Mozambique Marine Research & Conservation Projects

Inhambane Seascape in Mozambique Recognized as Mission Blue Hope Spot

We’re extremely happy that after a huge amount of work by Dr. Andrea Marshall and the MMF team, our ‘spiritual home’ has received major international recognition:

“I particularly want to salute Andrea Marshall and her team at the Marine Megafauna Foundation⁠—they work with so many large creatures that are so important, and so threatened.” – Dr Sylvia Earle

MMF’s marine conservation work in Mozambique

Our main focal region is the Inhambane Province, stretching from the Save River in the north to Zavora in the south, comprising roughly 20% of the Mozambican coastline and encompassing the iconic Bazaruto Seascape. We have authored over 30 peer-reviewed scientific papers on marine life in southern Mozambique, all of which have been disseminated to the government to help support ongoing marine conservation efforts.

Saving Ocean Giants

Our primary objective in Mozambique is to safeguard the globally-significant marine megafauna populations that occur in the Inhambane Province. To accomplish this, we are supporting the development of a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) that protect the coastal movement corridors of migratory species, while encompassing the critical habitats of the animals that call this area home.

Along the way, we aim to improve fisheries sustainability and livelihood opportunities in the Province, build national research and conservation capacity, and support the continuing development of best-practice marine ecotourism.

Creating Sustainable Seas

The Sustainable Seas Project improves marine resource management with a visible reduction in destructive fishing practices and increased commitment to ocean conservation. The project aims to address threats to vulnerable species, reverse the impact of overfishing and help communities protect their valuable natural resources for future generations.

Evidence-Based Conservation

We prioritize studies that can provide rapid answers to pressing conservation questions. We focus our work on threat assessments, population monitoring to detect trends in abundance, and movement ecology to identify important habitats to safeguard. As we lack fundamental information on the biology and ecology of many threatened species, we also seek to fill these knowledge gaps through both field- and lab-based studies.

A major output of our work is global and regional conservation assessments, with our founders both being members of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group, and helping with the development of science-based management for protected areas.

Through formal collaborations with local MPAs, including the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, Vilanculos Wildlife Sanctuary in the Bazaruto Seascape, and the Pomene Special Reserve, as well as ANAC (Mozambican National Administration for Conservation Areas), we are working to ensure that this information is used to guide the design and implementation of national, provincial, and local conservation management plans.  

Creating Ocean Guardians

Ocean Guardians is the educational branch of the Marine Megafauna Foundation in Mozambique. A UNESCO-recognized program, we focus on bringing local communities closer to the ocean, helping them understand why marine conservation and water safety are so important.

Our goal at Ocean Guardians is simple: we want to teach the next generation to love and protect the ocean. We help children and young adults learn about how climate change affects our reefs and fisheries. We encourage them to appreciate our beautiful Mozambican coastline and inspire them to live in ways that are good for their communities, and planet.

Through our program, we're helping create future scientists, professionals, and policymakers who will stand up for our ocean. They'll work hard to tackle the problems that climate change is causing in Mozambique. Together, we believe we can make a big difference for our ocean and our communities.

Marine Research in the Inhambane Province, Mozambique

The Inhambane Province coastline is rated by the IUCN as a Globally Outstanding marine conservation area and recognized as a potential World Heritage Site for UNESCO listing. These waters are an important breeding area for manta rays and humpback whales, a regular migratory corridor for endangered whale sharks and apex predators, including bull sharks, while potentially serving as the only spawning area for black marlin in the Western Indian Ocean.

This coastline was recently declared an Important Marine Mammal Area by an IUCN special task force. Several species of dolphin are present, including the highly threatened humpback dolphin, and the Bazaruto Seascape is home to the last viable population of dugong in Africa. Five species of sea turtles use provincial waters or nest along these shores. A staggering number of rare and understudied species also live along this coastline, particularly sharks and rays. For example, the region likely contains one of the most important habitats for critically endangered rhino rays in Africa.

However, a substantial increase in fishing pressure along this coast, in particular the use of indiscriminate gillnets, has contributed to substantial declines in sightings of manta and devil rays, whale sharks, sea turtles, and dugong. An increase in the use of long-lines and the targeted fishing of apex predators, including bull sharks, brindle bass, and black marlin, are affecting sensitive populations of megafauna that migrate to these waters to feed and breed. In response, an expansive Environmental Protection Area (EPA) has been proposed from the Save River to Zavora and is pending government approval. The EPA has been designed to protect critical habitat for marine megafauna and safeguard key areas for biodiversity.