Despite the grey morning in Mozambique, spirits are high amongst the Peace Parks’ Maputo office staff gathered outside the entrance to Maputo National Park. Today, they will be taken on a game drive to see how their hard work has contributed to transforming one of Mozambique’s now flagship national parks.
Tourism In Maputo
Before they get going on their adventure through the park, they need to check in at the newly constructed Futi entrance gate to pay the conservation levies and pick up tourism maps to help guide their journey. The conservation levy paid by visitors to the park goes directly towards helping protect the wildlife and supporting local communities who live near the conservation area. Further to that, 20% of the revenue generated here goes back to these communities, helping to improve their livelihoods and lessen their dependence on natural resources.
The Game Drive Begins
After a quick welcome by Peace Parks Senior Project Manager in Mozambique, Antony Alexander, the much-awaited game drive begins and boy, oh boy, it does not disappoint!
Despite the miserable weather, which usually results in fewer sightings because animals will typically take shelter under bushes or trees, the office staff are treated to sightings of reedbuck, hippo, giraffe, impala, and even a large herd of elephant with their young.
Peace Parks Foundation has been supporting the development of Maputo National Park alongside Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas (ANAC) since 2002 through many different programmes, including infrastructure development, wildlife protection and capacitating the park management team. In 2010, Peace Parks and ANAC also started an extensive rewilding project, reintroducing nearly 5000 animals from eight different species into the park that had gone locally extinct.
Today, there is life, both big and small, around every corner, and excitedly, this park is now bearing the fruits of hard labour, passion and dedicated conservation efforts.
