As the latest report from IUCN enlightens, Mozambique faces the dual challenge of significant ocean pollution caused by failing waste management systems of human activity and the accumulation of plastic waste redistributed by the Indian Ocean’s gyre.
In 2022, AMOR conducted successful campaigns that involved purchasing marine waste from fishing communities, resulting in the removal of nearly 300 tonnes of waste from the coastal area of Maputo province.
Additionally, in January 2023, AMOR won a project, supported by the EU delegation to establish and capacitate nine round tables in municipalities. They will serve as platforms for civil society organizations (CSO) to design and manage environmental projects up to 2026.
The current project aims to capacitate Mozambican CSOs, that are members of six of the nine round tables, to remove 1000 tons of marine waste from the municipalities of Palma, Pemba, Beira, Vilankulo, Inhambane and Maputo.
Given the fact that maximum 15% of sea waste can meet the local circular economy and thus be recycled, the project requires financial leverage to motivate the recovery of those waste.
In parallel to this activity, the round tables members will be capacitated to perform awareness of environmental threats and taught how the innovative KOLEKT application can be used to monitor waste streams.
Ultimately, AMOR will initiate the due diligence process to ensure the activity continuity through application of Ocean Bound Plastic Credits standard and a request to the private sector to support the cause.
Beyond the removal of those 1000 tonnes of waste, the project will improve the performance of local mangrove, a natural-born solution to climate changes, create income diversification, strengthen CSOs capacities and create the base of a circular economy in those areas