Land and Resources, Environmental Issues

During Mozambique’s long civil war, the environment was neglected. With the signing of a peace treaty in 1992 and multiparty elections in 1994, Mozambique started repairing the environmental damage that resulted from its conflict.

Millions of land mines were laid in Mozambique during its civil conflict. According to the United Nations (UN), 3 million unexploded land mines still remain buried throughout rural areas of the country. Large game animals such as elephants have been injured or killed by exploding mines. The lack of adequate hospital facilities in Mozambique makes land mine injuries to civilians particularly lethal. The UN has established training programs in the country to help the people of Mozambique safely remove and destroy unexploded land mines. In 1997 Mozambique banned the production, sale, and transport of antipersonnel land mines.

Several national parks were created in Mozambique during the colonial era. Since the end of the civil war, several large national parks and reserves have been established in areas that were formerly battlefields. Forests cover 21.5 percent (1995) of Mozambique.

Mozambique has ratified international treaties protecting biodiversity, endangered species, and the ozone layer of the atmosphere.