The coast and reefs in southern Mozambique are highly critical marine areas, some of which are already protected. These house so-called "mother reefs": reefs characterised by extremely high biodiversity and a wide variety of marine life. Together with extensive mangrove forests and tidal systems, they serve as nurseries, habitats, and refuges for a diverse array of fish, sharks, rays, and marine mammals.
Bazaruto National Park was the first marine national park and therefore the first marine protected area in Mozambique. This was followed by the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary, which represents an important extension and buffer zone for the national park. Further protected areas are intended to follow.
Only recently, "Mission Blue", led by Dr. Sylvia Earle, declared the coast of the Inhambane province south of Vilanculos a "Hope Spot": this classification draws urgent attention and is intended to signal to decision-makers the critical importance of this region for the entire Indian Ocean. The area is classified by the IUCN as a globally outstanding marine protected area and is recognised by UNESCO as a potential World Heritage site.
Lukas Müller is a shark researcher and marine biologist who has set out to study the migrations of bull sharks code-named Carcharhinus leucas along the Mozambican and South African coasts. Bull sharks are a keystone species in the marine ecosystem. Working alongside Dr. Andrea Marshall, a marine biologist and member of the scientific advisory board of ElasmOcean, Lukas Müller tags bull sharks in Bazaruto National Park. The objective is to achieve improved protection for the individual southern marine regions, which exhibit remarkable biodiversity. Establishing systematic scientific findings on the migration and whereabouts of keystone species—especially protected animals such as manta rays, sea turtles, dugongs, whales, and sharks—provides the necessary foundation for political decisions regarding their protection.
ElasmOcean supports Lukas Müller in his work both financially and conceptually, to make a valuable contribution to the protection of the Indian Ocean.
