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Mafia Island Marine Park to protect marine resources
2008-08-30 10:49:29
By
The idea of establishing a marine park at Mafia Island began in the 1960s when recommendations were made for the protection of coastal areas and marine resources in Tanzania through the establishment of marine parks, reserves and sanctuaries.
These resulted in the declaration of eight small reserves along the Tanzanian coast under the Fisheries (Marine Reserves) Regulations of 1975, two of these are in what is now the Mafia Island marine Park (MIMP), namely Chole Bay and Kitutia Reef.
The small size of these areas and the lack of financial and human resources for enforcement meant that the marine reserves were essentially paper parks; Dynamite fishing and other destructive and unsustainable resource utilisation continued unabated.
The inadequacy of management of these small areas led to the realization that the creation of a larger marine protected area would make it possible to combine conservation of reefs and other key coastal and marine areas with; management or resources to ensure sustainable long-term local economic development.
From 188, baseline studies were conducted through the frontier-Tanzania project, a collaborative programme of the University of Dar es salaam (including the Institute of Marine Sciences, Zanzibar) and a UK-based conservation research organisation. The studies aimed to determine the use could be sustainable.
The results provided important baseline information for developing recommendations for the marine park management plan.
In 1991, the Principal secretaries of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism together with Environment appointed a steering Committee to oversee the development of the marine park.
The Committee included representatives from the fisheries division, the Institute of Marine Science (IMS), the MP for Mafia, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Regional Natural Resources office (Coast Region), and Wildlife Conservation Society for Tanzania.
The Steering Committee together with a FAO legal team, working in collaboration with the Attorney General\'s Chambers, developed the legal framework for the Marine Parks and Reserves Act and Regulations.
Also during 1992 the same year, WWF initiated a programme of support for the development of the marine park.
The Steering Committee next recognized the need for public forum at which the inhabitants of Mafia Island and other interested parties could air their views.
The result was a major public workshop held in October, 1991 on Mafia, to consult the communities and initiate the planning process.
Over 70 participants divided equally between residents of Mafia and mainland Tanzania and including representatives from national, regional and local government agencies and institutions attended the workshop.
The outcome of the workshop was positive and the Ministry of Tourism Natural Resources and Environment published the proceedings.
A lengthy but ultimately successful process ensued, culminating in the preparation of the Parks and Reserves Act Number 29 of 1994.
Under the provisions of this Act, the National Assembly passed a Resolution on 27th April 1995 declaring Mafia Island, Marine Park, to take effect from 01 July 1995.
The park initiated operations during that Month. The boundaries of the park were later gazzetted under Government Notice Number. 200 published on 6th September 1996.
The waters around Mafia Island host an outstanding mosaic of tropical marine habitats with coral reefs, sea grass beds, mangroves, and inter-tidal flats. In addition, a remnant block of threatened lowland coastal forest survives along the eastern seaboard of the island.
The area has been recognized internationally as a critical site for biodiversity. It has national importance as one of the few remaining reef complexes within Tanzania`s coastal waters, relatively intact and the productive fisheries and other marine resources provide food and income for the local community.
Location:
Mafia Island and its chain of small islets lie approximately 120 km south of Dar es Salaam and 20 km offshore from the eastern extent of the Rufiji is one of the largest delta systems in Africa.
To the east of Mafia Island is the Indian Ocean. The main island of Mafia is about 48 km long and 17 km wide at its widest point. Several smaller islands and islets are scattered to the west and south.
Mafia Island Marine park covers an area of 822 km2 and is located between S 07 45`07`` and E 39 54`01`` and S 08 09` 40`` and E 39 30\'00.
Annex 1 of this plan provides a detailed description of boundaries. The park covers the Southern part of Mafia Island and includes the inhabited islands of Chole, Juani Jibondo and Bwejuu and several uninhabited islets and the associated waters.
Physical environment:
Bathymetry
More than half of the marine area of the park is less than 20 metres depth below mean; tide levels, including much of Chole Bay, the extensive area South of Chole Bay enclosed by Mafia island, Juani Island and Jibondo Island and several ref areas south of Bwejuu, extensive intertidal flats stretch along the southern part of mafia Island, around Juni and Chole Islands, and between Jibondo Island and Kitutia Reef..
A deeper channel of 20-30 meters carried tidal water through Kinasi pass and Chole Bay as far as Chole channel. The waters on the South-western side of the marine park, especially west of Kitutia are also deep reaching down to 40m.
Currents:
The main oceanic current affecting Mafia Island is the permanent north flowing current known as the East African Coastal Current (EACC). This reaches a maximum speed to some extent during the contrary north- east Monsoon during Dec- Jan.
The flow of the main current into and through the marine park area is interrupted by islets and reefs, and is also strongly influenced by diurnal tidal currents generated by a tidal range of up to 4m range. This results in a complex and multidirectional current system.
Tides:
The tidal range in the marine park is consistently large throughout the year. The mean springtide range is 3.3 metres with a maximum of 4.0 metres. The mean neap-tide range is approximately
Geology and Topography:
Mafia Island is of recent origin and was formed during the Pleistocene period when basal limestone rock was laid down while the islands were raised above the seal level through riffing of the continental shelf.
