‘Farewell Roberto Zolho. Your legacy will live on in the forests, parks and reserves of Mozambique’

South African and international conservation groups have paid tribute to Roberto Zolho, a former park warden, planner and biodiversity consultant who played a key role in restoring the forests and wildlife refuges of Mozambique following the devastation caused by decades of civil war.

Zolho, who died on 4 July, began his nature conservation career after completing a diploma in forestry management at the Chimoio Agrarian Institute in Mozambique in 1982.

Thereafter, he studied at the College of African Wildlife Management in Tanzania; the University of Queensland in Australia and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, where he was awarded his MSc. degree for his dissertation on the role of fire in regenerating Miombo woodlands.

Following a lengthy career in government and the private conservation sector, Zolho was awarded Mozambique’s Medal of Merit for the Environment by then President Filipe Nyusi in 2022.

Former South African wildlife ranger and ecology consultant Paul Dutton recalled that Zolho took over the management of the Gorongosa National Park shortly after the signing of a peace accord between Mozambique’s ruling Frelimo party and the Renamo rebel group in the early 1990s.

“Roberto was appointed as administrator (park warden) at a very dangerous time, when there were probably more landmines than animals left in Gorongosa,” said Dutton.

Zolho and Dutton jointly developed a new tourism and conservation master plan for the Bazaruto Archipelago in 1990. Both were founding members of the Game Rangers Association of Africa.

Rhett Butler, head of the Mongabay conservation and environmental science news platform, said Zolho’s most visible legacy was his role in restoring Gorongosa National Park.

“He inherited a landscape where over 90% of large mammals had vanished. Rather than despair, he set about recovery with meticulous care — counting what was left, building systems for what might return. It was his 2005 proposal for species reintroduction that laid the groundwork for one of the most remarkable wildlife restorations in history. By 2025, Gorongosa’s plains were again teeming with tens of thousands of animals.”

Butler said Zolho did not view conservation as “an exercise in nostalgia, nor as a fortress to be built against humanity”. Instead, he believed that biodiversity could only endure if local communities shared in its benefits.

The Mozambican Foundation for Biodiversity Conservation, which Zolho helped to establish, described him as a “man of passion, integrity, generous spirit and tireless defender of nature” who left behind an inspiring legacy of commitment and love for the environmental cause.

“Roberto Zolho leaves physically, but his legacy lives on in the biodiversity he helped preserve, in the policies he helped build, and in the countless professionals he trained and influenced by his example.”

In its tribute, Mozambique’s National Administration of Conservation Areas (Anac) described Zolho as a pioneer who left an indelible mark on the conservation sector.

In addition to his role as administrator of Gorongosa National Park, he had also served as head of the Forestry and Wildlife Service in the province of Sofala; coordinator of the Degraded Land and Forest Landscape Restoration Programme; coordinator of the Selous-Niassa Transfrontier Landscape Programme at WWF-Tanzania (2011–2014); coordinator of the Development and Climate Change Project at the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Mozambique office (2008–2011); and coordinator of the Limpopo Heartland Programme at the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), Southern Africa Regional Office (2007–2008).

“At this time of mourning, Anac and its partners express their deepest condolences to the bereaved family, friends and colleagues, and pay sincere tribute to a man who dedicated his life to the protection of nature and the enhancement of Mozambique’s natural heritage.

“Farewell, Roberto Zolho. Your legacy will live on in the forests, in the parks and reserves and in all those who continue to fight for a greener, fairer and more sustainable future. Your passion and dedication to biodiversity conservation will continue to inspire generations, guiding us in the protection of our natural wealth.”

Zolho leaves his wife, Brit, and three daughters, Hannah, Nyangala, and Adriana. His funeral ceremony was held in Maputo on 9 July. DM