Maputo Bay - Machangulo Complex

The area includes Maputo Bay and Inhaca Island extending inland to Espirito do Santo (Matola) as well as Lake Piti. An area of approximately 4,153 km squared is included in this site.

Description

Maputo Bay is a large shallow bay with one large and four smaller mangrove-lined estuarine systems. To the seaward side of the Bay there are coral reefs that
are also found around Inhaca Island and southwards along the mainland coast. The coastline has extensive beach areas rich in sediments and supporting extensive seagrass beds. Habitat diversity is high with marshes, flooded grasslands and mangroves, and sheltered and exposed coral reefs forming a complex and inter-linked ecosystem driven by the river systems and a local oceanic gyre providing mixing and a large amount of productivity. There is a relatively high amount of endemism in this area including species of soft corals, fish and plants. Soft corals dominate the majority of coral reefs but there are two exceptions, at Ponta Techobanine dominated by hard coral (80% cover), and in the deep exposed spur and groove reefs dominated by gorgonians. The long beaches are important nesting areas for Leatherback and Loggerhead turtles, while approximately 2,500 Humpback whales pass the area during the peak three months of their migration. It is also the northernmost extremity of the migration of the Southern Right whale. The area provides important feeding areas for dugongs, several species of whales, White and Whale sharks as well as
many species of migratory birds (e.g. whimbrel and flamingos).

Contacts

Instituto de Investigacoes Pesqueiras, Mozambique; Universidade Eduardo Mondlane; and Oceanographic Research Institute, Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.

Conservation Status

Domestic and chemical pollution has a slight impact on the inshore Bay areas by but there is little impact on seaward habitats. Part of Inhaca Island forms the Ilhas da Inhaca e dos Portugueses Reserve gazetted under Decree 40040 (1955) with a focus on biodiversity, research and tourism. The UEM administers the Reserve, but no conservation management system exists in other parts of the site.

Summary of threats and information needs

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