'It's All About Power, It's All About Money'? Natural Resources and Governance in Northern Mozambique

Abstract

"This paper looks at the changes in who has the power and who is receiving the benefits in the governance of natural resources, via an analysis of three case studies in Niassa Province, northern Mozambique. The Niassa cases involve different models with different institutional designs but share objectives of benefiting local communities through sustainable use of natural resources. The aim is to see if some relatively simple ideas around freedom of choice and the rights of citizens when applied to these cases can bring out core issues about land and natural resource management. The paper draws on principles of sustainability as identified by the IUCN Southern African Sustainable Use Specialist Group (SASUSG). SASUSG identifies four core principles (ecological, management, economic and tenure. Of these tenure (proprietorship and rights of access to resources) is identified as the most important factor affecting sustainable use. Sustainable use is regarded as more likely when: *Rights of access are clearly defined *The ability to enforce those rights exists *The unit of management and accountability is small and functionally efficient However, as is clear throughout Southern Africa and beyond, tenure of land and natural resources is a deeply political issue and rests on a wider framework including aspects such as democracy, devolution, decentralization, governance, equity and righting historical distortions--particularly in a climate where systems of communal, state and private tenure are in the midst of change from national or global forces. So an emphasis of the paper is looking at these tenurial aspects of sustainability in the case studies, and linking these aspects to devolution and the related governance mechanisms that are instrumental in land and natural resource management."