Coastal East Africa
Projects - Protected Areas
Giant Coconut Crab, Island of the Doves, Quirimbas, Mozambique.
© WWF-Canon / Tanya PETERSEN
Eastern Arc Forests: WWF, The Nature Conservancy and Stanford University are working together to assess the value of ecosystem services in Tanzania’s pristine Eastern Arc Mountains to incorporate those values into policies and resource decisions.
- Jozani Chwaka Bay NP: Declared in 2006, the Jozani Chwaka Bay contains sea and mangrove areas on Zanzibar.
- Kiunga Marine National Reserve: We work with local fishing communities within this marine reserve to use sustainable fishing gear, protect vulnerable turtle nesting beach sites, and promote health interventions with local partners. Other projects include establishing beach management units, collaborating with eco-tourism groups, establishing no-take zones for fishing grounds to allow for regeneration, and establishing reef connectivity through molecular genetics of coral reefs and other reef organisms.
- Lake Chiuta/Amaramba Freshwater Reserve: Straddling the border between Mozambique and Malawi, this area contains a unique assemblage of wildlife, fish and waterbird species. Based on local demand, we are working with local communities to establish a wildlife and lake reserve to protect the threatened fish and animal populations.
- Lake Niassa Freshwater Reserve: One of the most biologically important lakes in the world, this proposed Mozambican reserve will work to safeguard over 1,000 fish species – 95 percent endemic to the lake, including hundreds of species of cichlids. The protection of this freshwater ecosystem is vital to livelihoods, tourism development and biodiversity conservation.
- Pemba Channel Conservation Area: Declared in 2006, it is a large area to the west of the entire island of Pemba, Tanzania.
- Primeiras and Segundas: Since 2004, we have been working with partners to create the Primeiras and Segundas Reserve - the future largest marine protected area in Africa and the Indian Ocean.
- Quirimbas National Park: We helped establish this marine protected area (MPA) in Mozambique in 2002 and supports the people and species through various projects, including creating community fishing councils, promoting sustainable resource management and working with local farming communities to reduce human-elephant conflict.
- Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Seascape Program (RUMAKI): We work to monitor, conserve and restore critical habitats and ecosystems for the Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Seascape to study the impacts of climate change by monitoring coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass beds. We are protecting the marine ecosystem and fishery at mafia Island, where the government officially designated 74132 acres as a marine park. We support various projects on Mafia, including: collaborative fisheries management, establishing beach management units and protecting marine turtle nests.
- Sadaani NP: Declared in 2006.
- Selous Game Reserve: We are working with local communities in and around Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve in Wildlife Management Areas where local communities actively participate in wildlife conservation and management.
