Marine & Coastal Conservation in Mozambique (2026)

Last reviewed August 2026. Conservation data changes — see the cited sources for the latest figures.

Mozambique’s Indian Ocean coast links coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangroves, sandy beaches, islands and productive fishing grounds. These habitats support marine wildlife and coastal livelihoods, so conservation is not only about creating protected areas: it is also about maintaining food security, restoring ecosystems and giving coastal communities a meaningful role in decisions about marine resources.

Why marine and coastal conservation matters in Mozambique

The country’s marine conservation priorities span both species and habitats. WCS Mozambique identifies coral reefs, shark and ray habitats, and whale and coastal-dolphin breeding and migration sites as climate-resilient biodiversity priorities. In the Northern Quirimbas Archipelago, Mission Blue reports habitat that includes six mangrove species, ten seagrass species, 259 seaweed species, 160 coral species and 140 mollusc species.

The Bazaruto Archipelago illustrates the value of integrated protection. African Parks describes the park’s combination of sandy shores, coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass meadows, with recorded habitat for more than 180 bird species, 45 reptile species, 16 terrestrial mammal species, 500 marine and coastal mollusc species and 2,000 fish species. The area is also a major tourism destination, making conservation and carefully managed visitor activity closely connected.

Community knowledge is another part of Mozambique’s conservation history. Ocean Revolution Mozambique says its work in Inhambane Bay combines traditional knowledge with marine science, including the revival of Mukhedzisseli, an Indigenous ecological-knowledge system used to guide habitat restoration and stewardship. The organisation’s executive director, António de Sacramento Cabral, describes community organisations as the vehicle through which conservation finance can reach ecosystems and local people.

Marine conservation also has a regional dimension. Mozambique shares the Western Indian Ocean with neighbouring countries, and fisheries, migrating marine animals and ocean conditions do not stop at national boundaries. The FAO and United Nations Environment Programme implement the SWIOFC Nairobi Convention Partnership project across Mozambique, Kenya and Tanzania to strengthen ecosystem-based fisheries management and coordination between fisheries and environmental sectors.

The main threats to Mozambique’s coast and ocean

Unsustainable fishing and pressure on marine resources

Fishing is central to coastal livelihoods, but poorly managed fishing pressure can undermine the same resources on which communities depend. The FAO project in Mozambique focuses on sustainable coastal and marine ecosystems, ecosystem-based fisheries management and improved livelihood opportunities for women and young people in Machanga, Sofala Province, and Moma, Nampula Province.

In northern Nampula, Community Fisheries Councils from Pangane, Geba, Napila, Crusse, Chicoma, Munhoholas, Lunga and Lapuela have presented local results and action plans through the Blue Future platform. These councils represent fishers and connect communities with government and conservation partners. Their involvement matters because restrictions that are not understood, accepted or enforceable locally are unlikely to deliver durable protection.

Illegal fishing and weak enforcement

Law enforcement remains an operational priority in protected areas. When African Parks assumed management of Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, its immediate plans included strengthening enforcement, increasing marine and terrestrial ranger patrols, adding aerial surveillance, improving park infrastructure and concentrating monitoring on key species and habitats.

The available research does not provide a reliable national figure for illegal fishing, marine poaching or arrests in Mozambique in 2026. It is therefore more accurate to describe enforcement capacity as an ongoing conservation requirement rather than attach an unsupported national statistic to the problem. African Parks’ management priorities and WCS’s continuing work on marine conservation areas both indicate that designation, patrols, monitoring and institutional coordination must operate together.

Loss and degradation of mangroves and seagrass

Mangroves and seagrass meadows are important conservation targets in Mozambique’s current programmes. The Blue Future Advisory Committee discussed mangrove and seagrass restoration alongside Community Management Fishing Areas and the proposed Memba-Mossuril Marine Conservation Area. Ocean Revolution Mozambique reports restoring seagrass and mangroves through Mukhedzisseli and advancing plans for two additional Community Management Fishing Areas.

These project reports show active restoration, but they should not be read as proof that national habitat loss has been solved. Restoration takes place against continuing pressures from fishing, coastal development and changing environmental conditions. Mozambique’s conservation planning therefore needs both site-level restoration and wider protection of functioning habitats.

Climate and environmental change

Climate resilience is a stated objective of WCS Mozambique’s Marine Program and of the Maputo Environmental Protection Area programme supported by Peace Parks Foundation and partners. The Maputo programme uses an ecosystem-based adaptation approach intended to strengthen vulnerable coastal communities while conserving marine and coastal ecosystems.

Climate impacts can compound existing pressures: a habitat already affected by extraction or poor management may have less capacity to recover from environmental shocks. Conservation responses consequently include habitat protection, restoration, better fisheries management, scientific monitoring and livelihood diversification rather than relying on a single intervention.

