Bazaruto Archipelago National Park

Last updated
Bazaruto Archipelago National Park
Bazaruto island.jpg
Satellite view of the park
Mozambique relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location in Mozambique
Location Mozambique
Coordinates 21°39′57″S35°27′57″E / 21.665724°S 35.465927°E / -21.665724; 35.465927 Coordinates: 21°39′57″S35°27′57″E / 21.665724°S 35.465927°E / -21.665724; 35.465927
Area1,430 km2 (550 sq mi)
EstablishedMay 25, 1971 (1971-05-25)

The Bazaruto Archipelago National Park (BANP) is a protected area in the Inhambane Province of Mozambique on the Bazaruto Archipelago. The park was proclaimed on 25 May 1971. It is off the coast of the Vilanculos and Inhassoro districts, covering a large expanse of ocean and six islands. [1]

Contents

Location

The Bazaruto National Park was inaugurated in 1971, an archipelago of six islands off the Mozambican coast between Vilankulo and Inhassoro. [2] The park was created to protect dugong and marine turtles, and their habitats. The islands' flora and fauna, coral reefs and marine birds were also included. [1] The largest island is Bazaruto Island and the others are Benguerra, Margaruque, Santa Carolina (Paradise Island), Banque and Pansy Shell Island. [2]

Ecology

The islands have a lush tropical climate and include huge dunes, forest and savannah, inland lakes and wetlands. [3] They host several endemic terrestrial gastropods and lizards, as well as important[ peacock term ] aggregations of Palaearctic migrant water birds. [4] The archipelago is attractive to tourists who are interested in diving or snorkeling. The rich variety of marine life includes humpback whales, marine turtles, spinner, humpback and bottlenose dolphins, marlins and barracudas. [2] BANP gives protection to the largest and only remaining viable population of dugongs in the Western Indian Ocean. [4] The coral reefs are varied and said to be the least disturbed in this part of the Indian Ocean. [3]

People

Dhow and fishermen on Magaruque Island, Mozambique, August 2006 Magaruge Island beach (2006).jpg
Dhow and fishermen on Magaruque Island, Mozambique, August 2006

The archipelago has about 3,500 residents in seven communities. They are mostly very poor and rely on harvesting natural resources to survive. 70% of households rely on small-scale fishing to survive, while others harvest sand oysters and other marine resources, grow crops and raise livestock. Resources may not be sufficient to maintain the population, leading to decreased catches of fish, reduced harvests and increasing poverty and food insecurity. [4]

Conservation and Tourism

The BANP is a popular tourist destination. As of 2011, the park had five hotels promoting high-value, low-impact programs. The hotels make an important contribution to the local economy through employment and tax revenues. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has a program to help the local communities to become more sophisticated in realizing a share of revenues in return for protecting valuable ecological resources. [4]

In December 2017, management of the park passed to African Parks. [5]

Related Research Articles

Philippine Sea Marginal sea east and northeast of the Philippines

The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippine archipelago, occupying an estimated surface area of 5 million square kilometers. The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the sea. Its western border is the first island chain to the west, comprising the Ryukyu Islands in the northwest and Taiwan in the west. Its southwestern border comprises the Philippine islands of Luzon, Catanduanes, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao. Its northern border comprises the Japanese islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyūshū. Its eastern border is the second island chain to the west, comprising the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima in the northeast, the Mariana Islands in the due east, and Halmahera, Palau, Yap and Ulithi in the southeast. Its southern border is Indonesia's Morotai Island.

Comoro Islands Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Africa

The Comoro Islands or Comoros form an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, to the east of Mozambique and northwest of Madagascar. The islands are politically divided between the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign country, and Mayotte, an Overseas Department of France.

Inhassoro Place in Inhambane Province, Mozambique

Inhassoro is a small fishing port in Inhassoro District of Inhambane Province in Mozambique. The town has 11,297 inhabitants and is located on the Indian Ocean coast along the EN1 highway.

Bazaruto Archipelago

The Bazaruto Archipelago is a group of six islands in Mozambique, near the mainland city of Vilankulo. It comprises the islands of Bazaruto, Benguerra, Magaruque, Banque, Santa Carolina and Shell. Nyati Island locates in further south.

Bazaruto Island

Bazaruto is a sandy island located approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) southeast of the mouth of the Save River, Mozambique. It is the largest island in the Bazaruto Archipelago and in the Bazaruto National Park.

Ningaloo Coast Coral reef in Western Australia

The Ningaloo Coast is a World Heritage Site located in the north west coastal region of Western Australia. The 705,015-hectare (1,742,130-acre) heritage-listed area is located approximately 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) north of Perth, along the East Indian Ocean. The distinctive Ningaloo Reef that fringes the Ningaloo Coast is 260 kilometres (160 mi) long and is Australia's largest fringing coral reef and the only large reef positioned very close to a landmass. The Muiron Islands and Cape Farquhar are within this coastal zone.

Inhaca Island

Inhaca Island is a subtropical island of Mozambique off the East African coast. The main village is Inhaca, situated just over a kilometer from Inhaca Airport. Various tourist lodges are situated along the northwestern coastline. The island is flanked by protected areas along the western and eastern coastlines, while the majority of the population lives in the interior.

Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park A marine park in Tanzania

The Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park(MBREMP) was established on 1 July 2000 under Act No. 29 of 1994 of Marine Parks and Reserves of Tanzania.

