Mozambique’s Reforestation Target Slowed by Fires and Poor Monitoring

Mozambique, one of the world’s top ten deforestation hotspots, loses about 267,000 hectares of forest each year, mainly in Nampula, Zambézia and Manica. To counter this, the government set a 2030 goal of reforesting 1 million hectares and a 2025–2029 target of 52,000 hectares per year, backed by a 105 billion‑meticais ($1.65 billion) budget. As of now, only 58,000 hectares have been reforested, a figure that includes earlier plantations. In Zambézia province, cumulative forest loss from 2000 to 2024 reached 1.26 million hectares—about 19 % of its total forest area—despite its ecological importance. Fires and weak post‑planting monitoring have squandered much of the reforestation effort, leaving large swaths of charred trees and untracked saplings. The shortfall underscores the need for robust monitoring and fire‑control measures to meet the country’s climate and biodiversity commitments.