MOZAMBIQUE: Mozambique’s Zambezi Delta Extended To Cover 3,000 Square Kilometres

Mozambique has significantly extended the Zambezi Delta, its second Wetland of International Importance. Now covering over 3,000 km2, the Delta is a unique wetland and one of the most diverse and productive river delta systems in the world. It is characterized by a broad flat alluvial plain with vast mosaics of tropical grassland, palm, thicket, woodland, deep water swamp, and some of the most extensive mangrove communities on the East African coast.

A recognized global biodiversity conservation hotspot, the Delta is home to a significant population of large mammals including the African buffalo, elephant, hippopotamus, lion and leopard, and a large concentration of waterbird species including white-backed and pink-backed pelicans, herons, flamingos, egrets, African fish eagles, storks, Caspian terns, wattled cranes and endangered grey crowned cranes. Bottlenose and humpback dolphins and a variety of marine and freshwater fish and shellfish species have also been recorded in the Site.

In addition to the rich biodiversity values, the Site provides a wealth of ecosystem services which are vital to food security and socio-economic development in Mozambique. It also provides hydrological functions including coastal protection, flood control and carbon sequestration. The major threat to the Zambezi Delta is the construction of dams for hydroelectric power.

WWF International Freshwater Programme and WWF-Mozambique have provided support to the updating of the Zambezi Delta.