Gaps in knowledge, especially for sharks and rays

A 2026 study in Frontiers in Marine Science analysed two decades of iNaturalist records for elasmobranchs—sharks, rays and related species—along Mozambique’s coast. The authors examined records collected between 2007 and 2025, including species identity, IUCN status and national protection status.

The study’s title identifies spatial biases and conservation gaps in the available citizen-science evidence. That does not mean the animals occur only where records are concentrated; it means that monitoring effort and data quality can be uneven. Better coverage is essential for identifying important habitats, assessing protected-species priorities and making management decisions based on more than isolated observations.

What is being done for marine conservation in Mozambique?

National strategy and area-based protection

At the 2026 Our Ocean Conference, Mozambique presented its National Marine Conservation Strategy and reaffirmed its intention to advance implementation. The strategy is a long-term framework for area-based ocean protection.

The global 30×30 goal—to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030—was a major theme at the conference. Rare’s Rocky Sanchez Tirona, Managing Director of Regional Programs, stressed that effective protection depends on investment in people, institutions, relationships and regional and local leadership, not political commitments alone.

Mozambique’s marine protected-area system includes nationally significant places such as Quirimbas, Bazaruto, Maputo and Pomene. A WCS technical report reviewed eight marine and coastal protected areas in Mozambique, including Quirimbas National Park, Bazaruto Archipelago, the Maputo and First and Second Islands environmental protection areas, Cabo de São Sebastião’s Total Protection Zone, Marromeu National Reserve and Pomene National Reserve.

The Northern Quirimbas Archipelago Environmental Protection Area, declared before the 2026 review period, was described by Mission Blue as a major step for safeguarding the archipelago’s biodiversity. Conservationists and community leaders were continuing efforts to expand protection to Vamizi and the remaining northern islands. The Pemba region is therefore relevant not only for island tourism, but also for conservation planning across the northern archipelago.

Community Management Fishing Areas and local governance

Community-led management is becoming a central theme in Mozambique’s marine policy. WCS’s Blue Future Advisory Committee has considered the status and priorities of Community Management Fishing Areas, results-based payments, restoration initiatives and the proposed Memba-Mossuril Marine Conservation Area.

The participation of Community Fisheries Councils is particularly important. In the northern coastal area of Nampula, councils act as representatives of fishers and a bridge between communities, government and partners. The Blue Future project describes itself as a platform for institutional alignment that places communities at the centre of sustainable marine-resource management.

At the regional level, Rare and its partners launched the Western Indian Ocean LMMA Alliance in 2026. The alliance is intended to unite coastal communities across the region, strengthen locally managed marine areas and support community-led action. João Bento Zampula, District Administrator of Mogincual, Nampula Province, argued that investment must enable communities not only to have a voice but also to take action and improve conservation outcomes.

Science, monitoring and training

Evidence-based management requires local scientific capacity. WCS reported training 29 national technicians from ten public and private institutions in the marine component of its Mozambique work in 2023; 16 trainees were men and 13 were women.

The Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies, an African Ocean Observatory, provides open-access marine science data and research support in the Bazaruto seascape. Its work includes scientific training, dive-based research support and monitoring linked to the five-island Bazaruto seascape, which the organisation describes as spanning 1,430 square kilometres.

Citizen science can complement formal monitoring, but the 2026 elasmobranch study demonstrates why records need careful interpretation. Geographic bias, uneven sampling effort and differences in data quality can leave conservation gaps invisible unless researchers combine public observations with structured surveys and institutional monitoring.

Protected-area management and conservation finance

In Bazaruto, African Parks’ management model combines enforcement and ecological monitoring with community engagement, employment, hospitality training, possible exclusive tourism activities and support for local enterprises. The stated aim is to reduce conservation threats while creating livelihood opportunities and building local support for the park.

In the Maputo Environmental Protection Area, Peace Parks Foundation and ADRA Germany received a €5.9 million Blue Action Fund grant in 2023. The five-year programme supports ecosystem-based adaptation, coastal livelihoods and conservation in partnership with Mozambique’s National Administration of Conservation Areas, or ANAC. Local implementing partners include ADRA Mozambique, Associação do Meio Ambiente, Livaningo and Centro Terra Viva.

Funding remains a structural challenge. Rare’s 2026 conference message was that 30×30 will require sustained investment in local governments, frontline communities and conservation organisations. António de Sacramento Cabral likewise argued that funding should reach communities and local organisations directly, rather than treating them only as beneficiaries of externally designed projects.

Community livelihoods and the role of tourism

Coastal conservation is more durable when it supports people who depend on marine resources. The SWIOFC Nairobi Convention Partnership project is designed to improve livelihood options for women and young people in Machanga and Moma, while the Maputo programme includes fisheries management, aquaculture, beekeeping and other livelihood activities.

Tourism can contribute through park fees, conservation partnerships, local employment, hospitality training and carefully managed activities. In Bazaruto, African Parks identifies tourism-related enterprise development and employment as part of its community strategy. Travellers visiting Tofo, the Bazaruto islands or other coastal destinations should nevertheless distinguish between a trip that simply takes place in a protected landscape and one that transparently contributes to conservation and local livelihoods.

