Bazaruto National Park
Encyclopedia
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.
and Inhassoro
.
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.
The largest island is Bazaruto Island
and the others are Benguerra
, Margaruque
, Santa Carolina (Paradise Island), Banque and Pansy Shell Island.
They host several endemic terrestrial gastropods and lizards.
They also host important aggregations of Palaearctic migrant water birds.
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.
BANP gives protection to the largest and only remaining viable population of dugong
s in the Western Indian Ocean.
The coral reefs are varied and said to be the least disturbed in this part of the Indian Ocean
.
They are mostly very poor and rely on harvesting natural resources to survive.
70% of households rely on small scale fishing to survive, while others harvest sand oysters and other marine resources, grow crops and raise livestock.
Resources may not be sufficient to maintain the population, leading to decreased catches of fish, reduced harvests and increasing poverty and food insecurity.
As of 2011 the park had five hotels promoting high-value, low-impact programs.
The hotels make an important contribution to the local economy through employment and tax revenues. The World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF) has a program to help the local communities to become more sophisticated in realizing a share of revenues in return for protecting the valuable ecological resources.
Inhambane Province
Inhambane is a province of Mozambique located on the coast in the southern part of the country. It has an area of 68,615 km² and a population of 1.412.349 . The provincial capital is also called Inhambane....
of Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
on the Bazaruto Archipelago
Bazaruto Archipelago
The Bazaruto Archipelago is a group of six islands in Mozambique, near the mainland city of Vilankulo. It comprises the islands of Bazaruto, Benguerra, Magaruque, Banque, Santa Carolina and Shell....
.
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.
Location
The Bazaruto National Park was inaugurated in 1971, an archipelago of six islands off the Mozambican coast between VilankuloVilankulo
Vilankulo is a coastal town in Mozambique, lying in the Vilanculos District of Inhambane Province. Vilankulo is named after local tribal chief Gamala Vilankulo Mukoke, and some of the "bairros" are named after his sons...
and Inhassoro
Inhassoro
Inhassoro is a small fishing port in Inhassoro District of Inhambane Province in Mozambique. The town has about 43,000 inhabitants and is located on the Indian Ocean coast along the EN1 highway....
.
The park was created to protect dugong
Dugong
The dugong is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow , was hunted to extinction in the 18th century...
and marine turtles, and their habitats.
The islands' flora and fauna, coral reefs and marine birds were also included.
The largest island is Bazaruto Island
Bazaruto Island
Bazaruto is a sandy island located approximately southeast of the mouth of the Save River, Mozambique . It is the largest island in the Bazaruto Archipelago and in the Bazaruto National Park....
and the others are Benguerra
Benguerra Island
Benguerra Island in Mozambique is the second largest island in the Bazaruto Archipelago, which broke away from the mainland thousands of years ago. The island is approximately 55 square kilometers , and lies 14km offshore...
, Margaruque
Magaruque Island
Magaruque Island, formerly Ilha Santa Isabel, is part of the Bazaruto Archipelago, off the coast of Mozambique. It is located 5.6 km south of Benguerra Island, and 9.9 km east of Ponta Chuè on the mainland of Mozambique....
, Santa Carolina (Paradise Island), Banque and Pansy Shell Island.
Ecology
The islands have a lush tropical climate and include huge dunes, forest and savannah, inland lakes and wetlands.They host several endemic terrestrial gastropods and lizards.
They also host important aggregations of Palaearctic migrant water birds.
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.
BANP gives protection to the largest and only remaining viable population of dugong
Dugong
The dugong is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow , was hunted to extinction in the 18th century...
s in the Western Indian Ocean.
The coral reefs are varied and said to be the least disturbed in this part of the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
.
People
The archipelago has about 3,500 resident in seven communities.They are mostly very poor and rely on harvesting natural resources to survive.
70% of households rely on small scale fishing to survive, while others harvest sand oysters and other marine resources, grow crops and raise livestock.
Resources may not be sufficient to maintain the population, leading to decreased catches of fish, reduced harvests and increasing poverty and food insecurity.
Conservation and Tourism
The BANP is a popular tourist destination.As of 2011 the park had five hotels promoting high-value, low-impact programs.
The hotels make an important contribution to the local economy through employment and tax revenues. The World Wide Fund for Nature
World Wide Fund for Nature
The World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
(WWF) has a program to help the local communities to become more sophisticated in realizing a share of revenues in return for protecting the valuable ecological resources.