The National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) held, on 12 February 2026, in Maputo, the Workshop to Identify a Co-Manager for the First and Second Islands Environmental Protection Area (APAIPS).. The meeting was supported by WWF Mozambique, under the PROMOVE Biodiversity project, financed by the European Union and implemented through the Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity (BIOFUND).

The workshop marked the start of a competitive, structured and transparent process to select a co-managing entity, with the aim of strengthening management effectiveness, financial sustainability, and conservation in one of the country’s most significant marine protected areas. During the sessions, eligible entities were invited to submit their expression of interest, paving the way for the next phases of the selection process.

As Mozambique’s environmental fund dedicated to mobilising, allocating and managing financial resources for biodiversity conservation, BIOFUND highlighted the strategic importance of APAIPS and the value of consolidating investments already made in the area through a robust and sustainable co-management model.

“APAIPS has a very special meaning for BIOFUND, as it was one of the Foundation’s first projects… Through this workshop, we intend to work together with ANAC and WWF to promote the identification of a co-manager who can help maximise the value of what these projects have already invested in APAIPS,” said Alexandra Jorge, BIOFUND’s Programmes Director.

According to Alexandra, BIOFUND’s support to APAIPS combines returns from an endowment window (investment capital whose annual returns are channelled to conservation) and project funds, including PROMOVE Biodiversity and MozNorte, both expected to end in 2026. From this endowment, USD 1 million was donated by the Salle family, specifically to support APAIPS operational costs—an outstanding philanthropic contribution linked to the family’s support for global conservation initiatives through Conservation International. The expectation is that selecting a co-manager will help catalyse additional funding and ensure sustained technical support for APAIPS management, also exploring innovative financing mechanisms such as biodiversity offsets and exclusive tourism, among other options.

The identification of a co-manager aligns with the intended results for APAIPS under PROMOVE Biodiversity, which foresees creating conditions for effective management and administration, with technical and financial support to the area’s administration in the medium and long term.

Sobre a APAIPS

A Área de Protecção Ambiental das Ilhas Primeiras e Segundas foi criada em 2012, por instrumento legal específico, e abrange cerca de 1.040.926 hectares, ao longo de uma faixa costeira que se estende por aproximadamente 205 km, atravessando distritos costeiros do norte e centro do país. A APAIPS representa um mosaico de habitats costeiros e marinhos com elevada importância para a biodiversidade, e a sua consolidação institucional é determinante para garantir protecção efectiva, benefícios para as comunidades e sustentabilidade no longo prazo.