Priorities for Tanzania’s coastal zone over the next ten years (2016 – 2025)
Investment Prioritization for Climate-Resilient Livelihoods and Ecosystems in the Coastal Zones of Tanzania
Building resilience to short-term climate variability and long-term climate change is a critical development issue for Tanzania, more so within the context of the country’s vision of economic transition over the coming decades. The results and main findings of a new study on priorities for Tanzania’s coastal zones were presented in Dar es Salaam at a seminar arranged by Government of Tanzania, World Bank, and Nordic Development Fund (NDF). The participants also discussed different options to move forward the climate change adaptation agenda in coastal areas.
The NDF-funded study was carried out during 2014 and 2015, in partnership with the Fisheries Development Division at the Ministry for Livestock and Fisheries Development (MLFD) in Dar es Salaam, and the Department of Fisheries Development at the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries in Zanzibar.
The objective of the study was to prioritize actions to promote sustainable coastal livelihoods and ecosystems in mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, in light of climate change. The study established a comprehensive and holistic baseline description of the current situation in the coastal areas. It also identified and ranked current threats to coastal livelihoods and ecosystems in the coming five to ten years and furthermore assessed their sensitivity to climate change hazards. Finally, the study identified measures to mitigate the most significant threats and translated these into actions for the attention of government, private sector and development partners. All the actions identified in the study address major threats to coastal livelihoods and ecosystems, while at the same time offering important entrance points for climate change adaptation. The study was carried out in a participatory manner through field work and stakeholder consultations.
The study identified 63 actions to address the most important threats to the coastal livelihoods and ecosystems of mainland Tanzania. These are systemic actions (broad, cross-cutting actions such as coastal zone management, and improvements in awareness and education), plus more specific actions targeting improvements in fisheries, protecting natural resources, addressing freshwater resources and coastal pollution from sewage and solid waste. The overall indicative budget for the proposed actions on the coastal mainland of Tanzania is US$ 657.55 million.
For Zanzibar, the study prioritized 30 actions to address the most important threats to coastal livelihoods and ecosystems. These are divided broadly into systemic actions (including coastal zone management, education and awareness), in addition to actions focusing on natural resources (notably beach erosion and tourism), as well as on issues related to freshwater resources, sewage and waste treatment, and improvements in fisheries and aquaculture. The overall indicative budget for the proposed actions on Zanzibar is US$ 270.15 million.
NDF is at present in a dialogue on possible follow-up to the study. The overview study report is available for download below while the detailed coastal profile reports are available for download from the project description webpage.
