Page 9 - Tanzania Report

Despite the Fisheries Legislation in place prohibiting the capture and destruction of the turtle species,
no enforcement has been implemented on the ground thus their status continues to be threatened
through hunting, egg collection, nesting disturbance, and incidental capture in nets.

The Opportunity

Tourism Industry in Tanzania Country Profile
The tourism sector is guided by the National Tourism Policy (NTP) of 1999, the Tourism Master Plan and the The Republic of Tanzania
Tourism Act of 2008. The Tourism Policy advocates for development of quality tourism and the Master Plan
identifies the coastal belt as an important zone in view of developing the Southern Tourist Circuit. A number
of initiatives and activities related to coastal tourism development are currently being undertaken such as:
• Cultural Tourism Program, UNWTO STEP Initiatives
• Marine and Coastal Environmental Management Project (MACEMP)
• Rufiji, Mafia and Kilwa (RUMAKI) and JSDF Rufiji
• Mafia and Kilwa Seascape Project implemented by WWF
• Rufiji, Mafia and Kilwa Ramsar site program.

Marine Park and Reserve Act 1994
Another management approach that was adopted to manage coastal and marine resources was the
establishment of the Marine Park and Reserve Act. The aim of the Act was to promote sustainable
management and protection of critical coastal and marine resources through community participation.
The local fishers are given an opportunity to participate in planning and decision-making process and
implementation of marine resource management plans. The Parks established under the Marine Parks
and Reserves Act (No. 29, 1994) are:

• Mafia Island Marine Park,
• Mnazi Bay and Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park,
• Tanga Coelecanth Marine Park.
• And conservation areas; Menai, Mnemba, Chwaka Bay and Pemba Channel in Zanzibar.
• In South of Dar es Salaam, Mafia and Zanzibar sixteen small island have been declared as
marine reserves.

Collaborative Management (Co-management)
Collaborative management (or co-management) is a mechanism that Government of Tanzania
started which calls for all stakeholders including local communities to participate in the development
of policies, regulations and legislations in the management of coastal and marine resources (Pomeroy
and Williams 1994, Borrini-Feyerabend 1996). The primary stakeholders in co-management normally
include government authorities and resource users.

It has been recorded that through this initiative of co-management a number threats to both coastal
resources and coastal environment have dropped drastically such as; the practice of dynamite fishing in
Mafia, Menai and Tanga and the use of beach seines, alternative fishing gear is being used to replace
juya (van Ingen and Makoloweka 1998, Ngaga et al. 1999, Kelleher 1999), reduction in the mining
of live corals in Mafia, instead of use of lime alternative building materials have been adopted such as
clay, reduction in the exploitation of high-valued stocks such as octopus, sea cucumber and lobsters.

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