The overall objective of the project is to reduce incidents of illegal activity in the Eastern Sector of the Niassa Special Reserve and to
reduce Human-Wildlife Conflict incidents in the central parts of the reserve. Niassa Special Reserve (NSR) is located in northern Mozambique, primarily in Niassa Province but with around 15% of its area in Cabo Delgado Province. Along with Tanzania’s Julius Nyerere National Park/Selous Game Reserve complex, NSR forms a critical part of the Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) that is the heart of the larger Ruvuma Landscape.

The proposed project will support increased anti-poaching along the Tanzanian border in the East of the reserve; protecting NSR’s dominant ecosystem - miombo woodland interspersed with shallow open dambos, riverine forest following water courses, montane forest on Mounts Mecula and Yao, and inselberg habitats. Niassa as a whole contains an estimated >50% of Mozambique’s large mammals including the country’s largest populations of elephant, lion, leopard, African wild dog, sable, kudu, wildebeest, and zebra, as well as viable populations of vulnerable pangolins and critically endangered species such as the Taita Falcon. 

Project Outputs:

• Human rights training for 60 rangers conducted in October-November 2023
• Construction of the two (2) staff houses on-going
• A solar power system was installed at the Niassa Special Reserve Main Camp for management and technical staff
• 81 HWC conflict incidents reported during duration of this project; 60 responded to, Including incidents with elephants, buffaloes, and hippopotamus