Rui Branco
Director, Natura Association, Mozambique (Founding Member of the Inhambane Seascape Alliance); Co-founder and landscape director for the Macossa-Tambara Ecosystem; Mission Blue Co-Champion for the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot
Rui was born and raised in Mozambique and brings two decades of conservation experience with a focus on impactful and inclusive protection of biodiversity, delivering conservation benefits to communities living in and around protected areas, and building genuine local conservation capacity and leadership to secure the future sustainability of critical ecosystems. His expertise spans strategic planning and implementation, and boots-on-the-ground protected-area management.
Rui is adept at working with local communities and government authorities, and he is skilled in collaborative approaches and conflict resolution.
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Rui’s passion and deep expertise lie in working collaboratively with communities and in strengthening local governance while resourcing communities in and around important landscapes and seascapes.
Rui has co-led and secured a long-term contract between Natura and the Government of Mozambique, along with agreements with other partners to restore, protect, and manage the critical 9,000 km² Macossa-Tambara ecosystem of protected areas in central Mozambique, with strong, genuine involvement of community-led initiatives and zonation plans.
Rui has co-led coastal and marine conservation efforts in direct partnership with local communities along the Inhambane Seascape, focusing on establishing community fisheries councils, creating alternative livelihoods for women and youth, and developing forest guardians along this critical reach of the Inhambane Seascape and a potential Key Biodiversity Area (KBA).