Tanzania has launched an ocean conservation program which will also entail the execution of 360 blue and green economy projects reaching out to more than 500,000 individuals.
Together with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the European Union (EU) delegation in Tanzania, the initiative was unveiled in Mjini Magharibi.
The ‘Pamoja Tuhifadhi Bahari Yetu,’ project will be executed in four regions of Mtwara, Coastal, Lindi and Dar es Salaam in the Mainland Tanzania, as well as North and South Unguja in Zanzibar Isles.
The project aims to benefit 500,000 people in the target districts, striding the Indian Ocean Coastline.
Key interventions include the creation of at least 360 blue and green entrepreneurs and support for 15 innovative plastic ventures.
Additionally, the Tuhifadhi Bahari project has set targets to achieve a 10 percent increase in investments in the circular economy and another 10 percent increase in marine and coastal areas under protection or sustainable management by 2028.
Pamoja Tuhifadhi Bahari Yetu Project also intends to contribute to the improved environmental protection and biodiversity conservation of the coastal and marine ecosystems in Tanzania.
Funded by the European Union through the ‘Blue Economy for job creation and climate change adaptation.’ The initiative will contribute to a climate resilient blue economy on the Tanzanian coastal cities and ecosystems.
Country Representative for the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Tanzania, Charles Oluchina, highlighted why the IUCN is proactive in leading the Pamoja Tuhifadhi Bahari project.
“Despite the invaluable benefits the ocean provides to the planet, it is being faced by significant threats that if not controlled will result in the loss of biodiversity and other values we receive from the ocean.” He said adding that the IUCN envisages the interventions will contribute to the existing initiatives geared towards conserving the coastal and marine ecosystems.
The European Union bankrolls the project to the tune of 11 million euro under the broader blue economy for job creation program in Tanzania.
Head of Development Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Tanzania and the East African Community Marc Stalmans, said the EU remains among global leaders in funding biodiversity conservation.
“We as the European Union in general are pledging 20 billion euros per year on conservation and biodiversity.”
Stalmans emphasized that the EU’s biodiversity conservation strategy 2030 is aligning with what Tanzania’s vision 2050 for attaining middle income country—with rich biodiversity—is aiming at.
Zahor El Kharousy, from the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries in Zanzibar said Projects like Bahari Yetu align perfectly with the national agenda, and commended the initiative for its community-driven, inclusive, and environmentally-sound approach.
On his part, Dr Semvua Mzighani, Representative of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, said the government appreciates the project’s focus on community-led approaches, capacity building, and ecosystem-based management.
The launch event was attended by the project’s implementing partners; The Nature Conservancy (TNC), WWF Tanzania, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Tanzania and Forum CC.