Tanzania will establish two new marine protected areas off the eastern coast of Pemba Island in the semiautonomous region of Zanzibar, the fisheries minister for Zanzibar announced at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, on June 10.
Zanzibar’s minister for blue economy and fisheries, Shaaban Ali Othman, said at the conference that the new MPAs showcased Tanzania’s commitment to “champion a community-driven and science-based approach to marine conservation and governance, to strengthen the protection of [both] vulnerable species and a critical ecosystem, and to enhance the resilience of coastal communities in Pemba.”
Thousands of delegates and heads of state from more than 50 countries are gathered at the U.N meeting from June 9-13 to discuss some of the biggest challenges facing oceans, from climate change to biodiversity loss, and working toward consensus on solutions.
Expanding protected areas is a traditional strategy to govern the seas sustainably. The push for more MPAs gained momentum under the Kunming-Montreal agreement signed in 2022, which called for protecting 30% of the Earth’s land and oceans by 2030, known as the 30×30 goal.
The two new MPAs, the North-East Pemba Conservation Area and the South-East Pemba Conservation Area, will together cover more than 1,300 square kilometers (502 square miles). They will shelter coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass habitats.
“Pemba East has been identified as a climate refuge and a biodiversity hotspot by WCS [Wildlife Conservation Society] scientists; however, past projects have focused on other areas. As a result, communities in Pemba East have not benefited from the many development and conservation projects in Zanzibar,” Jean Mensa, director of the Tanzania Marine Program at WCS, said in a statement. “This project will help improve community and ecosystem resilience through livelihoods and ecosystem rehabilitation and restoration.”
WCS, a U.S.-based nonprofit, was among the groups supporting the creation of the MPAs.
Pemba’s population of around half a million people relies heavily on the ocean; roughly 90% of Zanzibar’s fisheries are artisanal and dependent on reefs.
“A critical step in this process has been an extensive and a direct consultation process [with] the coastal communities on the east side of Pemba,” Othman said. According to the minister, around 3,800 residents were consulted, and more than 80% voted in favor of the protections.
“We are proud to be part of something that will protect our ocean and support our future,” Hadija Rajab Ali, a fisher and community leader from Micheweni district in Pemba, said in a statement from WCS. “This MPA is a reflection of our community’s voice and vision. It shows what’s possible when we work together to care for the sea.”
Banner image: A coral reef in Zanzibar. Image courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society.
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