The entire island consists of coral rag overlain by sandy loam soil; with a maximum altitude of 20 m. soils are mainly alkaline with mean pH of 7.5.
Climate:
Mafia receives an average annual rainfall of 2,000mm(80)inches). The island experiences two main rainy seasons: the short rains in November / December and long rains from March to May. Over 80 per cent of the rain occurs during the second phase.
The temperature on the island is firmly stable rarely dropping below 20C or rising above 33C. June to September is the coolest period.
In common with coastal Tanzania, two monsoons influence the climate. (Kaskazi) that blows from November to March and the more vigorous southeast monsoon (Kusi) from April to August. An intermediate easterly monsoon (matlai) occurs in September and October.
There are few large industries on the island that has three tourist lodges and one on Chole Island with a combined tourist bed-capacity of 140.
In 1971 the government opened the 80-bed Mafia Island Lodge. This lodge, after a period in the doldrums, is earmarked for privatisation.
Since 1995, three private lodges have opened at Utende and Chole Island. These are Kinasi Lodge, Pole Pole (Kiswahili for `slowly slowly`) Bungalow Resort and Chole Mjini.
But although Mafia coral reefs offer some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving opportunities in East Africa, visitor numbers are very low despite the high place tourism in Tanzania`s overall economy.
The largest land-based agricultural activity is the five coconut estates at Ng`ombeni, Dundani, Chunguruma, Ras Mbizi and Minaki.
These cover a total area of 2,186 hectares with some 200,000 palms. In their hey day, they were processing 6 million nuts a year into coconut oil and they had a herd of 650 Jersey dairy cattle.
But the estates fell on hard times largely because of the decline in world coconut oil prices and the stagnant economic climate of the 1970s and 1980s.Nevertheless they are still in operation and run by the Stanley family who planted many of the trees on the island 50 years ago.
The Stanley now in their third generation with a strong allegiance to Mafia Island, are not related to the Journalist / explorer Henry Morton Stanley, who met Dr. David Livingstone at Ujiji in northwestern Tanzania.
The Ng`ombeni headquarters is located 3 km from the airport. This estate contains the offices, workshop, housing and a factory that includes machinery for oil pressing and filtering, fibre processing and bailing, and a peg mill for making shell flour.
Coconut palms have been exported from Mafia Island since the 19th Century. Ownership of coconut trees is still seen as a sign of wealth and they represent a source of income and nutrition in comparison to the more hazardous pursuit of fishing.
Transport:
The MV Obus, a 110 tonne schooner, sails for Dar es Salaam every six weeks with fuel oil for the islands` electricity generators. Built in the 1930s as a munitions ship, she beaches at Kilindoni wharf at high tide and the fuel is pumped ashore.
Being the only vessel to regularly service the island, she comes laden with cars, trucks, tractors and other heavy goods that are manhandled ashore with an array of winches and derricks amidst much shouting and gesticulations. The Obus leaves Mafia loaded to the gunnels with island produce.
Beyond that, the transport of goods to the mainland is by sail or engine- powered dhow. The dhows sail northwest to the village of Kisiju on the mainland from where the goods are transported to Dar es Salaam.
Domestic consumption of fish on Mafia is relatively small. Traditionally, fish were sun-dried on the islands and shipped to the mainland coastal markets of southern and central Tanzania.
In the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s this began to change with the availability of outboard motors and ice. This brought an expansion in the flotillas of boats of private fish traders from the mainland.
The fish traders arrive in Mafia for the spring tide staying from 3 to 10 days depending on how good are the catches. When the 2-tonne iceboxes are filled the transport the catch to Dar es Salaam.
The catch is not gutted, and the ice serves only to chill, rather than freeze. Fish caught and brought at the start of the spring tide in Mafia can take up to 12 days to reach markets in Dar es Salaam.
In some cases the fish traders also supply local fishers with fishing nets on the condition that the entire catch is sold to the trader at a price substantially below market rate.
Fishers involved in such arrangements are obliged to sell catches at sea direct to the traders and in certain villages, relatively few fish are landed in the village for consumption by local households.
Chunks of both live sea coral and land based-fossilised coral rock are a traditional construction material for domestic houses, especially in the island villages that luck mud.
In the early 1990s, it was estimated that 90 tonnes of fossilised offshore limestone was being mined annually in what is now the marine park.
Mangroves prior to 1995, in areas now encompassed by the marine park, were heavily exploited for the production of lime from mined coral. Mangroves provide the high-calorie fuel wood needed to convert the mined coral to lime.
Despite the fall in coral mining, mangroves are important for both boat building and for building poles although the latter are largely imported to the island from Rufiji delta.
Mlola forest inside the park is important for building materials, especially to the villagers at Beleni, Jimbo, Kirongwe and Kungwi.
Mangrove branches are used as firewood and leaves, fruit and bark arae used for medicine and colour dyes. Some sites within Mlola forest are considered highly sacred by local people and are used for traditional ceremonies.
Agencies
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