Mission Blue has declared the Inhambane Seascape, Mozambique, a Hope Spot in recognition of the spatial planning work being done in the area to develop a network of marine protected areas (MPA) in the surrounding waters.
Founded by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue is a global coalition to inspire an upwelling of public awareness, access, and support for a worldwide network of marine protected areas.
These are referred to as Hope Spots.
Mozambique in Southern Africa has a long Indian Ocean coastline dotted with popular beaches like Tofo, as well as offshore marine parks.
In the Quirimbas Archipelago, a 250km stretch of coral islands, mangrove-covered Ibo Island has colonial-era ruins surviving from a period of Portuguese rule.
Mozambique has already taken significant actions to safeguard the rich, highly important life along the coastline.
The coastline of the Inhambane Province in southern Mozambique is well-known around the world for its thriving biodiversity.
The area is rated by the IUCN as a globally outstanding marine conservation area and acknowledged as a potential World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
It is a wild and expansive area that holds immense ecological value, extraordinary beauty, and incalculable natural heritage.
A plethora of large iconic marine megafauna species live off the shore of southern Mozambique.
The Inhambane Seascape is described as an important region in Africa for creatures like manta rays, dugong, and critically endangered wedgefish species.
Five species of sea turtles use provincial waters or nest along its shores and a number of rare and understudied species also inhabit coastal waters, particularly sharks and rays.
The Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, in the north of the Province, was the first MPA in Mozambique.
The Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary followed, providing an important buffer for the park and
protecting a key estuary and mangrove system as well as reefs along the San Sebastian Peninsula.
Now a new, even larger area of protection is being developed off Pomene, in the centre of the province, directly to the south of the existing protected areas.
Other northern and eastern extensions of the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park and the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary are also being considered to respond to the needs of the threatened species these protected areas are charged with protecting.
The Marine Megafauna Foundation (MMF) was created in 2009 to research, protect, and conserve
populations of threatened marine megafauna around the world.
Megafauna are large iconic marine species such as sharks, rays, and sea turtles.
Useful links
www.mission-blue.org/hope-spots
www.marinemegafauna.org