Data Zone
Country/territory: Tanzania
IBA criteria met: A4i (2001)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 10,000 ha
Site description (2001 baseline)
The site is located on the east coast of Zanzibar (Unguja). The site extends north from the village of Paje to Chwaka Bay (7,500 ha), which provides shelter from the south-east monsoon and prevailing sea currents. Chwaka Bay has extensive stands of mangroves along its southern shore.
Key biodiversity
See Box for key species. Chwaka Bay provides extensive feeding grounds for shorebirds. In addition to those listed below, 320 Arenaria interpres where recorded in 1989. Morus capensis, a rare visitor to East African waters, has been recorded off Paje.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Zanzibar Island-East Coast (Tanzania). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/zanzibar-island-east-coast-iba-tanzania on 23/11/2024.