The official hunting reserves were created in order to promote hunting as a sport (recreational hunting).
In Mozambique there are 12 official hunting reserves, the major ones being situated in the central area of the country, particularly in the provinces of Sofala and Manica.

These reserves are awarded to the winning bidder in a public tender process who then signs a contract with the Government for the management of a particular reserve.

Hunting in Mozambique is subject to the provisions of Decree 10/99 of 7 July (Decree of Forestry and Wildlife - LFFB). Article 22 states that hunting activities can be conducted by single national or foreign tourists in possession of a Model “A” licence, in the official hunting reserves or wildlife preserves.

The table below lists the species that may be hunted.

The application for a “Model A” licence (art. 55 and 58 of the law for Forestry and Wildlife – Decree nº. 12/2002 of June 6) is made by the entity holding the concession rights for the official hunting reserves, by the Society for the Development and Management of the Niassa Reserve (for the hunting areas) in the name of the hunting beneficiaries to the National Director for Conservation. In the case of hunting game farms the application is made to the Director of Land and Forestry.

The application must indicate the type of licence sought (recreational hunting licence or hunting guide licence):

• Name of the person entitled by the licence.
• The identity documentation of the concession beneficiary, indicating the area where the hunting activity will take place.

The application must also include:

• A certified copy of the I.D. or passport for national or foreign hunters.
• Two recent passport-type photographs of the applicant
• Nationality and official residence of the applicant
• Full name, date and place of birth of the bearer
• Certified copy of the professional hunting licence issued by the authorities of the country of origin in the particular ( case of an application for a licence as a hunting guide)

The conditions for obtaining the hunting licence are as follows:

• To be older than 18 years of age
• To be mentally fit and not suffer from any physical deficiency that might compromise the safety of hunting activities
• A declaration by the applicant to the effect that he is not conditioned by any legal disposition or judicial decisions to exercise hunting activities or to hold a firearm licence.

The cost of the licence is 772,80 Mtn (772.800,00 Mt).

The period and the place of hunting according to 46 article nº Regulation of the Law of Forest and Wild Fauna - Decree 12/2002, of 6 of June, establishes that:

• The hunting season calendar and respective quotas in each province will be approved on yearly basis as established by a joint diploma issued by the Ministries of Agriculture and Tourism
• According to the present regulations the normal closed season is from 1st of October to the 31 of March
• It is up to the Ministers of Agriculture and Tourism to determine by joint Ministerial Decree, the imposition of special closed seasons for particular areas or species whenever called for, for technical reasons.

For the present year the open season will be from the 1st of June to the 30th of November.

The table below indicates the quotas allowed per species as provided for under Clause 1 of Article 100 of Law nº. 10/99 of the 7th of July.