Chemucane community signs agreement with Bell Foundation

The landmark agreement is the first time a Mozambican community has received long-term concession rights to a prime tourism site in a major national park, and the hope is that the benefits of this partnership will spill over into surrounding communities to help alleviate poverty in rural Mozambique.

This agreement follows a three-year open tender process involving the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Government of Mozambique and the AZC who have been granted a 50-year concession right by the government. The special licence giving the AZC the rights was passed in September 2009 and then formalised by the signing of the Concession Contract between them and the government in December 2010.

Steve Collins, the African Safari Lodge Foundation (ASLF) representative for Mozambique, says: "The AZC are now in a position to begin using the concession rights through their partnership with the Bell Foundation for the benefit of the communities. This attempt to involve rural communities in both conservation and the tourism economy is a first for Mozambique."

Milestone agreement

The partnership agreement is a milestone for the ASLF and the Chemucane community. Collins adds: "The Chemucane project will take community involvement in the rural tourism value chain to another level by the AZC Community Association becoming a substantial shareholder in the company they are forming with the Bell Foundation."

He adds that the 40% community shareholding will be made possible due to the ASLF making a $500 000 - 0% interest - loan available (sponsored by the Ford Foundation) as well as succeeding in getting a US$500 000 grant via MITUR's Community Equity Fund sponsored by the World Bank. At maturity, the lodge is predicted to generate an annual turnover of about US$3.5-million; an annual net income to the Chemucane community of US$550 000 and 60 full-time jobs with an annual wage bill of US$550 000.

The negotiation process between the AZC and the Bell Foundation took six months and was facilitated by the ASLF.

Peter John Massyn, who heads up the ASLF, says: "The signing of the agreement is a result of good collaboration between the parties and the Peace Parks Foundation acting as community broker, Technoserve as local tourism advisers and the ASL Foundation. We are hopeful that this kind of partnership will serve as a pilot project and can be replicated in other rural conservation areas in Mozambique."

Massyn says that the Maputo Special Reserve (MSR) lies in a strategic position that is rich in biodiversity and has a wealth of plant and marine life. "In terms of conservation, this area is significant as it protects a substantial portion of the Maputaland Centre of Plant Diversity, which has exceptionally high endemism, and contains an extensive system of wetlands supporting a wide diversity of marine and plant life. The area is also home to a genetically distinct population of more than 350 elephants and is known for exceptional seascapes and scenic beauty - it is the perfect place for an eco-lodge."

Minimal ecological footprint

He points out that the eco-lodge will have a minimal ecological footprint, and every effort will be made to ensure that preserving the sensitive environment is key to the success of the project. He says the remainder of 2011 will be dedicated to planning, Environmental Impact Assessment and establishing a joint venture company, and it is hoped that construction will begin in early 2012.

Ponta Chemucane is a site of approximately 800ha on the northern coast of the Maputo Special Reserve adjacent to the recently declared Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve (PPMR). Together, the two reserves form the terrestrial and marine components of an integrated protected area which is one of the core assets of the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area and the Maputaland Centre of Plant Diversity. The site falls in the Matutuine District of Maputo Province in southern Mozambique.

For more information, go to www.asl-foundation.org.