Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Gorongosa Restoration Project and the Embassy
News
09 November 2020
Ambassador Nuala O'Brien with Gorongosa Restoration Project President Greg Carr
The Gorongosa Restoration Project (PRG) and the Irish Embassy in Mozambique signed last week a Memorandum of Understanding in Maputo, with the objective of supporting the implementation of the Business Plan for the next 5 years, towards achieving the 30-year vision for the Gorongosa Restoration Project.
The Irish Embassy in Mozambique will finance, during the next five years, the implementation of these projects with a total amount of €5,000,000. Nuala O’Brien, Irish Ambassador, stated that “By strengthening this collaboration we hope that there will be progress in the following areas: human development (education, health, gender, water and sanitation), conservation, science, and the promotion of economic activities. We hope that the promotion of sustainable activities linked to income generation will contribute to the maintenance of peace and prosperity for local communities living in the areas covered by the project's work”.
Greg Carr, President of the Gorongosa Restoration Project, stated that "We are honored to partner with the Irish People and grateful for their support. They share our values that every child should be in school, that biodiversity needs to be protected for the benefit of all humankind, and that Gorongosa Park can serve as the engine to create a green economy in central Mozambique to benefit local families and provide prosperity for local communities living in the areas covered by the project's work”. Director General of the National Administration of Conservation Areas that oversees all national parks in Mozambique, Mateus Mutemba, said: "In Mozambique we are reinventing the definition of ‘national park’. We see a national park as protecting critical biodiversity, but also, functioning within a greater landscape to be an engine of progress for the people who have called that landscape ‘home’ for countless millennia. Gorongosa is our flagship."
About the Irish Embassy in Mozambique
Mozambique has been a privileged partner in the Government of Ireland's development cooperation program since 1996. Over the past 25 years, relations between Ireland and Mozambique have been growing based on a transparent dialogue and the principle of good faith.
Ireland 's cooperation program in Mozambique stands out for its constant commitment to address issues related to poverty eradication, climate change and the maintenance of peace and security. The Irish Embassy's interventions in Mozambique are mainly focused on supporting the areas of health, education, gender and social protection, institutional capacity-building actions and development of civil society organizations.
The sustainable and transparent management of natural resources and the environment is one of the priorities of the Government of Ireland's international development policy, “A Better World”. We value the efforts made by the Gorongosa Project to find a model of balance and harmony between the development of local communities and the conservation of the environment.
For more general information about the Irish Embassy in Mozambique please visit: www.dfa.ie/mozambique
You may follow the daily activities of the Irish Embassy in Mozambique here: https://m.facebook.com/EmbassyofIrelandMozambique/
About the Gorongosa Project
Gorongosa National Park (GNP) in Mozambique is perhaps Africa's greatest wildlife restoration story. In 2008, a 20-year Public-Private Partnership was established for the joint management of GNP between the Government of Mozambique and the Carr Foundation (Gorongosa Restoration Project), a US nonprofit organization. In 2018, the Government of Mozambique signed an extension of the joint management agreement for another 25 years. By adopting a 21st Century conservation model of balancing the needs of wildlife and people, Gorongosa is protecting and saving this beautiful wilderness, returning it to its rightful place as one of Africa’s greatest national parks.
GNP has been described as one of the most diverse parks on Earth, covering a vast expanse of 400,000 hectares. In recent years, the Gorongosa Project, with the support of Mozambique’s National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC), has ensured the protection of a recovering population of lions in this ecosystem, successfully reduced key threats, and has been recognized as one of National Geographic's “Last Wild Places” and by TIME Magazine as one of the “World’s Greatest Places”.
If you would like more information about this topic or would like to schedule an interview with those involved in the project, please call Vasco Galante at +258 822970010 (WhatsApp) or email vasco@gorongosa.net.
For more general information, visit http://www.gorongosa.org / https://www.gorongosacoffee.com
You may follow the daily activities of Gorongosa National Park here: https://www.facebook.com/gorongosa/
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