Supporting the Policy Enabling Environment for Development
USAID SPEED

The Business Environment for Conservation Tourism

USAID SPEED will ways to improve the enabling environment for the success of private sector eco-tourism and wildlife based activities, which are deeply dependent on conservation and the protection of biodiversity.  These businesses are a critical constituency for conservation advocacy and play a vital role in the implementation of conservation practices.  They build awareness and engagement among their customers in support of biodiversity protection.  They also bring much needed income to local communities and thus enhance the commitment of the surrounding neighbors to the protection of conservation areas.  To help advance eco-tourism and hunting sectors in Mozambique, potential USAID SPEED activities under discussion with USAID include enhancing governance of AMOS and developing tools, such as a Red List of endangered species and mapping of Key Biodiversity Areas, to support decision making on conservation and development. 

Governance processes and structures that guide conservation strategies in protected areas are crucial for effective management and improvement of conservation outcomes.  Depending on the governance setup, rules can be imposed by the state, devised and enforced externally, they can be crafted by local communities, self-imposed and enforced internally or there can be a mixture of both approaches (e.g. joint governance or co-management).  For Conservation Areas to be managed effectively, an effective framework is necessary that provides best practices based on the number and type of actors involved, responsibility, accountability, level of power sharing, and type of knowledge used in the decision-making.  USAID SPEED will work to strengthen these co-management frameworks for fully and non-fully protected conservation areas throughout Mozambique.