The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

The Annotated Ramsar List: Mozambique

The Annotated Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance

MOZAMBIQUE

The Convention on Wetlands came into force for Mozambique on 3 December 2004. Mozambique presently has 1 site designated as a Wetland of International Importance, with a surface area of 688,000 hectares.

site; date of designation; region, province, state; surface area; coordinates
site; date de désignation; région, province, état; superficie; coordonnées
sitios; fecha de designación; región, provincia, estado; área; coordenadas

Marromeu Complex. 03/08/04; Sofala, Zambezia; 688,000 ha; 18°35'S 035°56'E. Comprising the protected Marromeu Buffalo Reserve (Reserva especial de Marromeu) and four surrounding hunting concessions, this site includes a variety of habitats ranging from Zambezian coastal flooded savanna, coastal dunes, grassland, and freshwater swamps, dambos associated with miombo forest, mangroves, and seagrass beds. It is an important breeding site for the White and Pink-backed pelican, while the mangrove area is important for African fish eagles, egrets, kingfishers, flamingos, waders, cormorants and herons. The Zambezi Delta supports 3-4% of the global Wattled Crane population and may provide critical refuge during extreme regional droughts when more than 30% of the global population may temporarily occur in the Delta. The mangrove crab Scylla serrata and other crustaceans (portunids, etc.) are present and exploited by the local population, while prawns spawning in the delta mangroves are of great economic importance as a source of foreign revenue. The Delta is home to thousands of farmers and fishermen who depend on the floodplain for their livelihoods. The site is most threatened by the cessation of natural flooding processes caused by the management of upstream dams on the Zambezi River as well as by the construction of roads, railways, and flood protection dykes. Ramsar site no. 1391. Most recent RIS information: 2006.

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). Posted 7 September 2004, updated 13 July 2006, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.