A UNESCO This Sunday, Maputo National Park in Mozambique was inscribed on the World Heritage list. Maputo Park is linked to the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park in South Africa, which already held World Heritage status in 1999.

The Mozambican park, located in the extreme south of the country, combines marine and coastal areas and is part of the Maputalândia-Pondolândia-Albany hotspot. Its inclusion on the list strengthens the protection of local biodiversity. The Bijagós Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau was also designated a World Heritage Site, becoming the first site in this African country to be included on the UNESCO list.

In total, 26 new sites were recognized this Sunday and included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Twenty-one are cultural, four are natural, and one is mixed. The decision was announced this morning in Paris, France, during the 21th meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which runs until the 47th at the organization's headquarters in the French capital.

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O Maputo National Park is an ecosystem spanning 1.794 square kilometers in southern Mozambique. The UNESCO committee highlighted that the park encompasses terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems, is home to nearly 5.000 species, and complements the conservation values of the adjacent iSimangaliso Wetlands park in South Africa.

This cross-border connection reinforces biodiversity protection throughout the Maputo region, creating a vital ecological corridor. The area features diverse habitats such as lakes, lagoons, mangroves, and coral reefs, as well as long beaches, dunes, and wetlands that serve as refuges for unique species.

The southernmost nesting beaches for leatherback and loggerhead turtles, as well as the world's largest concentration of giant silverbacks, stand out. The site also serves as a crucial stopover for migratory birds on the East African flyway. This achievement crowns a 14-year process, as revealed by Miguel Gonçalves, park administrator:

"It's a great feeling and a source of immense pride. I've spent 14 years working on this process."

“Now we have a duty to protect this space that belongs to humanity”.

Maputo National Park was created in 2021 from the merger of the Maputo Special Reserve and the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve, marking a radical transformation.

From a landscape devastated by civil war, it became a conservation success story through a partnership with the Peace Parks Foundation, which enabled the reintroduction of 5.388 wild animals, including the iconic coastal elephants. Werner Myburgh, CEO of the foundation, emphasized:

“This represents a milestone for the entire region, the result of the Mozambican government’s unwavering commitment.”.

Gustavo Dgedge, Secretary of State for Land and Environment, defined the recognition as a historic moment honoring decades of dedication. The status brings new challenges, as Gonçalves admitted:

“We have plans to manage the increase in visitors, ensuring that habitat protection remains a priority”.

Three tourist facilities already welcome visitors, from rustic campsites to luxury units, symbolizing the balance between conservation and development.

Cross-border integration

The park's inclusion as a World Heritage Site underscores its importance as a transboundary ecological corridor with iSimangaliso and as a critical biodiversity refuge in Africa. Emblematic species such as leatherback and loggerhead turtles use the park's beaches for nesting—making it one of the southernmost nesting sites in the region.

In terms of management, both Mozambique and South Africa share responsibilities through a transboundary committee. The integrated management plan requires updates on mining permits, tourism impacts, and human-wildlife conflicts by 2026.

Local Benefits

This designation also represents a success for local communities: 20% of park revenue and tourism revenues are donated to sustainable livelihood programs, including conservation agriculture, sustainable fishing, ecotourism, aquaculture and mangrove reconstruction.

Tourism facilities range from rustic campsites to luxury options, strengthening the local economy. Financial support includes funds such as €5,9 million from the Blue Action Fund and the Green Climate Fund, and partnerships with Mozbio for coastal and marine protection. This mobilization demonstrates the national and international commitment to environmental preservation and sustainable development.

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This appointment makes the Bijagós Archipelago, the first site in Guinea-Bissau to be included on the UNESCO world list, after a previous nomination as a Biosphere Reserve obtained in 1996.

The candidacy won thanks to more than a decade of collaborative work. The victory was greeted enthusiastically in Bissau and throughout the diaspora, reflecting a national ambition for international recognition. And as Environment Minister Viriato Cassamá stated:

“A natural world heritage site in our country is very important.”

“Furthermore, it is the first one we have in Guinea-Bissau”.

Located off the west coast of Africa, the Bijagós comprise 88 islands and islets (around 20 of which are permanently inhabited), occupying more than 10 km² of marine and coastal ecosystems – mangroves, salt marshes, sandbanks and restricted areas.

These areas are home to hippos, African manatees, green and leatherback turtles, and are also home to more than 870 migratory birds from Europe.

