Tanzania has secured approval from the Global Environment Facility for a US$6 million initiative aimed at safeguarding some of the country’s most critical coastal and marine ecosystems, advancing a national effort to link climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and inclusive blue economy growth. The project targets the Tanga–Pemba Seascape, a stretch of the Western Indian Ocean coastline that underpins livelihoods, food security, and economic activity for millions of people.
Approved by the GEF Council, the Sustainable Management of Critical Coastal Habitats in Tanzania Project will be implemented by the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, in partnership with the Vice President’s Office and UNDP Tanzania. The initiative is designed to strengthen ecosystem resilience, expand community-led restoration, and create new nature-positive economic opportunities across priority coastal districts in mainland Tanzania and Pemba.
Coastal ecosystems as national infrastructure
Mangrove forests, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and fisheries nursery grounds form the backbone of Tanzania’s coastal economy and its natural defences against climate impacts. These ecosystems support an estimated 15 million people and play a central role in protecting shorelines, sustaining fisheries, and storing blue carbon.
“This project comes at a crucial moment, supporting national efforts to protect biodiversity, enhance climate resilience, and expand sustainable blue economy opportunities for coastal communities,” said Mr Shigeki Komatsubara, UNDP Tanzania Resident Representative. “Tanzania’s coastal ecosystems are among the country’s most valuable natural assets. UNDP is proud to partner with the Government and the GEF to ensure these habitats continue to thrive for future generations.”
The project will operate across eight priority coastal districts — Kinondoni, Tanga, Mkinga, Muheza and Pangani on the mainland, and Chakechake, Wete and Mkoani in Pemba — as well as within marine protected and conservation areas, collaborative fisheries management zones, and the Pemba Channel Conservation Area.
From protection to production
Beyond habitat protection, the initiative is structured to translate ecological resilience into economic opportunity. Interventions will focus on strengthening coastal and marine governance, improving ecosystem monitoring, expanding marine spatial planning, and restoring degraded mangrove, seagrass, and coral habitats.
At the community level, the project will support inclusive livelihood diversification, with a particular emphasis on women, youth, and artisanal fishers. Planned activities include scaling sustainable seaweed farming, promoting eco-tourism, and strengthening community-led fisheries management.
“Healthy coastal ecosystems are essential to Tanzania’s food security, economic growth and climate resilience,” said a representative of the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries. “This initiative enables us to scale up integrated habitat management and strengthen community-driven stewardship across the coastline.”
Multilateral backing for a blue economy transition
The project aligns with Tanzania’s National Blue Economy Policy, National Mangrove Management Plan, National Climate Change Strategy, and ongoing marine spatial planning processes. It also contributes directly to SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
GEF Chief Executive Officer Carlos Manuel Rodríguez said the initiative reflects the growing emphasis on community-centred ocean stewardship. “Tanzania’s Tanga–Pemba Seascape is one of the country’s most valuable ecosystems, and millions of people rely on its natural resources for their livelihoods. By working hand in hand with communities and empowering them to become guardians of the ocean, this project will help restore this rich habitat while creating economic opportunities that reinforce nature-positive benefits for all.”
The project also includes a circular-economy dimension, identifying waste-to-resource solutions that reduce pressure on coastal ecosystems while generating green jobs. These include community recycling hubs, eco-material production for habitat restoration, and low-impact fishing and tourism innovations.
Scaling impact along the coast
Over its lifetime, the initiative is expected to benefit more than 14,600 people directly and indirectly, with global environmental gains including improved management of critical coastal ecosystems, restored habitats, increased blue-carbon sequestration, and strengthened climate resilience for coastal communities.
As climate impacts intensify across the Western Indian Ocean, Tanzania’s GEF-backed project positions coastal ecosystems not as vulnerable edges of development, but as strategic assets central to long-term economic stability and resilience.
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