Great Bazaruto (6688)
Mozambique, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1c, A1d, B1, B2, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2020
National site name: Grande Bazaruto
Central coordinates: Latitude: -21.8445, Longitude: 34.1297
System: marine, terrestrial
Area of KBA (km2): 5236.35761
Protected area coverage (%): 31.85
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The proposed site covers an area about 5236.358Km2 encompassing the Bazaruto Archipelago and the San Sebastian Peninsula, located in Inhambane Province, between the districts of Vilankulo and Inhassoro, Southern Mozambique. Five islands make up the Bazaruto Archipelago. The largest is Bazaruto (12 000 ha), Benguérua (2 500 ha); Magaruque (600 ha); Santa Carolina (500 ha) and the minuscule island of Bangué at about 5 ha. The Bazaruto Archipelago first benefited from some legal protection in 1971, designated as the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park (PNAB), was the first marine National Park in the country, and extended to its current area (1430 km2) in 2001 (Correia et al., 2002 cited by Videira, 2011; Everett et al., 2008). The PNAB is known for its diverse marine habitats including mangrove forests, coastal sand dunes, rocky shores, seagrass meadows, coral reefs, lagoons and white sand beaches. The fauna is rich in biodiversity with 2000 species of fish, 100 species of scleractinian corals, abundant invertebrates, and more than 40 reptile taxa (Langer et al., 2013), several species of whales and dolphins, and the largest population of dugongs in the western Indian Ocean (Guissamulo, 2004; Pereira & Videira, 2009). Five species of sea turtles also occur in the archipelago, of which four are confirmed to nest on their beaches (Pereira & Videira, 2009). The Bazaruto archipelago was formed from the San Sebastian Peninsula about 7 000 years ago (Everett et al., 2008). The San Sebastian Peninsula lies south-east of the town of Vilankulo, forming the mainland extension of the Bazaruto Archipelago (Jacobsen et al., 2010). The Peninsula consists of undulating sandy dunes rising from sea level to 96 m a.s.l (Tinley 1985). The freshwater bodies all lie at sea level or close to it but vary in size and permanence, the largest being up to 1000 ha in extent (van der Walt, pers. comm. cited by Jacobsen et al., 2010). The regional climate is referable to Koppen’s type (Aw) or equatorial dry season type (Tinley 1985). The area is warm and humid with rainfall ranges from 600-800 mm per annum (Jacobsen et al., 2010). The average temperatures in the summer of 30º C and in Winter of 18º C, with an average annual temperature of 24º C (Everett et al., 2008). The San Sebastian Peninsula forms the major portion of the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary (VCWS), which lies along the peninsula between 22.0833 and 22.3500° S, and 35.4005° and 35.5505° E, comprising a land surface area of approximately 22 000 ha (King 1967 cited by Jacobsen et al., 2010). The peninsula is dominated by miombo Woodland interspersed with a diversity of habitats that include wetlands, freshwater lakes, tidal mudflats, salt marshes and mangrove swamps. The marine area includes estuaries, a sand peninsula barrier along the seaward boundary of the Inhambane Estuary, islands, and coral reefs (Lambrechts 2001 cited by Peel, 2002).
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 Bazaruto Archipelago and San Sebastian site is home for at least eight species, both Marine and Terrestrial, that meet the threshold for various Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) criteria. Two reptile’s species with restricted distribution (Lygosoma lanceolatum LC, Scelotes insularis LC), one threatened species reptile (Scelotes duttoni VU) all of which are Endemic species (an endemism considered surprising, owing the islands’ period of isolation from the mainland was too short to allow speciation to occur) and one endangered sea turtle Chelonia mydas (EN), which is threatened by by-catch, illegal targeting and consumption by the local fishermen at the site (Jacobsen et al., 2010). The largest population of dugongs (Dugong dugong VU) in the Western Indian Ocean (Guissamulo, 2004; Pereira & Videira, 2009), and the Bazaruto population probably represents the most viable (and possibly the only viable) population of dugongs in the region. This population needs the strongest conservation priorities and that a dedicated and integrated management plan for dugong conservation in the area is implemented immediately. Such a management plan should address dugong bycatch concerns as a matter of priority (Findlay et al., 2011). The Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea EN), which is a species with a narrow habitat preference, restricted distribution and do not appear very abundant across any part of their range (Braulik et al., 2015). The intense coastal fishing effort is considered to be the main threat to this species, and shark fishery gillnets and trawl nets have incidentally killed dolphins throughout the country (Guissamulo, 2008). Damara Terns (Sterna balaenarum VU) this species have been recently recorded at San Sebastian peninsula. It seems most likely that the birds at San Sebastian represent a local non-breeding population of migrants from the known southern breeding grounds and the ringed and leg flagged birds suggests a link as far as the main core breeding population on the Atlantic coastline (Allport et al. unpublished article). The count of 75 birds which comprises 1.4-3.7% of the global population making the San Sebastian area globally significant for this species. Furthermore, these observations may be indicative of a larger population of this species which migrates further north on the Indian Ocean coast of Africa (Allport et al. unpublished article). The KBA trigger species includes one highly restricted plant species, Jatropha subaequiloba (VU), found only in Bazaruto Island and San Sebastian Peninsula. This site also may hold Memecyclon insulare (CR) known from only two herbarium collections dating from 1958 and 1963 and Ecbolium hastatum (EN) that has not been recorded from this site since 1970. Given the uncertainty of their occurrence inside the proposed site, both species were excluded from this assessment. In addition, extensive areas of critical habitat, such as seagrass meadows and coral reefs, with a rich associated biodiversity thrive within the PNAB. For instance, over a hundred species of hard corals and close to 30 species of soft corals are recorded for Bazaruto (Schleyer & Celliers 2005), while DeFloros et al. (2010) observed at least 249 species of fish. It is also a hotspot for sharks and rays with the occurrence of many shark species such the whale shark Rhincodon typus, but also of the great manta ray. The area is also encompassed in a recently identified wider Important Marine Mammal Area. In light of all the reasons presented above, the proposed site should be designated as a Key Biodiversity Area.
Additional biodiversity: Feeding habitat for Green turtle , Humpback whale, Idian ocean humpback dolphin, indian ocean bottlenose dolphin, Minke Whale
Delineation rationale: The boundaries were delineated first following the limits of existing protected areas then, encompassing know range of the trigger species. The southernmost limit followed the boundaries of the San Sebastien Sanctuary. To the south-east, the boundaries followed those of the Bazaruto National Park. Having reached the northern end of the Bazaruto National Park, the KBA boundary continued northwards following the 50 m contour till the mouth of Save River which was set as the northern limit of this proposed KBA. The northern KBA boundary was delineated encompassing Dugong and Turtle records. To the west, the boundary followed the shoreline to 5 m depth.
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 28 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 10 | |
| Grassland | 37 | |
| Forest | 6 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 16 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water | Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water | Run-off | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Industrial & military effluents | Oil spills | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases | Named species | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Motivation Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Industrial & military effluents | Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Intentional use: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | Only in the future | |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Only in the future | |
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | Ongoing | |
| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | Ongoing | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing | |
| Transportation & service corridors | Shipping lanes | Ongoing |