Pomene (6689)
Mozambique, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Pomene
Central coordinates: Latitude: -22.9915, Longitude: 35.5543
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 100
Area of KBA (km2): 50.50962
Protected area coverage (%): 98.67
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site consists of the bay of Pomene, the coastline to the south and the adjoining hinterland. The bay consists of intertidal flats surrounded by a large mangrove forest. A slight depression behind the sand-dunes is bordered by a plateau. The dunes are forested, the depression contains marshland and scrubland, and the plateau has forests which are taller and more species-rich than the dune-forests. Much of the plateau forest has been destroyed for subsistence farming. In fact, this type of forest has been cleared along most of the coastal plain between Maputo and the Save river, and the forests of this area represent the largest surviving tract.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. The site is important for coastal forest birds which have declined in the region, and the bay is a wintering ground for large numbers of migratory shorebirds. Regular counts of waterbirds may prove that congregations of some species (e.g. Sterna bengalensis) exceed 1% threshold levels. Morus capensis occurs regularly offshore as a non-breeding winter visitor. Two species of the Zambezian biome have been recorded. Non-bird biodiversity: Not known to BirdLife International.
Delineation rationale: Type 2 marine IBA: non-breeding (coastal) congregations.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | nature conservation and research | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 18 | |
| Forest | 81 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: A nature reserve incorporates the bay and mangrove forest, but not the forests of the hinterland. Clearing of the forest for subsistence agriculture is on-going, and protection of the remaining forest is an urgent priority.
Additional information
References: Clancey (1996), Parker (1999).