Bazaruto National Park (Parque Nacional)
From Barazuto Archipelago National Park website:
This is the first marine park in Mozambique, created on the recommendation of Dr. Ken Tinley in 1970, by Legislative Diploma No. 46 of May 25, 1971 and revised its limits by Decree No. 39/2001 of November 27. In 2016 the area of the park was revised, with the elaboration of Management Plan 2016 - 2025.
Initially with Legislative Diploma No. 46 of May 25, 1971, the Bazaruto National Park had an area of 600km2 being part of this the Magaruque, Bangué and Benguerua Islands. At this time the Santa Carolina and Bazaruto islands were considered special surveillance zones. In 2001, the boundary was extended from 600 km2 to 1430 km2, covering the Santa Carolina and Bazaruto islands and becoming the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park – BANP.
The park was proclaimed to protect dugongs, sea turtles and their habitats, but for its importance It was also covered the vegetation of the islands, coral reefs, waterfowl and all the fauna of the park. The BANP has one head office and one Annex (Sitone in Bazaruto Island and Chizunguni on the Benguerua Island) and 6 ranger’s posts (Zenguelemo and Ponta Dundo, on the Bazaruto Island, Magaruque in Magaruque Island, Santa Carolina in Santa Carolina Island and two in mainland, Inhassoro and Vilankulo districts).
The BANP is a great important ecological site because it currently has the largest population of dugongs on the West coast of the Indian Ocean, estimated at more than 250 individuals. Of the five species of sea turtles in the BANP, four reproduce in the park beaches. Four species of dolphins abound and yearly the Mink and Right whales pass off the islands. As well as being an important point of stop for migratory birds, more than 180 species of birds occur in the archipelago. Also occurring endangered species of fauna in the continent, such as the vervet monkey, red bush goats, red squirrels, Nile crocodiles and endemic species of gastropods and lizards.
The archipelago incorporates a wide range of marine and terrestrial habitats, including coastal sand dunes with original vegetation, sandy and rock beaches and freshwater lakes. These habitats, along with mangroves, seagrass beds and coral communities, form the basis for a rich and varied wildlife. This is the first marine park in Mozambique, created on the recommendation of Dr. Ken Tinley in 1970, by Legislative Diploma No. 46 of May 25, 1971 and revised its limits by Decree No. 39/2001 of November 27. In 2016 the area of the park was revised, with the elaboration of Management Plan 2016 - 2025.
From Mongabay website:
"The National Administration of Conservation Areas of Mozambique has enlisted the help of the conservation NGO African Parks, which manages more than a dozen protected areas in eight other countries on the continent, to run Bazaruto Archipelago National Park for the next 25 years. The organizations hope the move will jumpstart tourism in the park and help safeguard its resident wildlife, including hundreds of species of birds, reptiles, mammals and fish.
“Bazaruto has the tremendous opportunity to show how a national park can create a conservation-led economy, where the protection and management of wildlife and their habitats not only ecologically restores the park, but can create economic benefits for local communities,” said Peter Fearnhead, the CEO of South Africa-based African Parks, in a statement.
Reef manta rays (Manta alfredi), pictured here in the Maldives, are found along Mozambique’s southern coast. Photo by Shiyam ElkCloner (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.
The government set aside the 1,430-square-kilometer (552-square-mile) reserve in 1971. In an email to African Parks supporters, Fearnhead described Bazaruto as “a critical sanctuary for numerous species of marine megafauna including dolphins, sharks, whales, whale sharks, manta rays and turtles.”
Around 2,000 fish species call the park home, along with some of the last remaining dugongs (Dugong dugon) in the western Indian Ocean, according to African Parks. The dugong, or sea cow, is an IUCN-listed Vulnerable marine mammal.
Despite the presence of unique wildlife, recent threats have jeopardized its potential as a destination for tourists and a lynchpin of the local economy, Fearnhead said in his email. Illegal fishing outfits have moved in, and authorities haven’t been able to control the extraction of natural resources or the spike in “uncontrolled tourism activities.”
From Cashew Bay website:
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Bazaruto Archipelago National Park |
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• Park Restriction Zone, where a park fee apply for any vessile or visitor entering the zone, including day visits to the islands. |
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• No Fish Zone, where only diving and snorkeling is permitted. |
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• Community Zone, where local fishermen are allowed to harvest, with restrictions. |
More Information:
African Parks Assumes Management of First Marine Reserve: Bazaruto Archipelago National Park in Mozambique (press release)
Bazaruto Archipelago: an area of globally outstanding conservation (1 Apr 2015) IUCN blog
Manual sobre a Aplicação da Lei da Conservação
Bazaruto National Park
from wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazaruto_National_Park
The Bazaruto National Park (BANP) is a protected area in the Inhambane Province of Mozambique on the Bazaruto Archipelago . The park was proclaimed on 25 May 1971. It is off the coast of the Vilanculos and Inhassoro districts, covering a large expanse of ocean and six islands. [1]
Location
The Bazaruto National Park was inaugurated in 1971, an archipelago of six islands off the Mozambican coast between Vilankulo and Inhassoro . [2] The park was created to protect dugong and marine turtles, and their habitats. The islands' flora and fauna, coral reefs and marine birds were also included. [1] The largest island is Bazaruto Island and the others are Benguerra , Margaruque , Santa Carolina (Paradise Island), Banque and Pansy Shell Island. [2]
Ecology
The islands have a lush tropical climate and include huge dunes, forest and savannah, inland lakes and wetlands. [3] They host several endemic terrestrial gastropods and lizards. They also host important aggregations of Palaearctic migrant water birds. [4] The archipelago is attractive to tourists who are interested in diving or snorkelling. The rich variety of marine life includes humpback whales, marine turtles, spinner, humpback and bottlenose dolphins, marlins and barracudas. [2] BANP gives protection to the largest and only remaining viable population of dugongs in the Western Indian Ocean. [4] The coral reefs are varied and said to be the least disturbed in this part of the Indian Ocean . [3]
