Global declines in seagrass coverage have driven restoration efforts to mitigate losses and reinstate ecological and socio-economic functions. Despite these efforts, uncertainties remain about the capacity of restored seagrass habitats to support biodiversity. This study assessed the recovery of Zostera capensis meadows and associated macrofauna one year after restoration, for a two-year period, on tropical Inhaca Island, Mozambique. Seagrass structural attributes (biomass, shoot density, and canopy height) and macrofaunal communities were compared across natural, replanted, and bare areas. Natural meadows exhibited greater structural complexity compared to restored areas, indicating incomplete habitat development of replanted areas. However, macrofaunal richness and abundance were similar between natural and replanted areas, suggesting rapid faunal recolonization. Community composition showed considerable overlap between habitats, although subtle differences in infaunal assemblages indicated ongoing successional processes. Relationships between seagrass structure and macrofaunal metrics were generally weak, with only a marginal effect of biomass on abundance. This suggests that faunal recovery during early restoration stages may be driven more by dispersal and colonization processes than by habitat structure. Temporal shifts in taxonomic composition further indicated a transition toward more functionally diverse communities. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating faunal indicators into restoration monitoring and emphasises the need for long-term assessment to capture the full trajectory of ecosystem recovery.

Despite the extensive diversity of African flora, significant gaps remain in taxonomic research and biodiversity conservation, including under-sampling in highly diverse regions, a shortage of taxonomic expertise, limited financial resources and delays in species descriptions. Type specimens act as effective proxies for tracking the discovery and description of species, providing a historical baseline for assessing taxonomic effort and our understanding of biodiversity. This study presents the first comprehensive analysis of Fabaceae species collected in Mozambique, one of the most diverse and ecologically important plant families in the region. It offers new insights into the taxonomic, spatial and temporal patterns shaping current botanical knowledge through an analysis of Fabaceae type specimens collected in Mozambique. We identified 273 type specimens, including 126 recognised taxa, with a notable proportion of endemism (44 strict-endemic and 18 near-endemic taxa) and a predominance of woody growth forms. Nearly 40% of these taxa lack IUCN conservation assessments, highlighting significant information gaps. The findings reveal that collection activity peaked during colonial botanical initiatives, driven by a small group of prolific collectors and influenced by spatial biases towards southern and central provinces. Using generalised linear modelling, we demonstrate that collection locations were significantly affected by elevation, slope, land cover and proximity to roads and harbours, reflecting the interaction between biogeographic patterns and accessibility. By identifying these historical and geographic biases, our study deepens understanding of Mozambique's botanical heritage and provides a crucial baseline for future floristic and conservation efforts in underexplored regions. Furthermore, this research underscores the vital role of herbarium type specimens as scientific resources supporting taxonomic research and conservation planning, emphasising the importance of preserving and digitising these collections to enhance their accessibility and utility.

Trade relations in small-scale fisheries have long been studied as more than economic exchanges. Relational economic sociology and relational economic geography have shown the importance of social relations and space in understanding trade relations. We argue that the recent relational turn in sustainability science adds a focus on the social-ecological aspects of fishery trade chain dynamics, worth investigating further. We propose to use the relational concept of assemblage to put the three perspectives into dialogue, which we argue contributes to understand the complexity of economic exchanges in small-scale fisheries. We justify and illustrate these arguments through the case of Magweva in the island of KaNyaka in Mozambique. Magweva are women traders whose role and importance have been poorly investigated. In sum, we aim at fulfilling three objectives: first, to put into dialogue relational economic sociology, relational economic geography, and the relational sustainability science to showcase the value of associating these three perspectives to sustainability scientists interested in small-scale fisheries; second, we provide an empirical application of the concept of assemblage to small-scale fisheries as a concrete way of studying distributed agency; third, we aim at highlighting the role of Magweva, women fish traders, thus contributing to the small-scale fisheries literature calling attention to the often invisible role women play in maintaining trade networks.

