The project is based at ?Aldeia dos Antigos Combatentes?, in Boane district of Maputo province. It is a community of war veterans, illiterate marginalized groups with limited subsistence means and basic social services. The area is very rich in biodiversity and a high potential wildlife area. It is in the junction between Mozambique, Swaziland, and South Africa, within the Lebombo Mountains range that establishes a natural border between these countries. The area is crossed by various river systems with relevance to the Umbeluzi River that supplies the entire Maputo city.

The area faces accentuated deforestation, pollution of the Umbeluzi river waters, and soil degradation. The main reasons are activities like inadequate farming practices, washings and offtake of drinking water from the river, offtake of forest resources for household supply and commercial income generation activities (most of harvested forest resources, and crop products are to supply Maputo city). The increasing human population growth and the high concentration of household farmers adjacent to the river systems are also contributing to this disaster.

The project is a result of a participative rural appraisal and will be carried over by the community of war veterans themselves. It intends to intervene to address the above-referred problems by promoting basic social services through community organization. It will also undertake activities that will promote environmental conservation by rehabilitating degraded forests, promoting soil and wildlife conservation. Sound use and management practices will be highlighted for the Umbeluzi River, limiting water pollution, and riverbed degradation. Project sustainability will be achieved by establishing alternative subsistence activities that will also contribute for income generation.