The Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park (MBREMP) was established on 1 July 2000 under Act No. 29 of 1994 of Marine Parks and Reserves of

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. The park is in the Mtwara district of Southeast Tanzania and extends to the border with

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. The area is considered to have globally significant marine biodiversity values and covers 650 square kilometres, of which 33% is on land. The park extends from the northern portion of the Ruvuma Estuary to Mnazi Bay, including the headland of Ras Msangamkuu. The environment within the park includes

mangroves A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several ...

, rocky and sandy shoreline, mudflats, salt pans, fringing

coral reefs A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of Colony (biology), colonies of coral polyp (zoology), polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, wh ...

, lagoonal patch reef,

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the orde ...

beds, three islands (Namponda, Mongo and Kisiwa Kidogo) and numerous small rocky islets. The Park is home to nesting grounds for Green and Hawksbill

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...

s, and a number of marine mammals have been seen in the area including migrating

Humpback whales The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hump ...

and the Indopacific

Humpback dolphin Humpback dolphins are members of the genus ''Sousa''. These dolphins are characterized by the conspicuous humps and elongated dorsal fins found on the backs of adults of the species. They are found close to shore along the coast of West Africa ( ...

. A large population of crab-plovers led to the area being designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) in 2001. The area was also once home to

dugongs The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...

but the last confirmed sighting was in 1992, although there have been unconfirmed sightings since.The dugong (Dugong dugon) in Tanzania: A national assessment of status, distribution and threat
. Close to 30,000 people live within the park, depending mainly on marine resources for their livelihoods; the park includes in its boundaries 11 villages and 8 sub-villages. There are few opportunities for development hence poverty is rife. This has created an over dependence on marine resources and the persistent use of destructive fishing methods. Gas was discovered in Mnazi Bay in 1982, and wells were brought into operation in 2006. Gas from the wells is now piped to Mtwara where a gas to power plant provides electricity for the Mtwara and Lindi areas. However, the quantity of gas available is far greater and the wells have now become the focus of plans to supply power to the national grid in an attempt to relieve national power supply problems.

References

External links

Tanzania Marine Parks and Reserves: MNAZI BAYTanzania Marine Parks and Reserves: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTBirdlife International: MNAZI BAYFacts about Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park
{{Authority control Marine parks of Tanzania Protected areas established in 2000 2000 establishments in Tanzania Geography of Mtwara Region East African coral coast Important Bird Areas of Tanzania