastic bags,” he added.
Mozambique will host from 04 to 07 July the VII International Congress on Environmental Education of the Portuguese-speaking Countries and Communities, taking place in Maputo and with field visits planned for the districts of Marracuene, Matutuine and Namaacha.
