Mozambique, Brazil and Portugal joined forces today in a photographic exhibition depicting Mozambican fauna. The exhibition is being held in Maputo, the Mozambican capital, with the aim of showing that "all animals have a role to play in nature conservation".

Called "Bichos de Cá, Bichos de Lá", the exhibition is alluding to World Environment Day, which is being celebrated today. At the Port of Maputo Gallery, the initiative displays animals such as the lion, hyena, giraffe and impala found in the Mozambican forest, the mountain goat found in the Peneda-Gerês National Park (Portugal), as well as the Brazilian jaguar and capybara.

The exhibition will last a month and is the result of partnerships between public and private institutions in Mozambique, Portugal and Brazil and is sponsored by the Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC).

The environmental activist and former director of the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) emphasized that in Mozambique "all animals have a role [in conservation], all animals are part of a life cycle, a food cycle".

According to Anabela Rodrigues, quoted by Lusa, the protection of wildlife species is fundamental for the balance of ecosystems and for the economy of countries, which requires stronger action for animal conservation. For this reason, "the victory of conservation will depend on us changing our consumption habits and the way we produce what we need".

"Older people have already settled in, they've already got used to" certain routines that are harmful to the environment. Young people have the role of educating themselves and putting pressure on their families to change their behavior in the face of climate change," he stressed.