Fires and weak monitoring hinder reforestation efforts in Mozambique
MOCUBA, Mozambique — Mozambique ranks among the 10 countries with the highest deforestation rates in the world. Each year, it loses about 267,000 hectares (660,000 acres) of forest, with the heaviest rates concentrated in the provinces of Nampula, Zambézia, and Manica. To counter this, a decade ago the country set an ambitious goal to reforest […]
Mozambique, one of the world's top 10 deforestation countries, has lost approximately 267,000 hectares (660,000 acres) of forest annually, with the greatest deforestation rates concentrated in Nampula, Zambézia, and Manica provinces. The country aimed to reforest 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) by 2030, with a 2025 target of restoring 52,000 hectares (128,500 acres) annually, funded by 105 billion meticais ($1.65 billion).
However, only 58,000 hectares (143,300 acres) have been reforested so far, including tree plantations established before the goal. Zambézia province, home to one of Mozambique's primary forest areas, faces intense deforestation pressure, losing 1.26 million hectares (3.11 million acres) between 2000 and 2024, constituting nearly 19% of its total forested area.
Despite the importance of replanting to restore degraded landscapes, inadequate monitoring has hampered reforestation efforts, rendering much of the planted trees useless.
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