Territorial Planning Framework for the Mozambique Islands
A strategic framework for sustainable land use and resource management in the coastal and marine territories of the Nampula and Zambezia provinces of Mozambique.
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Date
2024-2025
Service
Regional Development and Metropolitan Strategies
Project Details
Location
- Nampula, Zambezia (Mozambique)
Type
- Consultancy
Client
- The Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity (BIOFUND)
Partners
- Vocaçao Técnica
Surface
10409km²
One of the Last Coral Reefs in Africa
In the Republic of Mozambique, over a quarter of the country’s land is designated as terrestrial conservation areas. While rich in biodiversity, many of its marine and coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs, face increasing pressures from industrial fishing, mining operations, tourism, and deforestation.
To mitigate the negative impacts of economic development and address these complex challenges, TSPA, in partnership with Vocação Técnica LDA, commissioned by BioFund, and the Mozambican government, has contributed to a long-term spatial planning framework that balances environmental conservation with socio-economic development.
At the heart of this effort is the Special Plan for Territorial Planning, or PEOT (Plano Especial de Ordenamento Territorial), a strategy designed to guide regional development over the next 20 years. What makes this plan distinctive is its integration of local knowledge, environmental science, and strategic design, resulting in a framework that supports both ecological resilience and realistic growth scenarios.
Prioritising Nature and People
Our methodology was structured across multiple phases, beginning with a site visit aimed at capturing the local context and integrating community insights into the planning process.
Phase one included the incorporation of local intelligence and diagnostic mapping. Here, our local partners utilised the Kobo Toolbox, an open-source data collection platform, which enabled them to collaborate with regional actors in mapping existing infrastructure across the islands.
These outputs, known as diagnostic maps, provided a spatial understanding of the region’s assets and gaps. From there, TSPA visualised, analysed, and structured the collected data, further expanding the data set to include the newer open-source data.
Following the diagnostic analyses and the site visit, we developed an initial draft that served as the foundation for all further discussions — helping to visualize early ideas and workshop results — and subsequently informed the public hearings and ministerial consultations, during which further details and information were integrated into the final plan.
Simultaneously, the TSPA team also reviewed national policies, regional strategies, and existing international conservation frameworks, including those from the International Union for Conservation (IUCN).
During phase two, we conducted a holistic environmental assessment, incorporating expertise from urban planning, water management, ecology, and biodiversity science. These contributions allowed for a multi-layered diagnosis of regional challenges and opportunities.
Stakeholder Workshop in Quelimane
In a later phase of the project, we facilitated a workshop in Quelimane, bringing together stakeholders such as community leaders, district administrators and mining representatives from Nampula, Zambezia, and their respective districts (Angoche, Larde, Moma, and Mocubela).
With our spatial analysis and environmental assessment already completed, the purpose of the workshop was to review findings collectively and identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). From there, we then worked alongside workshop participants to map a proposal for a new territorial model, one that would eventually become the base for the final PEOT map.
This inclusive format allowed stakeholders to directly impact the refinement of the planning framework and build a shared understanding of regional priorities.
Planning for the Future
While the successful implementation of this territorial plan will depend on the continued commitment of the Mozambican government, the framework itself offers a replicable, people-centred approach to sustainability.
By integrating ecological protection, economic growth, and community engagement, the PEOT provides a roadmap for reconciling development and conservation in a region where both are urgently needed.
As global climate pressures continue to mount and biodiversity loss accelerates, projects like PEOT demonstrate the potential of spatial design to serve as a bridge between local stewardship and global sustainability goals.
