As of 24 August 2026, Mount Mabu is officially a Community Conservation Area (CCA). Established through Ministerial Diploma No. 69/2026 under Mozambique’s Biodiversity Conservation Law. The declaration of 9341 ha of Mount Mabu Conservation Area, represents a major milestone for the long-term protection of one of Mozambique’s most remarkable landscapes, and, most important, recognizes the communities at the heart of its conservation.
Mount Mabu is the remaining mid-altitude tropical rainforests in Southern Africa. Besides being a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) and Important Plant Area, and part of the South East Africa Montane Ecoregion (SEAMA), Mabu forest is important significance extends far beyond biodiversity.
For an estimated 15,000 people living around the forest, Mabu is also a source of water, livelihoods, culture, identity and history. It is this deep relationship between people and forest that makes the creation of the Mount Mabu Community Conservation Area so special for Mozambique and conservation Community around the world.
ReGeCom’s contribution to this journey has been focused on strengthening the role of the communities that have been the guardians of this extraordinary forest for generations. Through our community governance approach, we have supported communities to strengthen their institutions, representation, participation in decision-making and collective vision for the future of Mabu.
Achieving the formal declaration of the Mabu CCA, two years after the official submission of the proposal, is the result of a collective effort. ReGeCom extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Mozambique, particularly the National Directorate of Forests and Wildlife (DNFFB), ANAC, the Government of Lugela District and the Government of Zambézia Province, for creating the institutional pathway that made this possible.
Our special appreciation goes to RADEZA and WWF Mozambique, our implementation partners, to Rainforest Trust, our prime and key donor, PROMOVE Biodiversidade Programe, supported through BioFund, and all organizations and individuals who have contributed directly or indirectly to reaching this milestone.
The declaration also represents a tangible contribution to Mozambique’s 30×30 commitment. More fundamentally, it recognises something that must increasingly shape conservation practice: local communities are not simply beneficiaries of conservation, they are custodians and stewards of the natural capital from which their livelihoods and future depend.
Declaring a Community Conservation Area is not the finish line. It is the beginning of a new phase.
The next challenge is to translate legal recognition into effective, long-term conservation, by reducing encroachment and other pressures on the forest, restoring degraded forest edges and riverbanks, strengthening community governance and monitoring, and creating nature-based economic opportunities that improve local livelihoods.
This will require continued collaboration, stronger partnerships and, above all, strategic investment in the people who live with and protect Mabu Forest.
ReGeCom ambition is clear: a future where Mount Mabu Forest remains standing, its biodiversity thrives, and the communities who have safeguarded it for generations prosper alongside it.
