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A vast new marine reserve to protect coral reefs, endangered dugongs and local fishing interests has been approved by the government of Mozambique. The 1400 square kilometre marine park around the Bazaruto archipelago will be one of the largest in the Indian Ocean.

“We’re delighted by the decision,” says Ghislaine Llewellyn a WWF campaigner who has been working in the region. “We and our local partners have been lobbying for this for a long time.”

Estimates of the dugong, or sea cow, population living in the waters around the five Bazaruto islands range up to 100. It is thought to be the only viable dugong population left on the East African coast.

Previously, only two of the five islands were protected. But dugongs had been spotted in the channels and sandflats between all of the islands. “Now their whole habitat will be protected,” Llewellyn says.

The coral reefs around the islands are small and patchy, but are some of the only reefs in the region to be unaffected by “bleaching” – a loss of symbiotic algae, and an indicator that the reef is under stress. “There is a hope that corals from the Bazaruto area could seed the region,” says Llewellyn.

Although traditional fishing by people living within the park will continue, there will now be severe restrictions on fishermen coming from the mainland. The protection will also help local wildlife campaigners’ efforts to crack down on illegal longline fishing, which can kill dugongs, Llewellyn says.