Tanzania: Tanzania Leads Ocean Conservation

What the report says

Tanzania used the opening of the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Nairobi Convention in Dar es Salaam to press for stronger regional cooperation on protecting the Western Indian Ocean. According to Daily News, the government said the ocean and its resources are worth more than $300 billion and face pressure from climate change, pollution, habitat loss, illegal activity and poorly planned development.

Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi, speaking for President Samia Suluhu Hassan, said Tanzania has contributed through marine conservation, ocean research and the restoration of coastal ecosystems. He pointed to marine protected areas, blue economy policies, investment in marine science and monitoring, and work on pollution control and sustainable fisheries. He also linked conservation to broader goals such as livelihoods, tourism, food security and trade across the region.

The Nairobi Convention, adopted in 1985 under the UN Environment Programme, brings together ten contracting parties around the Western Indian Ocean. The Dar es Salaam meeting also marks 40 years of the agreement, which has supported scientific cooperation, regional action plans and protected areas. Officials including UNEP’s Elizabeth Mrema and Tanzanian environment minister Hamad Masauni called for stronger legal systems, shared data, sustainable financing and wider participation from the private sector, women and young people.

The report frames ocean protection as both an environmental and economic issue, with Tanzania presenting itself as an active regional advocate for a more sustainable blue economy.