BirdLife IBA Factsheet

Country/Territory

Mozambique

Administrative region(s)

Inhambane

Central coordinates

21^o 45' South 35^o 25' East Map

Area

50000 ha

Altitude

0 - 90m

Criteria

A4i, A4iii

Site description The site consists of the islands of Bazaruto, Santa Carolina, Benguerra and Margaruque, and also the San Sebastião peninsula on the mainland. There are high sand-dunes on the eastern side, but the rest of the land area is flat. The most important habitat for birds is the extensive intertidal flats which connect the islands. Vegetation on the islands is mostly scrubby, with a small patch of moderately well developed woodland on Benguerra island. Several freshwater lakes occur on Bazaruto island. The San Sebastião peninsula has well developed woodlands and forest and extensive marshes. The human population is dense on the islands and sparse on the peninsula. Human activities consist of subsistence farming and fishing. There is a well developed infrastructure for tourism.

Birds See Box for key species. The site is an important wintering ground for migratory waders from the Palearctic. For six species of non-breeding waterbird, numbers exceed the 1% population thresholds. The largest congregations in southern Africa of Limosa lapponica (average 4,300 during 1996-1998) and of Dromas ardeola have been observed here. Flocks of Phoenicopterus ruber, which arrive in midwinter, include newly fledged young, and this is an important stop-over site for birds from breeding grounds in Botswana which disperse along the east coast of Africa. The number of waterbirds present during the austral summer regularly exceeds 20,000. The rare Falco eleonorae has been observed and may be a regular non-breeding visitor. The globally near-threatened Anthreptes reichenowi is likely to occur at San Sebastião, although not yet observed there. Rare birds observed in the marshes of San Sebastião include Vanellus crassirostris and Butorides rufiventris. One species of the East African Coast biome occurs, as do two of the Zambezian biome (Table 3).

Conservation issues The Bazaruto National Park encompasses the islands of Benguerra, Margaruque and Bangue. The incorporation of Bazaruto and Santa Carolina islands and the San Sebastião peninsula have been proposed. A programme is in place to empower community guards so as to monitor and control exploitation of marine resources by the resident population throughout the archipelago. Control of the access by tourists and fishermen to the spit at the north end of Bazaruto island, where the greatest congregations of migratory waders occur, has been proposed. Clearing of natural vegetation for agriculture, and overgrazing by goats, are problems which require further control. The present population of the peninsula is too small to impact significantly on the natural environment.

Recommended Citation BirdLife International (2009) Important Bird Area factsheet: Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique. Downloaded from the Data Zone at http://www.birdlife.org on 9/9/2010