Mozambique protects Mount Mabu ‘butterfly forest’

Mozambique's Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries published a decree on Aug. 24 formally protecting Mount Mabu, a 9,341-hectare forest in the Lugela district known for more than 200 butterfly species and creatures found nowhere else on Earth. Stewardship goes to the local communities who have maintained the forest for generations.

Ecologist Julian Bayliss, who spent 20 years surveying the site, called the designation a relief, noting the region's high endemism includes a cobalt-blue butterfly and a forest viper discovered when he accidentally stepped on one. The area still lacks a finalized management plan specifying what activities will actually be restricted.

Encroaching small-scale agriculture and logging remain the primary threats, though the forest is described as largely intact and treated as sacred by nearby communities, according to a 2024 conservation proposal.

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