Marromeu National Reserve

The Marromeu Special Reserve is approximately 1,500 km2 in size, and forms part of the Marromeu complex (MC), which is close to 11,000 km2 and covers the southern half of the Zambezi Delta and the adjacent Cheringoma escarpment.

The Marromeu Complex is among the most important wetlands in Africa and is a global example of a wetland that plays a substantial hydrological, biological, and ecological role in the natural functioning of a major river basin and coastal system.

The area is a mosaic of rivers and streams, ranging from acacia and palm savanna at the floodplain periphery to seasonally flooded grassland, papyrus swamps, evergreen forests, and open water bodies on the low-lying plains, to mangrove forest and mudflats bordered by dunes near the coast.

This region is home to the largest breeding colonies of Great White Pelicans in southern Africa, and is a significant breeding site for the endangered Wattled Crane. The Reserve was specifically established to protect the significant buffalo population it habours, with a current estimate of more than 29 000 individuals. It also hosts other large mammals such as elephants, waterbuck and zebra, and predators such as hyenas and leopards.

The mangroves of the Zambezi Delta play a valuable role as nurseries for the extensive fisheries on the Sofala Banks. In addition, tall and dense mangrove stands hold high stocks of carbon. The IUCN recognizes Marromeu as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), contributing significantly to the persistence of biodiversity not only on a national scale but also globally.

Marromeu shares many of the common threats protected areas experience around the world: increasing demand for natural resources, particularly fishing in the coastal zone, but also deforestation for charcoal production, as well as poaching.

At the end of 2023 FZS signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC).

Current project activities are focusing on working with partners and stakeholders to identify the key challenges and opportunities facing the management of the Reserve, in order to develop budget and activity plans to address short and long-term issues. The Reserve’s lack of infrastructure and equipment is one of the first obstacles FZS is addressing, through a collaboration with MozBio.

FZS is also developing a geodatabase that will assist in establishing baselines for ecological and socio-economic metrics against which project progress can be measured.