O desafio de preservação da floresta da Reserva Parcial do Lago Niassa: actores e instituições

Lake Niassa was declared by the Mozambican Government on April 26, 2011, as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention and designated a partial reserve through Decree No. 59/2011 of November 17. The objective of this study was to analyse the role of social actors (civil society and communities) and governmental institutions in the preservation of the forest within the Lake Niassa Partial Reserve.Field visits and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 entities. The results indicate that forest degradation is associated with the expansion of small-scale agricultural areas, logging for biofuels, and illegal timber exploitation, further aggravated by weak community enforcement.It is therefore concluded that the objectives for which the partial reserve was created are not being achieved; consequently, it can be stated that the preservation of forest resources is not being ensured.