ABSTRACT Legumes are staple foods and essential sources of nutrients for populations facing food insecurity in Africa. Within this group, the genus Vigna—including cowpea (Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata)—is among the most widely cultivated and consumed. Yet, despite their potential as both food sources and reservoirs of genetic diversity, wild Vigna remain underexplored. This study integrates existing knowledge with new data on the diversity, nutritional value and bioactive properties of wild edible Vigna taxa in Africa. We document 34 taxa traditionally consumed across the continent, characterised by high protein levels, low fat content and appreciable supplies of essential amino acids, starch, fatty acids, minerals and bioactive compounds. Among them, V. frutescens, V. luteola, V. unguiculata subsp. dekindtiana and V. vexillata emerge as particularly nutrient‐rich and agronomically resilient, making them promising candidates for domestication and breeding. Although antinutritional factors may hinder nutrient absorption, processing and selective breeding offer pathways to enhance their value. These findings position wild Vigna as a promising resource for improving food security, nutrition and sustainable, climate‐resilient agriculture in Africa.

Africa's 'blue carbon ecosystems' are increasingly recognised for their role in climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods, with existing carbon offset projects showcasing their potential to sequester carbon and support community livelihoods. Despite this promise, blue carbon (BC) projects remain scarce across Africa. Understanding the barriers to BC implementation is therefore critical for unlocking their potential across the continent. Through a horizon scan and expert solicitation involving 41 participants from 20 countries, this study identified 13 major barriers spanning social, technical, economic, environmental, and policy domains. Governance obstacles, such as weak law enforcement, complex land tenure, and unclear carbon rights, emerged as the most significant reflecting Africa's diverse regulatory landscapes and often unstable political contexts. Socio-economic challenges, such as few sustainable livelihood options for those involved in/impacted by BC projects, further constrain progress. Economic barriers, particularly limited funding for project design, monitoring, and delivery, also featured prominently. Technical and environmental factors, including low scientific capacity, fragmented ecosystem distribution, and climate-driven impacts, further complicate project design and scalability. The barriers identified varied significantly across regions and ecosystem types. To overcome them, we propose targeted policy reforms, innovative financing, capacity building, and integrated management approaches that align local priorities with national climate goals. Collectively, these strategies can unlock Africa's BC potential, delivering substantial climate, biodiversity and socio-economic benefits.

Sustainability scientists have engaged in extensive discussions on ethical ways of doing research and argued on the importance of co-production approaches to counter knowledge extractivism. The specific issue of research fatigue, often associated with knowledge extractivism, and the possible methods to counter it, have however received less attention. This paper seeks to contribute to discussions on ethical ways of doing research by focusing on our experience of using theatre, specifically, Forum Theatre, to investigate divergent perceptions of environmental change and related tensions among selected coastal communities in Kenya and Mozambique. We argue that Forum Theatre constitutes an ethical method for sustainability scientists for four reasons: (i) it allows to co-produce knowledge with participants; (ii) it facilitates horizontal exchange; (iii) it creates joyful moments; and (iv) it enables the transmission of skills that remain with participants beyond project durations. The paper engages with these four themes, first theoretically and then proposing a reflection based on our project experience. In the last section, we warn against some of the limitations of the approach.

Zooplankton, particularly copepods, are key components in aquatic food webs. However, the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on copepods in marine systems, especially at tropical and subtropical latitudes, are not well understood. Incubations in UV and non-UV treatments during outdoor solar experiments at a subtropical latitude where copepods dominated the zooplankton community demonstrated that UV exposure led to 40%-50% higher mortality than in non-UV treatments after 4 h of exposure. In outdoor plankton migration tower experiments, most copepods avoided surface waters regardless of radiation treatment. While adaptations to avoid UV damage, such as the accumulation of photoprotective compounds, were observed in copepods, they were insufficient to fully mitigate UV-induced harm. Thus, surface avoidance is likely the primary adaptation employed by copepods and other zooplankton to evade UV exposure. This study expands upon existing UV research, which has largely focused on high-latitude and high-altitude ecosystems, suggesting that UV is a major environmental threat factor for low-latitude zooplankton. Hence, projected future climate-change related or geoengineering-driven increases in UV levels in subtropical and tropical systems may lead to higher mortality rates in zooplankton populations.

