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Abstract:
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"Mozambique, like several other countries in the Southern African region, is currently engaged in the transformation of its natural resources management practices and conservation. The objective is to find ways of achieving environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially acceptable systems of natural resources management by involving the participation of all stakeholders.
"This paper provides a brief insight into how Community of Goba is organized to manage the natural resources in its surroundings. Goba is one of selected pilot areas of a Government Community Project started in 1998. The Project is aiming to support the local community in its organization to take control of the natural resources in the area characterized in old times by free access and degradation and its conflict permanent between the locals and outsiders.
"The area of Goba Community is about 9,500 hectares, located about 75 km from the capital of Maputo, on the border of Swaziland. The population is approximately 1200 people distributed into 300 households. Their main (if not only) source of income is charcoal, fully absorbed by the nearby market of Maputo.
"The new Forestry and Wildlife legislation (July 99) introduces the concept of participatory management, delegation of responsibilities and empowering local communities for management and control of their natural resources and creating legal mechanisms of sharing of benefits. Although the legislation is supposed to have direct links with the communities at the grassroots level, we may find that in many cases the community-based organizations are very poor; consequently institutional linkages are weakened.
"To effect sustainable use of its natural resources, the Community of Goba has created a gender-balanced council for natural resources management. The organization has created rules and regulations that govern the conduct of their members for the management and utilization of natural resources. It is also helpful in resolving conflicts with private sector, GO authorities, neighboring and other stakeholders.
"From the Goba Community side:
-A participatory inventory of forests, wildlife, and medicinal plants has been carried out in a selected micro- watershed covering 10,000 ha; and a participatory zoning and management plan is under preparation.
-A volunteered community guard group has been trained in nature conservation and law enforcement and is assuming the control of the use and conservation of the natural resources in the area.
-New forest user groups are being established, either to maintain charcoal production on sustainable limits, or to replace charcoal making by more sustainable activities.
-The community is recovering its traditional tenure rights on the natural resources management in the area.
From the government authorities:
-Provincial government authority evolved to a system of participatory natural resources control.
-Illegal non-resident charcoal makers have abandoned the area. All charcoal makers are now residents, licensed and have production quotas based on the annual allowable cut agreed upon between government authorities and the community.
-Poachers are now avoiding Goba area as community control grows.
-The community is controlling forest fires."
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