Maputo Special Reserve (6685)
Mozambique, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, B1
Year of last assessment: 2020
National site name: Reserva Especial de Maputo
Central coordinates: Latitude: -26.3794, Longitude: 32.7532
System: terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 1039.69653
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Covering an area of about 1039 km2 the proposed KBA encompasses the whole Maputo Special Reserve (MSR) including the Futi Corridor. The MSR is in the Matutuine district of Maputo Province, southern Mozambique. Its borders are: Maputo Bay in the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, the Maputo River, Futi River and a 2 km east line from the Salamanga-Ponta do Ouro Road to the west, and the southern end of the Xingute and Piti in the south. This protected area lies within the Maputaland Centre of Endemism, an area running through north-east KwaZulu-Natal to eastern Eswatin and southernmost Mozambique, which is believed to hold about 2500 endemic plant species or infraspecific taxa (Van Wyk, 1996). The climate is characterized by a warm and rainy season (from October to March, with temperatures ranging from 26 to 30ºC) and a cold and dry season (from April to September, with temperatures ranging from 14 to 26ºC). The annual average rainfall is between 690-1000 mm (de Boer and Ntumi, 2001). The soils are sandy, with low nutrient content except along the Futi River and Maputo floodplain, where the soils are alluvial, with clay and organic matter and are generally fertile (De Boer and Ntumi, 2001). The soils are mainly Aeolian sand deposits of marine origin, which rest on an undulating impermeable Cretaceous siltstone floor. The undulating sand ridges are interspersed with depressions that can have a higher clay content (Parker and de Boer, 2000). According to DNAC (2010), the vegetation of the MSR is characterized by a unique mosaic of varied ecosystems including: mangroves, dune vegetation, wooded grasslands, sand forest-woodland mosaic, sand forest, savannah and riverine vegetation.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. The Maputo Special Reserve is within the Tongonland-Pondoland regional mosaic which has been regarded as a global hotspot. The van Wyk’s Maputaland Centre of Endemism is in fact a subdivision of the broader Tongoland-Pondoland region. This site is, therefore, at a transition area between the tropical and temperate zone but it shows solid links to the tropical vegetation of the eastern Africa sensu Clarke (1998) stretching from Inhambane to Somalia. Some Lagoons within the MSR including Satine, Piti, Chingute, Mandejene/Pandejene and Tzembezanhe have been regarded as RAMSAR sites (Couto, et al., 2019). Moreover, the MSR together with the Ponta do Ouro Marine Partial Reserve was identified as potential World Heritage Site which will help to strengthen national and international recognition of the importance of these areas (Couto et al., 2019). MSR is also an integral part of the Libombos cross-border conservation area which includes the Futi corridor that connects with the Tembe and Ndumo game reserve in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa (Ntela, 2013). The Maputo Special Reserve is home to at least four species across plants, insects and freshwater fish taxonomic groups that have met the KBA thresholds. The KBA trigger species include one plants species, Sclerochiton apiculatus (VU); two range restricted insects species, Amblyphymus adspersus (NT) and Scarabaeus bornemizzai (NT), and one endangered freshwater fish species: Silhouettea sibayi (EN) which is a very range restricted species with an area of occupancy (AOO) about 16 km2, which is experiencing decline in habitat quality across its known range. This site is also particularly rich in avifauna therefore, MSR has already been recognized as Important Bird Area (IBA-MZ001) by Parker (2001) due to the occurrence of some key species such Gyps coprotheres (EN), Zoothera guttata (EN), Circaetus fasciolatus (NT), Nectarinia neergaard (NT). The extensive marshes and flooded grasslands hold notable numbers of rails/crakes and other marshland species, including Balearica regulorum (EN) and Turnix hottentota, while the lakes support large numbers of waterbirds on an irregular basis (Parker, 2001). The site also hosts threatened mammal’s species that are facing population decline, such as hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious - VU), giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis VU) and elephants (Loxodonta Africana - VU). The impact of human activity in the area has been generally mild, and much of the reserve is pristine. Between 500 and 1,300 inhabitants practice agriculture and fishing, under the control of reserve authorities (Parker, 2001). However, parts of the site is under pressure from certain activities that affect the trigger species, such as deforestation, caused by firewood and coal and precious timber harvesting , causing destruction to the ecosystems; lack of control over the harvesting of food and medicinal plants threatening the population of certain species. In summary, the proposed site has the potential to protect globally important population of multiple species as well as a variety of locally important biodiversity elements, for that reason the Maputo Special Reserve should be recognized as a Key Biodiversity Area.
Delineation rationale: The boundary delineation followed the existing borders of the MSR including Futi corridor.
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 83 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 2 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 2 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 4 | |
| Shrubland | 3 | |
| Grassland | 6 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Wood & pulp plantations | Agro-industry plantations | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases | Named species | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Wood & pulp plantations | Scale Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Shifting agriculture | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Only in the future | |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Only in the future | |
| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Ongoing | |
| Transportation & service corridors | Shipping lanes | Only in the future | |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Unknown |