ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses several cases of dune afforestation in Mozambique, where the Portuguese introduced the practice in the twentieth century to protect the city of Beira, stabilize the mouth of the Limpopo River, and safeguard the country’s lighthouses. In addition to evidencing the specificity of the Mozambican case, this chapter integrates this history into the spatial and historical context of the Indian Ocean and traces its many linkages with different regions within that world. The case of South Africa is included to highlight how the Portuguese and the British empires were part of the same broad transoceanic eco-cultural transfer of experts, know-how, and plant species. This chapter concludes by discussing the current situation of coastal forests and the legacy of the dune interventions in Mozambique.