The small island of Poilão stands out as one of the most important nesting sites for green turtles. Furthermore, the Bijagós have sacred sites, natural parks—Orango, João Vieira, and Poilão—and the Urok Islands community protected area, which are essential for biodiversity conservation and the preservation of the Bijagó communities' traditional know-how.

World Heritage status brings opportunities for investment in biodiversity conservation projects, technical training, and sustainable tourism. The Bijagós' cultural and scientific heritage, as well as its inclusion in initiatives such as ProBijagós—funded by Portuguese Cooperation—are now gaining new visibility.

With this classification, Guinea-Bissau establishes itself as a benchmark for environmental preservation in Africa and reinforces the cultural identity of the Bijagó people. This international recognition places the country on the map of environmental excellence and paves the way for future technical and financial partnerships.

UNESCO's Decision

By UNESCO's decision, this recognition elevates the region's conservation status, integrating it into a global network of protected sites. Audrey Azoulay, the organization's director-general, emphasized that the Bijagós represent a rare coastal and marine ecosystem, where communities maintain their living traditions.

In addition to this international endorsement, organizations such as the UNDP, the Guinean League of Human Rights, the University of Lisbon, and the Portuguese Embassy congratulated the country, highlighting the pioneering work of the Bijagós and emphasizing the importance of the communities' leading role in the preservation process.

Previously rejected in 2012, the application was revised based on the Committee's recommendations, resulting in an action plan that balances economic development, the environment and culture.

Environment Minister Viriato Cassamá acknowledged the challenges, such as the risk of tourist pressure and the fragility of health infrastructure, but promised to implement a sustainable management plan to mitigate impacts and ensure the long-term protection of the site.

Mbanza Kongo (Angola)

Registered in 2017, remains a silent testament to the ancient Kingdom of Kongo. In the hills of Zaire, the ruins of the royal court and the Kulumbimbi Cathedral (1522) bear witness to the first contact between Central Africa and Europe. The sacred Yala Nkuw tree still attracts traditional authorities for ceremonies of justice, keeping alive the memory of a kingdom that endured for 500 years.

Old Town (Cape Verde)

Registered in 2009, Pelourinho Square displays the pillar where slaves were punished. The Royal Fort of São Filipe, built to protect against pirate attacks, watches over the bay where ships laden with people uprooted from Africa began their Atlantic crossing. These streets gave birth to Cape Verdean Creole—the first mixed-race language of colonialism.

Ilha de Mozambique

Registered in 1991, tells another side of Lusophone history. The "Stone City," with its labyrinth of Swahili houses and Indo-Portuguese balconies, was a trading post for pearls and gold. The fortress of São Sebastião, built with ballast stones from ships, withstood two centuries of attacks. Its warehouses hold stories of monsoons that brought textiles from India to be exchanged for Bantu ivory.

Maputo National Park (Mozambique)

Registered today, is a transboundary extension of the iSimangaliso Reserve in South Africa, inscribed in 1999. It includes terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems, and is home to nearly 5.000 species. The site complements the conservation values of iSimangaliso, enhancing biodiversity protection throughout the Maputaland ecoregion. It features diverse habitats, including lakes, lagoons, mangroves, and coral reefs.

The park is located in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany hotspot, reflecting high endemism and ongoing natural processes and highlights long-standing regional conservation cooperation.

Bijagós Archipelago – Omatí Minhô

Registered today, the region includes a continuous series of coastal and marine ecosystems, corresponding to the marine and intertidal environments of the best-preserved areas of the Bijagós Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau. The archipelago is the only active deltaic archipelago on the African Atlantic coast and one of the few in the world. It is home to a rich biodiversity, including green and leatherback turtles, endangered species, manatees, dolphins, and more than 870.000 migratory shorebirds.

It boasts mangroves, mudflats, and intertidal zones vital to marine life, as well as rare plant species, diverse fish populations, and bird colonies. Poilão Island is a globally important turtle nesting site.

The acknowledgment

By recognizing these sites as World Heritage sites, UNESCO isn't preserving frozen monuments. It's consecrating living landscapes where the past interacts with the future and where each community writes, day after day, a new chapter of this shared heritage.

These sites face intimate challenges: in Mbanza Kongo, cell phone antennas threaten the spiritual landscape; in Bijagós, rising seas swallow ritual cemeteries. But their strength lies precisely in the fusion of tangible and intangible heritage:

“The Bijagós do not separate nature and culture.”

“The turtle sanctuary in Poilão is as sacred as the initiation masks.”

Explains Guinean anthropologist Sana Na N'Hada.