The word we received on Niassa Game Reserve came in the form of a letter from Nigel Pollard of Grupo Madal, S.A.R.L. in Maputo. He was responding on behalf of the government to a letter we sent this past September posing a number of questions. Here is the gist of the letter:
"A joint venture between the government of Mozambique and the private sector has resulted in the formation of a company called Sociedade de Gestão e Desenvolvimento da Reserva do Niassa (SGDRN) that has a mandate to manage and develop the Niassa Reserve and surrounding buffer zones. It is possible that hunting activities will be allowed in the buffer zones, but this decision will only be taken after evaluating the results of a game count currently being undertaken. At this time only one company, Kambako, has authority to conduct safaris in part of the buffer zone. They have an agreement (for a hunting concession) that pre-dates the formation of SGDRN; however, they will fall under the jurisdiction of the management company, SGDRN. The current aerial game survey will help determine more accurately the populations of the principal species of animals.
The recent war is thought to have had a negative impact on wildlife populations, but with good management and protection it is hoped that viable breeding nuclei remain.........(continued)
