Forest management in Mozambique from 1920 to 1974: surveying, uses, protection and dune stabilization

Abstract

This paper links issues of forestry and colonialism in Mozambique during Portuguese rule, from 1920 to 1974. It analyses the role of Portuguese foresters in building Mozambique’s Forest Services by looking at their concerns, priorities, application of technical knowledge, challenges and limitations. The article describes how these experts acted in remote areas to survey and catalogue the existing forest as well as introduce European forest management methods. The work also shows how foresters promoted the creation of new forest areas and examines the little-known case of coastal dune afforestation. Emphasis is given to the importance of knowledge and species transfers in these interventions. The authors argue that, alongside to ‘grey’ infrastructures such as railroads, ports, and dams, forests served as ‘green infrastructures’ in Mozambique: human-made landscapes used as colonial tools of power, penetration, and state control.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26882/histagrar.096e05i