Mozambique and South Africa Unite: Maputaland Hope Spot Showcases Powerful Binational Collaboration for Ocean Protection

February 2, 2024

Straddling the border between Mozambique’s tropical coast and the subtropical east coast of South Africa are waters vibrant with biodiversity and buzzing with collaboration. Below the surface are more than 1,300 species of fish, including the “living fossil” coelacanth, four different sea turtle species, 50 species of sharks and rays, a large diversity of whales and dolphins, and much more. Up on land, Grant Brokensha, owner of The Bigger Picture Films and South African and Marcos Pereira, Co-Founder and director of Fundação Likhulu and Mozambican are two passionate individuals who have reached across their country’s borders to work together to safeguard their shared blue backyard. 

 

 

International marine conservation non-profit Mission Blue has named Maputaland a Hope Spot with Brokensha and Pereira as its Champions in celebration of their deep commitment to their communities and dedication to fostering a healthy future for both the wildlife and human inhabitants. Results from monitoring programs (e.g. turtles) and science (e.g. acoustic and satellite telemetry) are increasingly demonstrating the ecological connectivity of the Hope Spot and the urgent need for binational collaboration to protect the marine life within.

Dr. Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue, says, “We celebrate the Maputaland Hope Spot for its incredible biodiversity as well as for the people who call this place home and who are an integral part of the tourism and diving community. We look forward to protecting this fragile place for generations to come.”

 

 

 

 

Dr. Tessa Hempson, Mission Blue’s Chief Scientist, calls South Africa home. “Maputaland is where I first fell in love with coral reefs over 25 years ago, which has shaped the trajectory of my life and career ever since. The thriving ecosystems of this wild coastline continue to captivate and inspire me today, from the mysterious depths of the submarine canyons where prehistoric coelacanths lurk, to the teeming coral reefs, endless beaches and diverse coastal habitats. The designation of the Maputaland coast as a Mission Blue Hope Spot recognises the fact that this astounding ecosystem transcends political boundaries and the critical importance of working together to protect it as a whole.”

 

 

The goals of the Hope Spot Champions are to support further collaboration between South African and Mozambican institutions and communities to effectively protect their shared marine environment from unchecked development and extractive activities. The Champions believe that continued and strengthened international collaboration between Mozambique and South Africa can lead to increased protection for the Hope Spot. 

These shores are the historic home of the Thonga tribe, who have subsistence fished and harvested the area for more than 800 years. Today, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park is home to programs including community-integrated tourism and conservation, SCUBA diving, beach clean-ups and community programs like the Thonga Trails project that employs and partners with local people to guide and support remote wilderness camps. 

 

 

Eugene Tembe, Thonga Trails partner says, “Thonga Trails has partnered with rural communities along this unique coastline driving responsible eco-tourism.  We apply a micro economy model, so that the incentive from conservation results in financial benefit, education and upliftment directly back into these same communities, which is imperative for community and conservation sustainability.”

The Hope Spot, dominated by the Agulhas Current, stretches down the coastline from the northern boundary of the Maputo National Park Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Southern Mozambique to the southern boundary of the iSimangaliso MPA in northern South Africa, which was established as a World Heritage Site in 1999. Nelson Mandela famously observed in 2002, “The wetland park must be the only place on the globe where the world’s oldest land mammal (the rhinoceros) and the world’s biggest land mammal (the elephant) share an ecosystem with the world’s oldest fish (the coelacanth) and the world’s biggest marine mammal (the whale).”

 

 

 

The critical transition zone between tropical and subtropical waters contains some of the world’s highest-latitude coral reefs and underwater canyons. In these waters, sharks can be found – including the critically endangered female Ragged-tooth shark (Carcharias taurus) who utilize the warm waters for several months a year. More species include multiple aggregations of bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier), blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus), scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) and grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos). The largest aggregation of the giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) ever recorded occurs annually in this area and the reefs are also known for their giant grouper resident populations; the brindle and potato basses. “This is truly the area where giants roam!”, says Pereira.

On the horizon are youth education programs, Sea Schools. “The next generation needs to be educated about the importance of marine and general conservation as it is ultimately their heritage”, explains Brokensha. “The ocean needs new custodians waiting in the wings.”  He concludes, “In the end, it is one ecosystem – we need everyone on board to push for equal protection on both sides of the border and to conserve it as a whole.”

About The Bigger Picture Films

The Bigger Picture Films – Create, Inspire, Preserve is a Natural History film-making facility communicating factual content relating to new science and conservation stories from the oceans and the terrestrial world. With over 20 years in the industry, over 50 films worked on, Multiple Emmy nominations, stories from Pole to Pole, and everything in between. The Bigger Picture Films aims to educate and entertain the audience with factual content so that they can understand, care for, and preserve our Natural World for future generations.

About Fundação Likhulu

The Likhulu Foundation is a Mozambican nonprofit organisation dedicated to enhancing marine conservation effectiveness in Mozambique by providing integrated management and climate-smart support to established and emerging marine protected areas, and by developing future conservation leaders through professional training and mentorship. Established in October 2022, the Foundation operates essentially in Mozambique. Likhulu’s mission is to deliver marine conservation impact and growing future leaders, and develop projects and activities in partnership with public and private entities, both national and foreign. In order to undertake its mission, Lihkhulu implements an array of activities, grouped into three main themes, namely: Marine Conservation Leadership, Management Solutions; and Innovation and Climate.