The Barren archipelago extends between 15 and 65 kilometres south-west of the town of Maintirano in the Mozambique Channel, less than 500 km from the East African coast. It is composed of a large reef complex, extensive areas of sea grass beds, mangrove forests, estuarine marshes, coastal dunes and dense semi-humid forests. The wide range of preserved, healthy and productive habitats supports exceptionally rich ecosystems, which include 39 coral genera and 150 species of fish. The site is home to five threatened bird species such as the critically endangered Haliaeetus vociferoides and the endangered Arena humbloti and Anas bernieri. There are also five species of threatened sea turtles, eight threatened shark species, the critically endangered coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae, 13 species of dolphins, and the vulnerable dugong as well as several species of whales and rays. A new model of fisheries management promoting the human rights and protecting the fishing zones of a community of more than 4,000 traditional fishermen on the Site has been developed by Blue Ventures.