24 rivers empty into the ocean in this region, which supports extensive mangroves, coastal swamps, and tidal estuaries.
[3] The extensive mangrove forests and coastal wetlands are important habitat for waterbirds, with over 73 species present.
[5] The Sofala Bank is an productive fishery, particularly for Indian prawns (Fenneropenaeus indicus).
Large seasonal floods have been reduced, and sediments and nutrients formerly carried to the sea by floodwaters are now trapped behind dams.
[8] The productivity continued to decrease from 2000 to 2014, and the region also saw a decline the total harvest of prawns and other food fish during the same period.