The Northern Mozambique Channel
Date
2012-11-27Author
United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Environment Programme Institutional authors
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RT Generic T1 The Northern Mozambique Channel A1 United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Environment Programme Institutional authors YR 2012-11-27 LK http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11822/21166 PB AB TY - GEN T1 - The Northern Mozambique Channel AU - United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Environment Programme Institutional authors Y1 - 2012-11-27 UR - http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11822/21166 PB - AB - @misc{20.500.11822_21166 author = {United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Environment Programme Institutional authors}, title = {The Northern Mozambique Channel}, year = {2012-11-27}, abstract = {}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11822/21166} } @misc{20.500.11822_21166 author = {United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Environment Programme Institutional authors}, title = {The Northern Mozambique Channel}, year = {2012-11-27}, abstract = {}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11822/21166} } TY - GEN T1 - The Northern Mozambique Channel AU - United Nations Environment ProgrammeUnited Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Environment Programme Institutional authors UR - http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11822/21166 PB - AB -Metadata
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The shores and coastal waters of the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) are recognized globally for their biological richness, their role as corridors for migratory species, natural beauty and high ecological and socio-economic value. The region is one of the world’s less ecologically disturbed ocean areas, with some of the Indian Ocean’s most diverse coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass beds. The Mozambique Channel and East African coast
are the prime habitat of the coelacanth, a ‘living fossil’ that illustrates the long term oceanographic stability of this region. The total area of coral reefs in the WIO is 11,060 km2 (8% of the global area), and the mangrove is 8,897 km2 (1.5% of the global area). Two countries (Madagascar and Mozambique) are among the fifteen nations sharing the most extensive mangroves in the world.
The Mozambique Channel experiences a highly energetic and variable regime of meso-scale circular currents (gyres, approx. 100-300 km across) that cause water to flow in all directions – north, south, east and west – and fundamentally affect the diversity and productivity of marine ecosystems within the channel . The rich fisheries, including major prawn fisheries and a regional tuna stock, are exploited not only by domestic fishing industries
but also by foreign fishing fleets - not always to the benefit of the countries of the region (roughly 20% of the world tuna catches are from the southwestern Indian Ocean). Furthermore, near-shore fish stocks support a centuries old artisanal fishing industry and significantly contribute to the livelihoods and food security of the region’s population
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UNEP.DEPI.CP.7.Inf25-en The Northern Mozambique Channel
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