Understanding how climate change affects crop wild relatives (CWRs) is crucial for both biodiversity conservation and food security. The present study assesses the current and future habitat suitability of six Vigna CWRs taxa in Mozambique using species distribution modelling. Our results show that Vigna CWRs occupy diverse habitats, primarily in southern and southeastern Mozambique, with coastal areas exhibiting the highest suitability. We identified key climatic factors shaping these taxa distributions, specifically focusing on the precipitation of the warmest month and driest quarter. Future projections indicate sizable habitat losses, ranging from 1 to 99% by 2090, with inland regions expected to experience the highest impact. Taxa with restricted distribution, such as Vigna unguiculata subsp. pawekiae, face the highest risk of extinction. By integrating land cover and land use (LULC) constraints with climatic models, we observed even higher declines in habitat suitability, highlighting the influence of anthropogenic pressures on Vigna's diversity. Despite these challenges, our findings suggest that coastal habitats may serve as climate refugia in long-term conservation efforts for most Vigna CWRs taxa. However, Mozambique's protected areas network provides limited coverage of highly suitable areas for these taxa, underscoring the need for urgent implementation of in situ and ex situ conservation measures. Future research should refine habitat suitability models by incorporating additional environmental and anthropogenic factors, along with biotic factors. This research highlights the pressing need for proactive and innovative conservation strategies to protect Vigna CWRs, which are essential for enhancing agricultural resilience and ensuring global food security in the face of climate change.

Seagrasses can form vast meadows in coastal areas and provide valuable ecosystem services. Despite their importance, seagrasses are threatened, and their spatial extent and ecological condition have declined worldwide. Globally, there are six seagrass bioregions based on ocean basin and species distribution. The Tropical Atlantic Bioregion encompasses seagrasses in the warm waters off the Atlantic American continent, the eastern Pacific and the west coast of Africa. Here, the extinction risk of the species was determined through the Categories and Criteria of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The extinction risk for the 15 native seagrass species in the bioregion was assessed and summarized as an update to the previous IUCN effort, conducted 15 years ago. The updated regional assessments were based on expert opinion and compilation of revised data on species´ distribution, population status and trend. Of the 15 native species, nine were endemic to the bioregion; thus, the regional assessment was also a global one. Two other species were typical for the region but also occurred beyond bioregional boundaries (Halodule beaudettei and H. wrightii). The remaining species were either distributed circumglobally (2 species), or consisted of peripheral populations of species characteristic of neighboring bioregions (2 species). The detailed information of 15 assessments have been made freely accessible in an open repository. Nine species maintained their previous risk of extinction status, while one species (Thalassia testudinum) changed from the Least Concern to the Near Threatened category. Downgrading of the status of T. testudinum is worrying, as this is the dominant climax species in the wider Caribbean. Its replacement by less resistant and smaller but faster growing species, such as Syringodium filiforme and H. wrightii (both classified as Least Concern), could compromise the ecosystem services of seagrasses in this bioregion. An additional two species had been recently introduced, and are also briefly covered. The assessments included past and present taxonomical uncertainties of various assessed species. Issues concerning the current boundaries of the bioregions themselves were also encountered. To address this and better capture future and ongoing range expansion or reduction associated with climate change, we propose overlapping transitional boundaries with neighboring seagrass bioregions.

Traditional knowledge, transmitted across generations, embodies a vast repository of practices and insights vital for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. In sub-Saharan Africa, plants are essential resources for food, medicine, materials, energy, and cultural practices, supporting cultural practices and livelihoods. Mozambique, with its diverse habitats, harbours more than 6,000 plant taxa (including species, subspecies and varieties), among which the Fabaceae family stands out. This family includes around 800 taxa and significantly contributes to the country's ecological, economic, and cultural richness. This study presents a comprehensive survey of the diversity, distribution, and traditional uses of Fabaceae plants in Mozambique. Through an integrated approach combining literature reviews, online databases, and herbarium specimens, we compiled an extensive database documenting 220 taxa used traditionally across 11 categories, with materials, livestock fodder and food being the most prevalent. Several key taxa, such as Afzelia quanzensis, Cordyla Africana, and Tamarindus indica, emerged for their high use-value and multipurpose role. Our conservation assessment revealed that six native taxa, including Bussea xylocarpa and Icuria dunensis, are classified as threatened by the IUCN, emphasising their vulnerability and the need for sustainable management aligned with traditional practices. The findings of our study underscore the urgency of preserving traditional knowledge while promoting the conservation and sustainable use of Fabaceae diversity in Mozambique.

