Rufiji - Mafia Complex
 From the northern end of the Rufiji delta, east to
include Mafia Island and south to include the Songo-
Songo Archipelago and Kilwa Masoko. The area
includes the entire drainage basin of the Rufiji River
and the associated mangrove forest extending west
to Ndundu village (about 25 km inland). The total
area of this site is approximately 9,490 km squared.
Description
The Rufiji-Mafia Complex includes the
largest single block of mangrove forest inEast Africa (532
km squared), but there are also extensive fringing reefs and
patch reefs, and extensive inter- and subtidal seagrass
beds as well as algae beds between reef patches.
Consequently, there is high habitat and species diversity,
supporting an abundance of top predators, including
crocodiles. The coral reef habitat is extensive and very
diverse with over 350 species of fish, 45 hard coral
genera, 140 species of algae, and 12 species of seagrass recorded from the area. The site is important for crustaceans,
notably mangrove crabs and penaeid prawns (and coconut crabs on uninhabited islets), as well as for fish, and for
turtles of which five species have been recorded. Several endemic plants, amphibians and insects exist on Mafia
Island, as do hippopotami. The latter are common in the Rufiji delta. The area provides nesting and feeding sites for
shorebirds, including Goliath herons, Pink-backed pelicans. Two coelacanth have been caught between September
2003 and March 2004 off Songa Mnara Island near Kilwa (Marine Parks and Reserves Unit, in litt.).
Contacts
Zoology and Marine Biology Department, University of Dar es Salaam; IMS, University of Dar es Salaam;
Marine Parks and Reserves Unit; Mafia Island Marine Park; Rufiji Environment Management Programme; Fisheries
Division; Forestry Division; IUCN-EARO (Nairobi); Prawn Trawlers Association; and Songas.
Conservation Status
Two decades of dynamite fishing up to 1998, a longer history of coral mining for lime
production, and extensive coral bleaching in 1998 has left a legacy of damage to the marine environment. Increasing
fishing pressure has compounded this situation, in particular through the use of small-mesh seine nets that remove
juvenile fish and damage seabed habitats. The principal resource management activity in the complex is the Mafia
Island Marine Park (MIMP), established in 1995. MIMP encompasses approximately 820 km2 of the southern part of
the archipelago of Mafia Island and is densely populated, with approximately 10,000 people residing within the
boundary and another 8,000 residing on its boundary. It is a multiple-use marine park administered by the Marine
Parks and Reserves Unit of Tanzania, in collaboration with local communities, and has received support from WWF,
DFID and NORAD. Management activities are presented in the General Management Plan (2000) and include
zonation of the park into different use-type zones, mangrove rehabilitation programmes, alternative livelihood
development and gear-exchange programmes. There are also a number of small forest reserves in the delta area but
no other substantive management in other areas of this complex. However, the Rufiji Delta is being considered for
designation as a Ramsar site and there could be developments for protective management of the southernmost part
around Kilwa. The Rufiji Delta and Songo Songo Archipelago are very large, undeveloped and unmanaged areas yet
with significant rural populations.
Summary of threats and information needs
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