Marine and Coastal EbA for Enhanced Resilience in Southern Africa Country Review: Tanzania

This report reviews the status of marine and coastal ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) in Tanzania, focusing on mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. It identifies significant climate vulnerabilities, including sea-level rise and storm surges, and examines the governance frameworks, policy gaps, and opportunities for integrating nature-based solutions into national climate strategies to enhance coastal resilience and support local livelihoods.

• Tanzania's coastal zone is home to approximately 10 million people who rely heavily on marine resources, but these ecosystems are threatened by population growth, economic expansion, and destructive practices such as coral and sand mining, municipal pollution, and mangrove clearing for aquaculture and infrastructure.
• Climate change projections for Tanzania indicate an average annual temperature increase of 1C between 1960 and 2006, with further increases of 13C expected by the 2050s. Sea-level rise is projected to cause annual damages of approximately $200 million in lost land and infrastructure, with $5.3 billion in assets at risk from flooding.
• Despite having various climate adaptation strategies, Tanzania has not explicitly included marine and coastal EbA in its current policy architecture, including its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the UNFCCC. Existing EbA projects are described as isolated and limited in scale.
• Governance of coastal resources is fragmented across multiple ministries, leading to overlapping jurisdictions and ineffective management. For example, mangroves are managed by the Tanzanian Forest Service Agency (TFS) for forestry, the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development for mariculture, and the Ministry of Energy and Minerals for salt evaporation permits.
• Tanzania's National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) prioritizes 'hard' engineering solutions, such as the construction of a 2,400m concrete seawall in Dar es Salaam, over nature-based solutions, although some mangrove and coral reef restoration is used as a complement.
• The Rufiji Delta, East Africa's largest mangrove forest, faces significant threats from agricultural expansion (specifically rice paddy farming), pollution, and potential downstream impacts from the proposed Stieglers Gorge hydropower dam, which could affect 200,000 people's livelihoods.
• Women in coastal communities are among the most vulnerable and dependent on near-shore resources, yet they face socio-cultural and religious barriers that prevent their active participation in leadership and decision-making processes.
• There is a critical lack of accurate spatial data on the extent and health of mangroves and seagrasses, though the use of GIS and smartphone apps (such as the 'East Africa Mangrove Field Data Form') is beginning to improve data collection.
• Opportunities for sustainable financing of EbA include blue carbon projects (similar to Kenya's Mikoko Pamoja), the REDD+ strategy for forest carbon, and private, not-for-profit models like the Chumbe Island Coral Park, which is 100% self-financing through ecotourism.

APA

CHEVALLIER, R. (2019). Marine and Coastal EbA for Enhanced Resilience in Southern Africa Country Review: Tanzania. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Special-Report-chevallier2-002.pdf

Chicago

CHEVALLIER, ROMY. Marine and Coastal EbA for Enhanced Resilience in Southern Africa Country Review: Tanzania. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2019. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Special-Report-chevallier2-002.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=CHEVALLIER |first1=ROMY |title=Marine and Coastal EbA for Enhanced Resilience in Southern Africa Country Review: Tanzania |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Special-Report-chevallier2-002.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chevallier2019marine, author = {CHEVALLIER, ROMY}, title = {{Marine and Coastal EbA for Enhanced Resilience in Southern Africa Country Review: Tanzania}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Special-Report-chevallier2-002.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }