Inspiration and Hope in Mozambique

December 11, 2023

In October 2023, Mission Blue was on the ground (and in the water!) at the Inhambane Seascape Hope Spot. Established as a Hope Spot in 2022, the Inhambane Seascape lies along the southern coast of Mozambique. This region is rated as a Globally Outstanding marine conservation area by IUCN, and recognized as a potential world heritage site by UNESCO. It is also described as an important region in Africa for many large, iconic marine megafauna species, like the last viable population of dugongs in the Indian Ocean, humpback dolphins and oceanic manta rays. Five of the world’s seven sea turtle species, including green, leatherbacks, olive ridley, hawksbill, and loggerhead turtles, swim in these waters and nest along the shoreline. The productive waters provide critical habitat for migratory species, as evidenced by the hundreds of humpback whales sighted during our short time in the region. 

 

 

The goal of this trip was to meet local Champions, partners, NGOs, and policy leaders, from whom we learned about the region’s successes and challenges, witnessing firsthand some of the unique wildlife that calls these warm waters home. While Dr. Tessa Hempson, Mission Blue’s Chief Scientist and former Hope Spot Champion for the Quirimbas Archipelago Hope Spot just north in Mozambique, is deeply familiar with this region, this was the first time the majority of the Mission Blue team had traveled to Mozambique. According to Dr. Sylvia Earle, this trip “may be my first time to Mozambique, but it certainly won’t be my last.” 

 

 

This trip was organized with support from Dr. Andrea Marshall, Hope Spot Champion for the Inhambane Seascape and co-founder of the Marine Megafauna Foundation. Andrea has spent the last 20 years in Mozambique studying the vibrant wildlife, including manta rays, dugong, endangered leopard sharks, and critically endangered wedgefish. 

 

 

In this region, the landscapes and terrestrial wildlife flow into the expansive marine habitats. A tide shift of over four meters exposes sand flats where flamboyances of flamingos flock, eland – Africa’s largest species of antelope – rest on the beaches, and plankton bloom from natural iron runoffs from the red slopes along the coastline, attracting wildlife from whale sharks to devil rays. 

 

 

The immense beauty of this stretch of Mozambique’s coastline is constantly under pressure from anthropogenic threats. Sand mining, seismic testing, and oil and gas industries are continually searching for regions to exploit, offering economic incentives. According to Max Bello, who leads Ocean Policy for Mission Blue, “The biggest threat is that people don’t know about this place, and don’t know about the fragility.” Organizations advocating for the protection of the region described their exhaustion from fighting one damaging proposal after the next, impacting their ability to advocate for protection and be efficient in their work. 

Despite all of these imminent threats, Mozambique has a huge cause for hope – the people. The last few days spent in Mozambique saw all three Hope Spot Champions/Organizations in the country, Oceans Without Borders (Quirimbas Archipelago), Love the Oceans (Jangamo Bay), and the Marine Megafauna Foundation (Inhambane Seascape) coming together with their partner organizations including &Beyond, Africa Foundation, Universidade Lúrio, Associação Natura Moçambique, ParCo and Our Children’s Earth Foundation to give passionate presentations on the work being conducted along the coastline. Local and national conservation management authorities and policy influencers were in attendance including the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary,  WWF Mozambique, African Parks, the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park (BANP), the IUCN, and the Mozambican National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC) including government leaders like Jorge Fernando director general of ANAC, and district administrators of the Vilanculos and Inhassoro Districts of Inhambane Edmundo Galiza Matos and Dulce Canhemba. During these meetings, ANAC Director General Jorge Fernando honored Dr. Sylvia Earle as a special guest with an ANAC pin, and the title of Ambassador of Mozambique’s Marine and Terrestrial Conservation Areas, in recognition of her tireless efforts in ocean conservation. 

 

 

Dr. Sylvia Earle added powerful sentiments at the meetings: “It is so important to protect just the basic elements that keep Earth safe, to keep us safe, by protecting the ocean, protecting what you already have, and encouraging others to restore and protect what they have. I think this is a special opportunity to speak for everybody associated with Mission Blue. We’re just so thrilled to have an opportunity to work with you and to celebrate what you have and just see what we might be able to do to get others around the world to understand that we don’t have to lose the habitability of Earth. There’s still a chance if we can do now what will be harder to do 10 years or 15 years from now. This is the moment in time.” 

 

 

The Mission Blue team, who had been joined by the Plum Foundation, departed from Mozambique inspired and with hope for Mozambique’s role in ocean conservation. Echoing Dr. Earle, for most of the team it was our first time, but certainly won’t be our last, and we look forward to diving in again!