Mount Moco, one of Angola’s most important biodiversity strongholds, has officially been granted legal protection following the publication of Law No. 5/26 in the Diário da República (the Angolan Government’s Official Gazette) on 9 April 2026. The legislation establishes the Mount Moco Conservation Area as a Partial Nature Reserve, marking a landmark moment for conservation in Angola.
Feature image: Swierstra’s Francolin, endemic to western Angola, one of Mount Moco’s most emblematic threatened species. M Zieger
The designation follows a collaborative process led by Angola’s Ministry of Environment and the National Institute of Biodiversity and Conservation Areas (INBAC), together with conservation partners whose sustained efforts have helped secure formal protection for one of the country’s most ecologically significant landscapes.
Mount Moco is widely regarded as Angola’s premier montane birding site and a vital refuge for Afromontane forest species. The news was confirmed in April by Michael Mills, African Bird Club’s Country Representative in Angola, who described the announcement as a major step forward for biodiversity protection in the region.
According to an unofficial English translation of the Portuguese gazette, the reserve’s designation is intended to provide partial protection while allowing for the sustainable use of natural resources by local communities.
Under Article 4 of the law, the reserve’s objectives include conserving Mount Moco’s Afromontane forests and associated geomorphological, hydrological and ecological systems; ensuring the long-term maintenance of biodiversity; promoting environmental education, ecotourism and sustainable resource use; and preventing deforestation caused by wildfires.
The legislation prohibits hunting, fishing and resource extraction except for scientific purposes, authorised strategic government activities, and regulated subsistence use by registered local communities.
The legal protection reflects Angola’s growing commitment to meeting both national and international biodiversity targets. Conservationists have hailed the move as the result of years of coordinated effort between government agencies, NGOs and local stakeholders.
In comments reported by Mongabay, Nigel Collar, a conservation biologist with BirdLife International, said the organisation has been highlighting the importance of Mount Moco’s unique biodiversity since the 1980s.
“The news that the government of Angola has now moved to give the mountain formal protected area status is a moment for real celebration and congratulations,” he said.
Collar added that the designation represents a major boost for one of the mountain’s most emblematic threatened species, Swierstra’s Francolin (Pternistis swierstrai), a partridge-like bird endemic to western Angola whose small population continues to decline due to habitat loss.
On-the-ground conservation work continues to be led by Fundação Kissama, Angola’s leading conservation NGO, with major support from the World Land Trust, Tasso Leventis Foundation, and The Rufford Foundation. The African Bird Club and its members also played an important role in financing the project’s early stages.
The Mount Moco project has already delivered significant results. A locally managed nursery now maintains 4,000 native trees, with more than 8,000 planted to date at a rate of approximately 1,500 annually. A 20-member community fire management team has established 20 kilometres of controlled-burn firebreaks over the past four years, protecting all major Afromontane forest patches from wildfire.
Further achievements include the training of eight local environmental monitors and educators, alongside initiatives addressing fuelwood use through gas stoves and efficient cooking bags, waste management, invasive species control, improved nutrition, sustainable wood harvesting techniques and erosion prevention.
The creation of the Mount Moco Conservation Area secures long-term protection for one of Angola’s most irreplaceable natural landscapes — and stands as a significant victory for conservation across southern Africa.
