With over 100 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of proven reserves, and likely more, there is little doubt this will drive the growth of the north of Mozambique. This growth will undoubtedly have an impact on the marine ecosystems, so it is critical to advance work on the protection policies, spatial planning and education required to effectively conserve the marine assets along the coral coast. Of particular importance is putting in place an extension of the Quirimbas MPA north through the border with Tanzania, as proposed by Salamao Bandeira in 2007 as the Rovuma/Palma National Reserve and a trans frontier connection with Mnazi BayRuvuma Estuary Marine Park in Tanzania.
The risk from a rapid increase of economic activity and associated population growth around the extractive industry centers, could directly threaten significant marine biodiversity in these areas. Key coastal zone issues include unmanaged coastal development, in particular illegal tourism operations; unclear user rights; overfishing, loss of supporting coastal ecosystems such as mangroves; lack of community involvement in decisionmaking and management; limited investment in alternative income earning opportunities for local communities; breakdowns of local resource management systems; pressure caused by resettling populations; weak institutional and limited financial capacity to manage coastal resources; an unclear legal framework governing certain marine and coastal resources; and overlaps and gaps in institutional mandates and jurisdictions.
These offshore sites have undergone extensive environmental impact studies and have risk mitigation and emergency plans in place. For the studies we have seen, drilling is in deep water, typically 200 meters (656 feet), but as deep at 1,800 meters (5,900 feet).125 At these depths, deep-sea habitats remain understudied and poorly understood, so the impact that oil and gas operations are likely to have on ecosystems and the wider functioning of the ocean systems is unclear. It is planned that for some operations, gas will be transported from wells via submerged pipelines to onshore processing facilities.
There is some impact on the seafloor-dwelling organisms and microorganisms, but much more needs to be done to study the impact on these ecosystems. In areas where scans of the deep seabed can identify marine activity, oftentimes they can be avoided during drilling and construction. Because of the depths, seagrasses, mangroves and some corals are not found - typically only mud and sand are found at these depths, though in some areas at depths of 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) and around thermal vents and canyons, researchers have found giant clams, octopuses, crabs, and tube worms. And fish, such as the slime head fish, which can live to 250 years, live at these depths, as do other fish species such as deep roving sharks, eels and octopuses.
The risk from a rapid increase of economic activity and associated population growth around the extractive industry centers, could directly threaten significant marine biodiversity in these areas. Key coastal zone issues include unmanaged coastal development, in particular illegal tourism operations; unclear user rights; overfishing, loss of supporting coastal ecosystems such as mangroves; lack of community involvement in decisionmaking and management; limited investment in alternative income earning opportunities for local communities; breakdowns of local resource management systems; pressure caused by resettling populations; weak institutional and limited financial capacity to manage coastal resources; an unclear legal framework governing certain marine and coastal resources; and overlaps and gaps in institutional mandates and jurisdictions.
These offshore sites have undergone extensive environmental impact studies and have risk mitigation and emergency plans in place. For the studies we have seen, drilling is in deep water, typically 200 meters (656 feet), but as deep at 1,800 meters (5,900 feet). At these depths, deep-sea habitats remain understudied and poorly understood, so the impact that oil and gas operations are likely to have on ecosystems and the wider functioning of the ocean systems is unclear. It is planned that for some operations, gas will be transported from wells via submerged pipelines to onshore processing facilities.
There is some impact on the seafloor-dwelling organisms and microorganisms, but much more needs to be done to study the impact on these ecosystems. In areas where scans of the deep seabed can identify marine activity, oftentimes they can be avoided during drilling and construction. Because of the depths, seagrasses, mangroves and some corals are not found - typically only mud and sand are found at these depths, though in some areas at depths of 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) and around thermal vents and canyons, researchers have found giant clams, octopuses, crabs, and tube worms. And fish, such as the slime head fish, which can live to 250 years, live at these depths, as do other fish species such as deep roving sharks, eels and octopuses.
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