Forest area in Mozambique

18 February 2022- Forest resources and wildlife in Mozambique are threatened mainly by the occurrence of deforestation, forest fires, unregulated and illegal exploitation of wood, poaching and uncontrolled production of firewood and charcoal. According to the National Directorate of Forests (DINAF), during a meeting to reflect on the challenges of the forestry sector, the recurrent unsustainable exploitation of forest resources may lead to the loss of about 2.8 million hectares of forest by 2035, worsening the poverty and vulnerability of thousands of people who find their livelihood in the forest. In order to prevent this from happening, DINAF, with technical assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has developed a Forestry Information System (SIF), with the objective of facilitating the administration of forest resources in Mozambique, contributing to their sustainability.

At this moment, the Forest Information System, a digital platform used in web and mobile version, is in pilot use in the provinces of Cabo-Delgado and Zambézia, located in northern and central Mozambique, respectively. The experience of using the SIF, by the technicians of the Provincial Environment Services (SPA), is positive and they consider it a platform that has revolutionized the management of forest resources, making the licensing process of forest concessions more flexible and contributing to transparency through the maximum dissemination of forest information to the different segments.

According to Valymomade Amanulale, SPA technician in Cabo Delgado province, before the introduction of the SIF, the processes involving the entire forest management chain were in physical format, often making the process of searching for files painful and long. However, with the SIF, the processes were digitized and uploaded to the system. "This is a great gain, both in the organization and categorization of our files, and for the citizen in the process of consulting information", said Valymomade advocating that the SIF is the only way forward for the benefit of the sustainability of forest resources. "There is no turning back, the future of good management of our forest resources lies in the rigorous use of the SIF", he concluded. For this technician, the success of the SIF adoption also goes through the continuous development of the users' capacities, in order to be at the same level and pace. "Public service technicians, operators, that is, all of us, including the community itself, have to know how to use the system", recommended Amanulale.

In Zambézia province, Silvio Basílio, technician from the Department of Forests and Agroforestry Plantations, at SPA, said that before using the SIF, the technicians underwent various training, one of which was done in person, and the rest in the virtual model, due to the COVID-19. Basilio praises the government's initiative and encourages its continuity. In his opinion, the SIF is a platform that clearly responds to the pressing challenges of the forestry sector in Mozambique. "We, the technicians and other audiences, actively participate in the design of this platform by issuing comments and suggestions.

Therefore, this system, currently in pilot use, is our fruit", said Basilio. At the Zambezia province level, the SPA, out of a total of five SIF modules, frequently uses the sustainability and Licensing modules, having, so far, digitized and uploaded a considerable part of the physical processes to the SIF. Silvio Basílio's perception is that the SIF has all the potential to effectively contribute to the improvement of the management of forest licenses at the country level and help in the process of monitoring its own resources.
The Forest Information System (SIF) is a platform for the management and administration of the national forest heritage, with functionalities for licensing, registering, registering, monitoring and tracking forest products. This platform was designed by DINAF, with support from FAO, as part of the implementation of the MozFip project and can be accessed through this link: https://sif.app.co.mz/login