• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

Site description (2020 baseline)
The proposed KBA covers an area of approximately 2511.945 km2 in the Archipelago of the Primeiras and Segundas Islands. The archipelago of the Primeiras and Segundas Islands is a complex formed by two groups of islands, with five islands each, forming a string parallel to the coast of Mozambique between latitudes 16 ° 12’S and 17 ° 17’S (ANAC 2015). This site is within an area regarded as Area for Environmental Protection (Área de Protecção Ambiental = APA) which is a conservation category where a sustainable use of resources is allowed. This site is therefore known as Area for Environmental Protection of the Primeiras and Segundas Islands (Área de Protecção Ambiental das Ilhas Primeiras e Segundas = APAIPS). The southernmost group of islands, regarded as the Primeiras Islands, is in the Zambezia Province and the northernmost group, the Segundas Islands, is in Nampula Province, and both form an almost continuous archipelago between the towns of Pebane and Angoche in northern-east Mozambique (Salm 1983; Schleyer and Celliers 2000). The coastal area is characterized by dune systems, sandy beaches and the rare miombo forest. This section is part of the Zanzibar-Inhambane Coastal Forest Mosaic with high biodiversity value (Tabor et al. 2010) and hosts wetlands and shrublands (Impacto 2012) with a recognized regional importance (Horril 2001). The area is characterized by a tropical semi-humid climate with a wet season from mid-November through March and a dry season from April to mid-November. The soils are generally sandy and particularly heaviest in the lowest coastal areas, have a reduced water-holding capacity, poor fertility and low cohesion, and therefore are prone to erosion, especially once the vegetation has been cleared, therefore with low-to-moderate potential for agriculture (Impacto 2012). The proposed site includes dunes habitat, mangrove forest and terrestrial vegetation such as shrubs and miombo forest.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Primeiras and Segundas Environmental Protection Area (APAIPS) (Mozambique). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/primeiras-and-segundas-environmental-protection-area-(apaips)-iba-mozambique on 22/11/2024.