East African mangroves Mangrove swamps on the Indian Ocean coast of East Africa

The East African mangroves are a mangrove ecoregion consisting of swamps along the Indian Ocean coast of East Africa in Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya and southern Somalia.

Madagascar mangroves Coastal ecoregion in the mangrove forest biome found on the west coast of Madagascar

Madagascar mangroves are a coastal ecoregion in the mangrove forest biome found on the west coast of Madagascar. They are included in the WWF's Global 200 list of most outstanding ecoregions.

Santa Carolina

Santa Carolina is an island between the Mozambican mainland and Bazaruto Island in Mozambique. The closest town is called Inhassoro. It is just 2 by 0.3 miles in size. Santa Carolina is a true rock island with deep channels. Santa Carolina has three beaches with coral reefs close to the shore. The island, also known as Paradise Island is regarded as the ‘gem’ of the islands forming the Bazaruto Archipelago which is a proclaimed marine national park.

The Primeiras and Segundas Archipelago is a chain of 10 sparsely inhabited barrier islands and two coral reef complexes situated in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Mozambique and near the coastal city of Angoche. The islands lie in two groups along the western side of the Mozambique Channel.

Menai Bay Conservation Area

The Menai Bay Conservation Area (MBCA) is located in Menai Bay, Zanzibar Tanzania. At 470 square kilometres (180 sq mi), it is Zanzibar's largest marine protected area. It was officially established as a conservation area in August 1997 in the traditional fishing area, known as Unguja Island, covering the tropical marine environment comprising extensive coral reefs, tropical fish, sea grasses, and mangrove forests. In addition to controlling illegal fishing, MBCA's alternative initiatives have included bee keeping, mangrove replanting, tree nurseries and tourism. The management of the MBCA falls upon the Fisheries Department and the bay's local villages. It is rated by the IUCN as Category VI Managed Resource Protected Area.

Quirimbas National Park

The Quirimbas National Park (QNP) is a protected area in the Cabo Delgado Province of Mozambique, encompassing the southern part of the Quirimbas Islands, as well as a significant mainland area. The mainland region of Taratibua contain various inselbergs.

Mohéli National Park

Mohéli National Park is a national park in the Comoros. It includes marine, coastal, and terrestrial areas on and around the island of Mohéli. The park has an area of 643.62 km2. Established as Mohéli Marine Park on 19 April 2001, it was first protected area in the Comoros. It was redesignated a national park in 2010. In 2015 the park was expanded to include about three-quarters of Mohéli's terrestrial area.

Nosy Ve-Androka National Park

Nosy Ve-Androka National Park is a Protected Marine Area located in the southwestern part of Madagascar, south of Tulear, and 40 km south of the tourist village of Anakao. It lies between latitudes 25 ° 29/25 ° 09 South and longitudes 44 ° 50/45 ° 06 East and covers an area of 92080 ha. It is composed of Core Areas totalling 28,820 ha and Buffer Zones totalling 63,260 ha. The park is made up of eight parcels in two clusters, with part found along the coast adjacent to Tsimanampetsotsa National Park. It includes sections of the rich coral reef system of South West Madagascar in the Mozambique Channel, recognized as the third largest reef system in the world. Diversity of habitats include fringing reefs, barrier reefs, coral reef beds, seagrass area, open sea, rocky coast and sandy beaches. The Nosy Ve-Androka National Park contains about 140 species of coral and 240 species of fish. There are also rare species such as Coelacanths, marine turtle species, Dugongs, Dolphins and Whales and sandy beaches that are used by nesting sea turtles.

The East African coral coast is a marine ecoregion along the eastern coast of Africa. It extends along the coasts of Kenya, Tanzania, and northern Mozambique, from Lamu in Kenya to Angoche in Mozambique. It adjoins the Northern Monsoon Current Coast ecoregion to the north, and the Bight of Sofala/Swamp Coast ecoregion to the south.

Delagoa Marine ecoregion on the eastern coast of southern Africa

Delagoa is a marine ecoregion along the eastern coast of Africa. It extends along the coast of Mozambique and South Africa from the Bazaruto Archipelago to Lake St. Lucia in South Africa in South Africa's Kwazulu-Natal province. It adjoins the Bight of Sofala/Swamp Coast ecoregion to the north, and the Natal ecoregion to the south. It has Africa's southernmost tropical coral reefs and mangrove forests. It is the southernmost Indo-Pacific ecoregion, marking the transition from the tropical Indo-Pacific to Temperate Southern Africa.

The Northern Monsoon Current coast is a marine ecoregion along the eastern coast of Africa. It extends along a portion of the coasts of Somalia and Kenya, from south of Lamu in Kenya to north of Mogadishu in Somalia. It adjoins the Central Somali coast ecoregion to the north, and the East African coral coast ecoregion to the south.

Mayotte Marine Natural Park Marine Park in the Comoro Islands

The Mayotte Marine Natural Park is a marine park surrounding Mayotte, a French overseas region. Mayotte is part of the Comoro Islands archipelago, which lies within the Mozambique Channel in the western Indian Ocean. Established in 2010, the park covers the entirety of Mayotte's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. It is contiguous with the Glorioso Islands Marine Natural Park, which was established two years later.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Bazaruto National Park". Mozambique Ministry of Tourism. Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  2. 1 2 3 "Bazaruto National Park". Go2Africa Pty (Ltd). Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  3. 1 2 "Mozambique Travel Guide to Bazaruto Archipelago". Sitabona. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Community conservation in Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, Mozambique". WWF. Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  5. "Bazaruto". African Parks. Retrieved 21 April 2018.