The Casa Partida planting site, also known as Rio Savane, is situated in Savane Bay. It spans almost 1,000 hectares of sturdy mangroves that require protection and degraded areas that need restoration. This site is located within a system of coastal barriers around 35 kilometers northeast of Beira, a port city and the capital of the province of Sofala. Beira is also the second-largest city in Mozambique.
The diverse fauna in this region plays a crucial role in maintaining the ecosystem's health. Numerous invertebrate species, including the sand blubber crab (Dotilla fenestrate), burrowing crabs (Cardisoma carnife), and the d'Urville's fiddler crab (Tubuca urvillei), have made the mangrove forests at Casa Partida their natural habitat. Several species of sea snails, slugs, mud creepers (Terebralia palustris), and mudskippers (Periophthalmus kalolo) inhabit the mangrove ecosystem.
The mangrove trees provide food and shelter for migratory bird species such as the crab plover (Dromas ardeola), African spoonbill (Platalea alba), great egret (Ardea alba), as well as the resident mangrove kingfisher (Halcyon senegaloides).
Mangroves located in Mozambique are facing a significant threat from overexploitation due to their use as firewood, charcoal production, and building materials. The deep root systems of healthy mangrove forests limit soil erosion and protect against storm surges. The degradation of the mangrove ecosystems along the coast north of Beira has made coastal communities vulnerable to severe weather events such as cyclones and tropical storms. Ecosystem services, including breeding areas for birds and nursery habitats for fish and shellfish, are threatened, resulting in a loss of livelihood for the region's residents.
Many families living in this area benefit from the restoration of mangrove ecosystems. However, their livelihoods are jeopardized when the forests degrade.
Eden Reforestation Projects (Eden) facilitates the restoration of mangrove ecosystems in the area through the active planting of native species. Eden works directly with local communities, supporting them to restore their natural environment.
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