Genotypic data (8 loci) of 35 populations of Ecklonia maxima and Ecklonia radiata from South Africa and Australia

The southern coast of Africa is one of the few places in the world where water temperatures are predicted to cool in the future. This endemism-rich coastline is home to two sister species of kelps of the genus Ecklonia maxima and Ecklonia radiata, each associated with specific thermal niches, and occuring primarily on opposite sides of the southern tip of Africa. Historical distribution records indicate that E. maxima has recently shifted its distribution ~ 70 km eastward, to sites where only E. radiata was previously reported. The contact of sister species with contrasting thermal affinities and the occurrence of mixed morphologies raised the hypothesis that hybridization might be occurring in this contact zone. Here we describe the genetic structure of the genus Ecklonia along the southern coast of Africa and investigate potential hybridization and cryptic diversity using a combination of nuclear microsatellites and mitochondrial markers. We found that both species have geographically discrete genetic clusters, consistent with expected phylogeographic breaks along this coastline. In addition, depth-isolated populations were found to harbor unique genetic diversity, including a third Ecklonia lineage. Mito-nuclear discordance and high genetic divergence in the contact zones suggest multiple hybridization events between Ecklonia species. Discordance between morphological and molecular identification suggests the potential influence of abiotic factors leading to convergent phenotypes in the contact zones. Our results highlight an example of cryptic diversity and hybridization driven by contact between two closely related keystone species with contrasting thermal affinities.

IntroductionThis study investigated a community-based management model in a mangrove-dependent community in central Mozambique and its adequacy as a management tool for conservation.MethodsSatellite images were used to map changes in mangrove cover between 1996 and 2017. Individual interviews and Focus Group Discussions were conducted with community members to understand the mangrove restoration processes and management models.Results and discussionAfter unsustainable exploitation that led to mangrove deforestation, the local community engaged in a restoration and management program that started in the late 1990s. Local norms were delineated by the Natural Resources Management Committee (NRMC) aiming at (1) reducing extractive uses by introducing alternative income generating activities; (2) awareness and mangrove planting and (3) law enforcement. Ten hectares of forest were rehabilitated. However, the management system fails to exclude illegal cutters and to enforce regulatory and sanctioning mechanisms, due to resource limitations. More involvement from government authorities and other stakeholders is needed to enhance law enforcement and explore opportunities for carbon trading, tourism and payment for ecosystem services. Additional recommendations are to develop a community management plan and create alternatives to mangrove products and income. Mangrove community-based management is increasingly advocated in many developing countries to promote sustainable utilization of resources and conservation. Understanding the reasons behind the limited success and lessons learnt at this site will guide similar programs elsewhere in Mozambique and other parts of the globe.

We find ourselves at a critical crossroads for the future governance of the high seas, but the perceived remoteness of the global ocean creates a psychological barrier for people to engage with it. Given challenges of overexploitation, inequitable access and other sustainability and equity concerns, current ocean governance mechanisms are not fit-for-purpose. This decade offers opportunities for direct impact on ocean governance, however, triggering a global transformation on how we use and protect the half of our planet requires a concerted effort that is guided by shared values and principles across regions and sectors. The aim of the series of workshops outlined in this paper, was to undertake a futures thinking process that could use the Nature Futures Framework as a mechanism to bring more transformative energy into how humans conceptualise the high seas and therefore how we aim to govern the ocean. We found that engaging with the future through science fiction narratives allowed a more radical appreciation of what could be and infusing science with artistic elements can inspire audiences beyond academia. Thus, creative endeavours of co-production that promote and encourage imagination to address current challenges should be considered as important tools in the science-policy interface, also as a way to elicit empathetic responses. This workshop series was a first, and hopefully promising, step towards generating a more creative praxis in how we imagine and then act for a better future for the high seas.

