Tanga South (6999)
Tanzania, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2009

National site name: Tanga South

Central coordinates: Latitude: -5.2500, Longitude: 39.0667

System: freshwater, marine, terrestrial

Area of KBA (km²): 22.69489

Protected area coverage (%): 1.29

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The southern boundary of this coastal site, to the south of the town of Tanga, is formed by an extensive area of mangroves in relatively good condition. On the landward side of the site, a line 200 m above the high-tide mark is taken as the IBA boundary, as development in this zone would affect the mangroves and intertidal areas. The site includes saltpans at Mwarongo, which are relatively undisturbed and abut an area of Avicennia mangrove. The sand-spit on the mouth of the Kione river changes shape and size annually.

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.

Additional biodiversity: See Box for key species. Bird counts have only been conducted for part of the site, in 1995. The saltpans are potentially important feeding and roosting sites. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

Delineation rationale: 2009-10-01 (Leanne Miller): Per instructions from D. Knox in October 2009, five neighbouring KBAs have been merged into Tanga South (SitRecID 6999): Tanga (Duga), Tanga (Gombero Forest Reserve), Tanga (Morongo), Tanga (Nyamaku) and Tanga (Pangani) (SitRecIDs 22411-22415).

Habitats

Land use: forestry | urban/industrial/transport

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest	100

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Levels of exploitation of the mangrove will rise as local human populations increase. An IUCN coastal management project is seeking to address these concerns.

Additional information