Chimanimani National Park received, on March 11, a set of equipment acquired under the Biodiversity Conservation and Community Development Project (CBDC), in a ceremony that marked the official transfer of these assets to the park as the final beneficiary.

The equipment includes vehicles, computer equipment and tools intended for processing products associated with value chains developed in local communities, such as honey production and other natural products. During the project’s implementation period, these assets were managed by the Micaia Foundation, the implementing partner responsible for carrying out field activities, in coordination with Chimanimani National Park and communities in the buffer zone.

The handover of the equipment takes place in the context of the closure of the CBDC project, which over five years supported integrated biodiversity conservation and community development initiatives in Chimanimani National Park and its buffer zone. With a total funding of €4.8 million from the French Development Agency, the project contributed to strengthening knowledge about the park’s biodiversity, promoting sustainable livelihoods in local communities and developing innovative financing mechanisms for conservation.

Throughout its implementation, the project enabled the recording of more than 1,300 species of flora and fauna in Chimanimani National Park, supported community organization and consolidated value chains, strengthening the link between conservation and income generation for local communities.

With the transfer of the equipment to Chimanimani National Park, the aim is to ensure the continuity of the actions initiated by the project, strengthening the park’s operational capacity and supporting initiatives that reconcile conservation with the sustainable development of the communities living in the park’s buffer zone.