Mida Creek - Malindi

From north of the Sabaki River Delta, including Malindi Bay, to Mida Creek in the south. The site extends to the 200 m isobath and includes Watamu and Malindi Banks. The total area of this site is approximately 1,560 km squared.

Description

The area includes the Sabaki River Delta and its associated dunes, springs and marshes and Mida Creek itself. There is an extensive fringing reef running from Malindi south to Watamu, with the offshore banks located close to the edge of the continental shelf. The
Tana River Delta has extensive mangrove formations, with the Mida Creek mangroves fed by groundwater. Seven of the nine mangrove species described in Kenya are present in Mida Creek and occupy a total area of approximately 17 km2. There is high species richness of corals (>60 genera) and seagrass, and bird diversity is high (37 species of seabirds). The area provides important habitat for turtles, birds (including flamingos), finfish and crustaceans, notably penaeid prawns. In addition to turtles, other species of special concern include whale sharks, the Malindi herring and billfish. A single coelacanth was caught from the area at depths of 185 m in 2001 (see De Vos & Oyugi, 2002).

Contacts

KWS, KESCOM and KMFRI.

Conservation Status

Generally of high quality but some areas are partially degraded as a result of high fishing pressure and from siltation derived from the Sabaki River. Only a small part of the shallow water marine areas are under protective management through the Malindi and Watamu Marine Parks and their associated Marine National Reserves administered by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). The component ecosystems are adapted to disturbance, for example coral communities are adapted to sedimentation from Sabaki in the Malindi area. It has been recorded that there is a faster rate of recovery of corals within protected areas, e.g. Malindi and Watamu Marine Parks.

Summary of threats and information needs

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