IUCN Mozambique designed and started implementing the Knowledge Hubs with the MTA. The Knowledge Hibs, transversal to all IUCN´s projects in Mozambique, and installed in partnership with MTA and local Governments, in Government premisses, are a knowledge center to share IUCN´s website in portuguese as well as a deposit of manuals, knowledge tools and courses (e.g. ACADEMY) to scale-up the number of beneficiaries that may access conservation tools, while also to expand IUCN outreach, with a focus on those in rural areas and on women and youth.

Having a set of manuals and tools (e.g. NBS, OECMs, mangrove restoration, etc) from IUCN, complimented with tailored manuals for projects and communities in Mozambique, uploaded to a web platform, allows the youth and the communities in general, from conservation and buffer areas, as well as from coastal areas where IUCN operates, to have a systematic and open access to knowledge, resulting in a sustainable empowerment and transforming them in full fledge conservation and adaptation actors.

The knowledge hubs are a cost-efficient training tool as they are based on existing facilities and only dependant on a web and internet capacity. As possible, the knowledge program includes physical community exchange as well as in-person training of trainers.

Applicable knowledge solutions deployed to teams were the Blue Training in Practise, that trained over 20 professors and MTA staff, in mainstreaming coastal and marine management into local development plans and projects, as a  long-term cross-sectoral process on integration across biodiversity, climate and development plans; the training on the application of nature based solutions into local activities, which included the translation of IUCN course and manual into portuguese, allowing all to access the online official training and certified course.

The Knowledge Hubs, installed as open public spaces, have motivated other development and conservation actors to join and support with a diversity of in-kind and financial support, hence the knowledge hubs also play the partnerships and awareness raising role.

Playing the role of a membership union, of which the Government of Mozambique is a partner, was the guiding principle for IUCN´s intervention. Mozambique hosts key IUCN members, such as Peace Parks Foundation, WCS, WWF as well as it is a beneficiary of the EU funded PANORAMA program. This was the basis for IUCN to assess interest and possible engagement and support to a knowledge and information sharing platform such as the Dialogue Platform.

Together with the Ministry of Land and Environment, via ANAC, Cooperation and Climate Change Directorates, IUCN initiated the approach to members as well as to local organisation and local governments, as a means to identify key thematic areas and key policy guidelines that were important to be discussed and obtain streamlined approaches and manuals and that required conservation and environment actors' engagement and agreement. 

The first edition of the Dialogue Platform was a success as it provide the floor to an open dialogue with Government on key biodiversity and conservation aspects as well as it was the forum where nationwide actors were able to meet and jointly appreciate best ways to work and to apply development funds. The first event also accommodated SOMN´s mangroves champion awards, which were jointly delivered by IUCN representative, the German Embassy representative and the MTA Permanent Secretary.

Important therefore to add that as partnerships play a key role to build joint voices and influence improved policy decisions, including those related to mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystems based adaptation into ALL development projects, this activity further contributed to ensure that the key principles and priorities were shared and the voice is kept alive as the Dialogue maintains its activities, unfolded into thematic and specific sub themes such as land uses and concorrencial land uses. 

The process was based on (a) IUCN´s membership network and other conservation partners and (b) IUCN as a Government reliable partner. This basis allowed IUCN to mobilise and engage the network of conservation and environment actors around the government counterparts and openly discuss challenges and opportunities to scale-up interventions via a coordinated and complimentary approach. The Paris Declaration on aid efficiency was a tool to discuss how development aid is organised, and its use contribute also to inform participants on the flow of aid fluxes and how impact needs to be officially reported as a manner to show the good work of conservation and environment actors.

The process further designed a calendar of thematic events under the Environment umbrella, such us use of PNDT and MSP/POEM as a basis to design ecosystems based local development plans, derived from another IUCN´s support, and the evaluation and response to concorrencial uses of conservation and buffer areas. by doing it, IUCN supports Government in continuing its open dialogue with partners and actors, contributing to participation and good governance.

Underlying these activities is IUCN´s systematic dialogue with Government, providing the floor for trust and reliability to enhance IUCN´s role and impact on policy design and public participation.

Cross-cutting partnerships were the basis for the glocal achievement. Initially, in partnership with the World Bank, partner that supported the development of the documents and agreed with IUCN that as the WB was phasing out IUCN could/should continue with the process as a reliable partner - this included co-funding one staff member for 6 months so the staff member could represent both entities until document development closure. Then by partnering with WWF and WCS, for their direct contribution with biodiversity data for the PNDT and the MSP - with a focus on WCS and the National Biodiversity database that was fully integrated in the above referred documents. Partnerships extended to all planning and conservation partners by maintaining a continuous information sharing system to ensure streamlined knowledge, support, understanding and engagement.

The principal partnership to be refer reports again to the Government. Good governance and policy making in a country is the Government's role and mandate. For policies to be improved or adopt it requires Government decision. And it requires also a transparent, reliable and efficient dialogue and capacities from the contributing partner. And this is where IUCN delivered at its best and expanded this engagement to its members.

Mangrove Knowledge and related scientific data were the entry point to inform planners and decision makers of the socio-economic importance of mangroves, from community income to coastal adaptation. Via SOMN studies on the country´s mangrove uses and the Global Mangrove Alliance data, IUCN established first a common voice with members and key conservation actors (WWF, WCS, Centro Terra Viva, BIOFUND, ABIODES and Government institutions) on mangrove advocacy. IUCN and SOMN further contributed to the elaboration and approval of the National Mangrove Strategy, where goals, approaches and restoration principles were approved by Government and partners.

With this as a basis, it was upscaled to the national strategies, namely the National Territorial Development Plan, which leads development with a sustainability and biodiversity vision and where a full Mozambique biodiversity wealth is mapped. Mangroves being a part of it, it allows local governments and local top community to conservation areas to be able to identify hotspots for conservation and key priority areas for restoration. It further provides geographic and quantitative information to let conservation actors and NGOs to easily identify and monitor progress, for their conservation interventions.

Based on the success of the initial trainings in Lamu and other sites, Lamu KFS officials together with Wetlands International identified the need to spread this knowledge mainly at the policy and management levels within KFS among other key stakeholders. In partnership with KFS and MAP, we organised a CBEMR managerial training for the senior managers and coastal forest managers at KFS, Directors of Environment Department from the Kwale, Kilifi, Mombasa, Tana River, and Lamu counties, academia from Kenya School of Forestry and Kenyatta University, partner organisations in Global Mangrove Alliance namely IUCN, WWF and TNC, and representatives from the Western Indian Ocean Mangrove Network and local journalists with specialisation in environmental issues. 

This training was designed to enhance knowledge and have a significant impact on restoration efforts.