Safari tourism is not a substitute for public funding, effective fisheries governance or community rights. It is one potential revenue and awareness stream, and its benefits depend on where money goes, who is employed, how activities are regulated and whether local communities help shape tourism decisions. SafariFind’s guide to how safari tourism funds conservation in Mozambique provides further context on that relationship.

Results and setbacks: an honest assessment in 2026

Area	Progress reported	What remains unresolved
National policy	Mozambique presented its National Marine Conservation Strategy in 2026.	Implementation requires sustained finance, local leadership and institutional capacity.
Community management	Community Fisheries Councils are participating in planning, and the Western Indian Ocean LMMA Alliance has been launched.	Community structures need authority, resources and coordination to convert participation into durable management.
Habitat restoration	Ocean Revolution Mozambique reports seagrass and mangrove restoration linked to traditional ecological knowledge.	Restoration must be maintained and paired with measures that reduce continuing pressure on habitats.
Protected-area management	African Parks planned stronger patrols, aerial surveillance, monitoring and community livelihood support in Bazaruto.	Enforcement, infrastructure and long-term financing remain management priorities.
Marine science	WCS trained national technicians, while BCSS provides open-access data and research support.	Elasmobranch records still show spatial bias and conservation gaps.

The overall picture is neither a conservation failure nor a completed success story. Mozambique has a stronger policy conversation, active community institutions, new regional cooperation and substantial site-based work. At the same time, effective protection depends on turning strategies and designations into adequately financed, locally legitimate and scientifically monitored management.

How travellers can help responsibly

• Choose operators that explain their conservation model. Ask whether park fees, conservation levies or community payments are clearly identified and where they go.
• Support locally rooted businesses. Community-owned accommodation, guides, fisheries initiatives and locally staffed tourism enterprises can help keep economic benefits near coastal communities.
• Respect marine wildlife and habitats. Do not touch corals or animals, collect shells, anchor on sensitive habitat or encourage operators to approach wildlife aggressively.
• Follow fishing and protected-area rules. Regulations are part of conservation management, not an optional inconvenience.
• Reduce pressure on coastal ecosystems. Limit single-use plastics, conserve water and avoid purchasing marine wildlife products.
• Ask about evidence. Responsible operators should be able to describe the park authority, community partners or research organisations connected to their activities without making vague impact claims.

Travellers can book conservation-supporting safaris on SafariFind, including trips that combine Mozambique’s coastal landscapes with wildlife experiences elsewhere in the country. For wider context on habitat protection, read Wildlife Corridors & Habitats in Mozambique. The most responsible choice is a trip that treats communities as partners, wildlife as more than an attraction and conservation as a long-term obligation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the current status of marine conservation in Mozambique in 2026?

Mozambique is implementing a more integrated marine-conservation approach through its National Marine Conservation Strategy, marine protected areas, community-managed fishing areas and regional partnerships. Effective enforcement, monitoring, community leadership and long-term finance remain ongoing challenges.

What are the biggest threats to Mozambique’s coastal ecosystems?

The main challenges are pressure on fisheries, illegal or poorly controlled resource use, degradation of mangroves and seagrass, climate-related pressures, and gaps in scientific and enforcement capacity.

Which organisations work on marine conservation in Mozambique?

Key organisations in the research include Mozambique’s National Administration of Conservation Areas, FAO, UNEP, WCS Mozambique, African Parks, Peace Parks Foundation, Rare, Ocean Revolution Mozambique and the Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies.

How are communities involved in marine conservation in Mozambique?

Community Fisheries Councils represent fishers, connect communities with government and partners, and help develop local management plans. Community organisations also lead locally managed marine areas, habitat restoration and traditional-knowledge initiatives.

What is the Western Indian Ocean LMMA Alliance?

Launched in 2026, the Western Indian Ocean LMMA Alliance is a regional platform intended to unite coastal communities, strengthen locally managed marine areas and support community-led marine management.

What marine habitats are protected in Mozambique?

Mozambique’s conservation work includes coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass meadows, sandy shores, islands, shark-and-ray habitats and whale and coastal-dolphin breeding or migration sites.

Why are sharks and rays a conservation priority in Mozambique?

A 2026 study of two decades of citizen-science records identified spatial biases and conservation gaps in elasmobranch data along Mozambique’s coast. Better monitoring is needed to identify important habitats and guide protection.

Does tourism help marine conservation in Mozambique?

Tourism can help through conservation fees, employment, hospitality training, local enterprises and carefully managed activities. Its benefits depend on transparent financial flows, responsible operators, effective regulation and meaningful community participation.

How can visitors support coastal conservation in Mozambique?

Visitors can choose transparent operators, support locally owned businesses, follow protected-area and fishing rules, avoid touching wildlife or corals, reduce waste and ask how tourism contributes to conservation and communities.