The Maputo Special Reserve

Maputo Special Reserve is home to Southern Africa’s last remaining coastal herd of elephant and was originally established to protect this elephant population in the 1930s. Its purpose in the 1960s was expanded to include the protection of other large mammal species and again in the 1990s, thanks to the growing recognition of its wider biodiversity importance.

The reserve is an important component in the protected areas system of Mozambique, as it conserves the exceptional biodiversity of a coastal zone that lies in the Maputaland Centre of Endemism. At 1040 km², it is a spectacular area that combines lakes, wetlands, sand forests, grasslands and mangrove forests with a pristine coastline. It supports an exceptionally high number of endemic species of fauna and flora and is part of the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Biodiversity Hotspot, thus part

of one of earth’s 25 biologically richest and most endangered terrestrial Eco regions.

In 2010 the Mozambican government began a translocation program to Maputo Special Reserve in order to re-introduce species that were historically found in the area. Over a thousand animals have been reintroduced so far.

The translocations are backed up by aerial surveys and counts, which have been taking place annually since 2011. The 2014 census indicates that the introduced populations are steadily increasing. The species found to be the most abundant are hippo, reedbuck, elephant, crocodile, red duiker, blue wildebeest and zebra, while the giraffe, nyala, kudu, bushbuck and waterbuck populations are growing.

Click here to see our Sundowners - Maputo Special Reserve tour package