Mangroves occur along almost the entire coast of Mozambique mostly in sheltered shorelines and estuaries. A total of 396,080 ha of mangroves occur in the entire country .  Population growth in coastal regions, associated with the development in tourism has continued to increase the rate of mangrove depletion. The northern sector has numerous islands (including the Quirimbas archipelago) that provide protected coastlines suitable for mangroves. Here, the topography is highly indented, the coastal plain is narrow, the rivers are not tidal and mangrove forests are mostly confined to the vicinities of their mouths.



 The central sector has extensive and well established mangroves because of the alluvium and freshwater discharge. The estuaries of big rivers such as the Zambezi, Púnguè, Buzi and Save are all in the central part of Mozambique. The mangroves of the Zambezi delta extend 50km inland. This mangrove zone is continuous from the south up to Quelimane covering close to 180 km of coastline. Maputo bay with its four main river inlets in the bay is one of the major mangrove areas in southern Mozambique .  Clearance for agriculture (mainly to pave way for rice fields) and salt production. Uncontrolled influx of people from mainland to the coast leading to increased overexploitation of mangroves (Barbosa et al. 2001).

 In order to improve the marine aquaculture in Mozambique, the government created the Instituto Nacional de Desenvolvimento da Aquacultura (INAQUA). This institution has been identifying potential areas for aquaculture development in Mozambique. At the moment there are no negative impacts of aquaculture on the mangroves that have been identified in Mozambique.  seagrass beds Seagrass beds are a common habitat especially in the South and North of the country. 

Seagrasses occur in areas of gentle slope and protected conditions, forming homogeneous beds. In some cases, associated with corals reefs and algae beds. The main species are Cymodocea rotundata, Cymodocea serrulata, Halodule minor, Halodule uninervis, Halodule wrightii, Halophila ovalis, Halophila stipulacea, Syringodium isoetifolium, Thalassodendron ciliatum, Thalassia hemprichii, Nanozostera capensis and Enhalus acoroides. The main threats to seagrasses are beach seining, trampling and sedimentation.


 In general, the major issues are loss and modification of the ecosystems and habitats due to overexploitation, use of inappropriate harvesting practices, unplanned settlements and urban expansion. The mangroves, seagrass beds and corals are experiencing various levels of threats. Most of the threats are anthropogenic. 

The impacts of global climate change on coral reefs is an important issue. The El Nino of 1997 bleached corals in 90% of the Mozambique (Schleyer et al. 1999). The most affected reefs were those found in the north and the effects diminished considerably further south except at Inhaca Island. A collapse of coral reef structure on the seriously bleached reefs is expected in future. The fish populations on the damaged reefs, the basis of many of Mozambique’s valuable artisanal fisheries, will be seriously affected in future. 

The interactions within and between ecosystems are complex and require a multidisciplinary approach. There is a need to conduct regular surveys in order to monitor the dynamics of the status and distribution of habitats, and determine the sustainable levels of exploitation. There is also a need to conduct research towards alternative livelihood activities and on the environmentally friendly fishing gears in order to reduce pressure on the ecosystems. There is also a need to develop sound integrated resource management strategies that will take into consideration ecosystem based approaches. There is a need to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems such as coastal dunes, corals, mangroves and seagrass beds. The capacity in this regard is limited. 


There is no information on the productivity of mangroves in Mozambique. It is however appreciated that ecologically, mangroves play an important role as nursery and feeding grounds of many important commercial species of fish and crustaceans. Mangroves also provide a natural barrier for the prevention of coastal erosion.  The productivity of mangroves is affected by deforestation which is a serious problem in urban centers such as Maputo and Beira.


The vicinity of the cities of Maputo and Beira have the highest rates of deforestation.

In Mozambique, coral reefs support 70% of artisanal fish catches (Schleyer et al. 1999) and provide a hugely important nursery ground for many species of commercially important marine species. The reefs in protected areas of Mozambique (e.g Lighthouse Reef – Bazaruto, Barreira Vermelha and Ponta Torres – Inhaca Island) or with limited accessibility (e.g Ponta Maunhane – Pemba), are in much better condition. They have higher values of coral cover, fish abundance and diversity and presence of fish of all size classes than reefs that are freely exploited.


The major threats to the productivity of reefs include global warming, sedimentation, pollution, use of destructive fishing practices and trampling. Several steps have been taken to protect coral reefs. These include monitoring reef recovery at bleaching and COTS sites and development of a management plan. This demands capacity building and financial resources (Schleyer et al. 1999).