Mangroves and seagrasses present with high marine macroinvertebrate biodiversity that contributes to their structure and functioning. Macroinvertebrates possess a broad range of functional traits, making them excellent models for biodiversity and available-trait-based studies. This study aimed to characterize the biodiversity of marine macroinvertebrates as two different ecosystems situated along the coastline of Maputo Bay by compiling dispersed data from online databases. Specifically, this study addressed species richness, taxonomic and functional diversity based on two traits (habitat occupation and trophic guild), and the community structure of these traits. Mangroves presented with a higher species richness and taxonomic diversity than seagrasses. The functional diversity of mangroves was mostly explained by the trophic guild trait. In the case of seagrasses, functional diversity was mostly due to differences in habitat occupation in the 20th century, but the trophic guild accounted for this functional diversity from 2000 onwards. The comparison of community compositions between the two ecosystems showed low or no similarity. The use of digital databases revealed some limitations, mostly regarding the sampling methods and individual counts. The trends and data gaps presented in this study can be further used to inform subsequent systematic data acquisition and support the development of future research. A further step that may be taken to improve the use of digital data in future biodiversity studies is to fully incorporate functional traits, abundance and sampling methods into online databases.

One of the best ways to share and disseminate biodiversity information is through the digitization of data and making it available via online databases. The rapid growth of publicly available biodiversity data is not without problems which may decrease the utility of online databases. In this study we analyze taxonomic, geographic and temporal data gaps, and bias related to existing data on selected marine invertebrate occurrences along the coastline of two African countries, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe. The final marine invertebrate dataset comprises of 19.910 occurrences, but 32% of the original dataset occurrences were excluded due to data gaps. Most marine invertebrates in Mozambique were collected in seagrasses, whereas in São Tomé and Príncipe they were mostly collected offshore. The dataset has a temporal coverage from 1816 to 2019, with most occurrences collected in the last two decades. This study provides baseline information relevant to a better understanding of marine invertebrate biodiversity data gaps and bias in these habitats along the coasts of these countries. The information can be further applied to complete marine invertebrate data gaps contributing to design informed sampling strategies and advancing refined datasets that can be used in management and conservation plans in both countries.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of changing environmental conditions on MMI ES in seagrasses and mangroves. We used data from satellite and biodiversity platforms combined with field data to explore the links between ecosystem pressures (habitat conversion, overexploitation, climate change), conditions (environmental quality, ecosystem attributes), and MMI ES (provisioning, regulation, cultural). Both seagrass and mangrove extents increased significantly since 2016. While sea surface temperature showed no significant annual variation, sea surface partial pressure CO2, height above sea level and pH presented significant changes. Among the environmental quality variables only silicate, PO4 and phytoplankton showed significant annual varying trends. The MMI food provisioning increased significantly, indicating overexploitation that needs urgent attention. MMI regulation and cultural ES did not show significant trends overtime. Our results show that MMI ES are affected by multiple factors and their interactions can be complex and non-linear. We identified key research gaps and suggested future directions for research. We also provided relevant data that can support future ES assessments.

Marine macroinvertebrate communities play a key role in ecosystem functioning by regulating flows of energy and materials and providing numerous ecosystem services. In Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe marine macroinvertebrates are important for the livelihood and food security of local populations. We compiled a dataset on marine invertebrates from Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe through an extensive data search of digital platforms, scientific literature, and natural history collections (NHC). This dataset encompasses data from 1816 to 2023 and comprises 20,122 records, representing 617 families, 1552 genera, 2137 species, providing species occurrence in mangrove forests, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and other coastal and offshore habitats. The dataset has a Darwin Core standard format and has been fully released in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). It is accessible through the GBIF portal under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. The data are standardized and validated with tools such as WoRMS, GEOLocate, and Google Maps. Therefore, they can be readily used for further studies on species richness, distribution, and functional traits. Overall, this dataset contributes baseline information on marine biodiversity for future research.

Seagrass degradation in the western Indian Ocean is of serious concerns with numerous severe climate events that has impacted Mozambique, as well as South Africa in recent time, highlighting the need for re‐establishing these critical habitats. The following paper present a field experiment from Mozambique concerning disturbance‐and‐recovery effects of Zostera capensis, a highly impacted seagrass species in the region. We undertook trials mimicking disturbance of meadows in terms of digging to collect clams, a common practice in Maputo Bay. Our results indicated that once such anthropogenic impacts are halted, Z. capensis meadows restore itself after 12 months of impact exclusion. In addition, we also conducted seagrass restoration experiment using a manual method, the so‐called plug method which, demonstrated to improve the survival rate with 75%, which has large implications for seagrass transplantation projects that are both time consuming and financially costly. The results from this study will further guide the appropriate management to build the best practice in seagrasses meadows restoration and awareness. It is clear from this study that a combination of both impact exclusions and active restoration is bound for best results of seagrass management actions.