By Tiago J.B. Paqueliua
Abstract
Mozambique is facing an ecological emergency marked by systematic forest devastation, driven by its energy dependence on charcoal and the legalised smuggling of valuable timber. This essay denounces the crisis through empirical data and field reports, highlighting the impact on national parks such as Banhine and Mágoè. With juridical-ecological rhetoric and a multidisciplinary analysis, the text proposes a transition towards biological briquettes and a regenerative circular economy. It also criticises the paradox that former Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, suspected of complicity in environmental crimes, was awarded the title of “Champion of the Environment” while deforestation continues under institutional complicity.
Keywords
Mozambique; Forest crisis; Banhine National Park; Charcoal; Biological briquettes; Mágoè; Smuggling; Circular economy; Climate justice; Institutional ecocide.
1. Introduction: The Forest as Defendant and Victim
Every day in Mozambique, thousands of trees are reduced to ashes to sustain an archaic and socially unjust energy chain. The forest has become not merely a resource but a hostage. This essay draws from concrete cases—such as the plundering of Banhine National Park and smuggling in Tete—to denounce the absence of structural ecological policies and propose sustainable alternatives centred on environmental justice, circular regeneration, and ecological sovereignty.
2. Banhine National Park: A Green Graveyard under Official Protection
Conceived as an ecological sanctuary, Banhine National Park has become a centre for intensive and illegal charcoal extraction for both domestic use and international markets.
According to a report by ANAC (2017), between 4 and 6 May of that year, a joint inspection team covered 540 km within the park area and counted 16 lorries loaded with bags of charcoal travelling in a single direction. The estimated daily production reached 100 tonnes of charcoal, equivalent to approximately 171.4 tonnes of timber felled every day.
A significant portion of this charcoal comes from the park’s buffer zone, in violation of conservation regulations and threatening the collapse of the region’s ecosystem services. The wood converted into charcoal is destined for household use and smuggling, particularly towards Eswatini, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi.
3. Tete, Mágoè and the Ash Route to Zimbabwe
Another illustrative case unfolds in Mágoè, Tete Province, where charcoal is extracted intensively and smuggled on a large scale to Zimbabwe, bypassing corrupted checkpoints. Research from IESE (2021) reveals that political-business networks have captured the entire charcoal chain, obstructing any attempts at regulation. The local population is coerced into participating in a system that robs them of both resources and future.
4. The Nyusi Paradox: From Deforestation to Environmental Award
Amid ecological collapse, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, former President of Mozambique, was ironically honoured as “Champion of the Environment,” despite having governed during the period of most severe recorded deforestation. His administration authorised multiple forest concessions to foreign companies and allowed the expansion of charcoal production in conservation areas. This award symbolises the moral scandal of global green diplomacy, which rewards rhetoric while turning a blind eye to crimes.
5. Biological Briquettes: A Technical, Economic and Fair Alternative
Replacing charcoal with biological briquettes is technically viable and socially desirable. Made from agricultural and organic waste, briquettes burn more slowly, emit less smoke, and cause less environmental harm. Community-led production can generate rural employment and relieve pressure on forests.
Successful case examples include:
Rwanda: Banned charcoal in urban areas and promoted community briquette production.
Nepal: Provided microcredit and technical training to briquette cooperatives.
Ghana and Uganda: Developed public energy policies focused on alternative biomass.
Ethiopia and Tanzania: Formed NGO-government partnerships to promote briquettes and reforestation.
6. Overcoming Barriers: Pathways to Transition
Cultural, economic, and institutional resistance to the transition may be addressed through:
Educational campaigns in both rural and urban zones;
Fiscal incentives and subsidies for briquette production;
Inclusion of briquettes in public procurement (schools, hospitals, prisons);
Microfinancing youth and women’s cooperatives;
Community participation in domestic energy policy-making.
6.1. Environmental Impact Assessment, Economic Feasibility and Community Participation
The proposed transition to biological briquettes and regenerative practices aligns with a low-impact environmental model, providing direct and indirect benefits to forest ecosystems and human communities. Environmentally, the replacement of charcoal with briquettes significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, lessens pressure on native vegetation cover, and promotes the upcycling of agricultural and organic waste—thereby reducing diffuse pollution.
From an economic standpoint, studies and regional experiences demonstrate that although initial production costs of briquettes may be higher due to investment in equipment and training, they become cost-competitive in the medium term as economies of scale develop. The community cooperative model, supported by microfinance and targeted subsidies, can generate local employment and strengthen sustainable rural value chains. Countries such as Rwanda and Uganda have shown that the social and environmental return on investment far outweighs the initial costs.
Community participation is a transversal axis of the entire process. Social acceptance and the effectiveness of proposed solutions depend on actively involving local communities in the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of energy and forestry policies. Community management of natural resources, together with environmental education campaigns and technical training programmes, reinforces the sense of ownership, promotes ecological justice, and strengthens social cohesion. Shared governance with youth and women—groups most affected—should be the norm, not the exception.
Concrete indicators show that replacing charcoal with briquettes is associated with lower annual deforestation rates, improved air quality, and increased biodiversity. Economically, it enables the creation of microenterprises and local cooperatives, especially in vulnerable rural communities. Socially, it strengthens community leadership, combats energy poverty, and restores the ecological dignity of the land.
7. Policy Proposals
Progressive ban on native forest exploitation for charcoal;
Mass adoption of briquettes and improved cookstoves;
Community-led reforestation with native species;
Reform of the Forest Law with stringent criminal penalties;
Creation of a National Circular Bioenergy Plan with targets for 2030.
Glossary
Biological briquettes: solid fuel made from compacted organic waste, used as a substitute for firewood and charcoal.
Buffer zone: peripheral area of national parks subject to controlled use, often violated for illegal resource extraction.
Charcoal: fuel obtained by controlled burning of wood; widely used for domestic energy but highly polluting and destructive.
Circular bioenergy: renewable energy produced from waste in a regenerative system.
Environmental justice: principle advocating fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens.
Institutional ecocide: systematic ecological destruction perpetuated or tolerated by state institutions.
Epilogue: Judged by the Ashes, Condemned by Silence
The fate of Mozambique’s forests will be the moral trial of our generation. Each sack of charcoal loaded in Banhine or Mágoè is a sentence passed on the future. Each tree felled to enrich a corrupt official or fuel a stove in the absence of alternatives is a moral scar on the Republic.
The nation must end its war on the forest. Replace the axe with science, charcoal with regenerated biomass, short-term profit with climate dignity. Only then can the forest stop screaming for help—and start breathing with us again.
References
1. ANAC. (2017). Report on Visit to Banhine National Park: Charcoal Production and Trafficking. National Administration of Conservation Areas, Ministry of Land, Environment and Rural Development.
2. FAO. (2022). State of the World’s Forests. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
3. IESE. (2021). Report on the Governance of Natural Resources in Mozambique. Institute of Social and Economic Studies.
4. Rádio Moçambique. (2025, 21 July). Charcoal Smuggling Persists at Zimbabwe Border.
5. Government of Rwanda. (2020). National Strategy for Sustainable Biomass Energy. Kigali.
6. World Bank. (2021). Innovative Energy Solutions for Ghana’s Urban Poor. World Bank Energy Reports.
7. UNEP. (2019). Scaling Up Sustainable Bioenergy in Asia. United Nations Environment Programme.
8. Maathai, W. (2010). Replenishing the Earth: Spiritual Values for Healing Ourselves and the World. Doubleday Religion.
9. MacArthur, E. (2013). Towards a Circular Economy. Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
10. Sachs, J. D. (2015). The Age of Sustainable Development. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Campus.
