Coastal Habitats

With 2,770km of coastline, Mozambique has an array of biodiverse marine ecosystems each with very unique characteristics.

Mangroves

At the river deltas there are large areas of mangroves. The mangrove trees can grow up to 30m tall and are invaluable for the bird fauna, as well as providing habitat amongst their roots for juvenile fish, crabs and mollusks. The mangroves are efficient in sequestering carbon from the atmosphere and returning it to plant materials. The Basaruto Archipelago is a unique mangrove system that is also sheltered by the enormous dunes, as well as the fringing coral reefs. Unfortunately, these valuable areas are under threat due to deforestation for timber as well as shrimp cultivation, urban development and agriculture.

Coral Reefs

In September 2012 a report was published claiming that the Mozambique channel coral reefs contained some of the most biodiverse reefs in the world. The most of the Southern and Northern coastline is fringed with coral reefs, and make these areas a hotspot for diving tourism.