Rumaki (Rufiji-Mafia-Kibiti-Kilwa) Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 2023, in United Republic of Tanzania. Set along Tanzania’s south-eastern coast, the Rufiji–Mafia–Kibiti–Kilwa (RUMAKI) Biosphere Reserve is a largely low-lying marine–coastal seascape of coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests and open waters centred on Mafia Island and the crescent-shaped Rufiji Delta. It includes Tanzania’s first marine protected area – Mafia Island Marine Park – and neighbours the Swahili stone-town ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara. RUMAKI’s objectives are to conserve mangroves and the Mafia–Songosongo reef–seagrass complex, foster community-led fisheries and low-impact ecotourism for resilient livelihoods, and underpin management with research, monitoring and education.