Page 6 - Mozambique Report

The Republic of Mozambique

Key country indicators
Location Population 28,000,000

Mozambique is located along the southern coast GDP
Country Profile
of and has the third longest coastline in the East GNI
African region. Its total population is estimated Total land area 786,000 km 2
at about 25.7 million in 2015. The country’s
total surface area is 786,000 km , the coastline Length of coastline 2,470 km
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The Republic of Mozambique
measures an area of 2470 km and the total Exclusive Economic Zone
continental shelf area is about 104,300 km long Continental shelf 104,300 km 2
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(CIA, 2013) (Hoguane and Pereira, 2003) (World Mangrove 2,909 km 2
Bank Group, 2017). The country is divided Coral reef 1,860 km 2
ecologically into the swamp coast, the parabolic
dune coast and the delta coast. Marine protected area %18 of territorial water

Source: (World Bank, 2017)
Marine resources
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Mozambique has 100,000 km of marine waters and possess abundant marine and freshwater fishery
resources. The Mozambique has an exclusive economic zone, which stretches 200 nautical miles
from the coastline and 13,000 km of inland waters (Transtec, 2013). Mozambique imposes national
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legislation over its EEZ for the preservation of the marine environment and scientific research. The
economy of Mozambique is boosted mainly by the activities in Sofala Bank and Maputo Bay and
Beira, which are highly productive in terms of agriculture and fisheries activities.

Ecosystem management and conservation
The challenge

Coastal ecosystems are being degraded under pressure from growing populations with their demands
for resources including land for food and settlements.

The situation
Biodiversity

Mozambique coastline is very important and supports a number of marine ecosystems such
coral reefs, mangrove forest, seagrasses, bays, sand dunes, estuaries, coastal rivers, banks and
lakes, marine weed and swamps which support pristine ecosystem, high biological diversity, high
endemism, and endangered species. These all provide a number of ecosystem goods and services
including habitat, shelter and food for a number of marine organisms, nursery areas for juvenile
fish and invertebrates provide resources for many communities along the coast and providing
attractions tourists and eco-tourism activities to the Mozambican coastline. The ecosystem goods
and services that these habitats provide were valued by UNEP/Nairobi Convention (2008), based
on Costanza et al. (1997).

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