Community-driven marine conservation ensures sea-grass restoration in Tanga

TANGA: SEA-GRASSES are found in shallow salty and brackish waters in many parts of the world, from the tropics to the Arctic Circle.

Sea-grasses are so-named because most species have long green, grass-like leaves. They are often confused with seaweeds, but are actually more closely related to the flowering plants that you see on land.

Sea-grasses have roots, stems and leaves, and produce flowers and seeds. They evolved around 100 million years ago, and today there are approximately 72 different seagrass species that belong to four major groups.

Sea-grasses can form dense underwater meadows, some of which are large enough to be seen from space. Although they often receive little attention, they are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world.

Sea-grasses provide shelter and food to an incredibly diverse community of animals, from tiny invertebrates to large fish, crabs, turtles, marine mammals and birds. Seagrasses provide many important services to people as well, but many sea-grasses meadows have been lost because of human activities. Work is ongoing around the world to restore these important ecosystems.

Seagrasses provide food for numerous marine creatures such as fish, sea turtles, and dugongs. They also play a role in mitigating climate change because they are highly effective in capturing and storing carbon dioxide. Seagrasses are flowering plants adapted to live completely submerged in seawater.

The notion of seagrass restoration—a nature-based solution to combat seagrass loss and restore vital marine ecosystems is still new to many countries, including Tanzania. However, pilot restoration projects have begun in Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, and Madagascar.

Recently, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in collaboration with the Journalists Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET) organized a study tour of several journalists in Tanga region, where the journalists got a first-hand testimony on the Indian Ocean, where journalists learnt a lot on the issue of sea-grass.

In Moa village, Mkinga District of Tanga region, seagrass restoration is also being carried out through collaboration between stakeholders and the local community. One of the stakeholders leading the restoration efforts in the marine area of the village is the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the University of Dar es Salaam, with funding from the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP).

Dr Blandina Lugendo, the Senior Lecturer and Dean of the School of Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Technology at the University of Dar es Salaam, has it that local people are being involved in the process to increase awareness, foster ownership of the project, build capacity, protect the initiative and ensure long-term success and sustainability.

Selling of fish in Pangani district of Tanga region. Seagrass restoration in Moa village is an on-going initiative aimed at rehabilitating degraded marine ecosystems. As part of wider marine conservation projects, the initiative involves community participation in planting seagrass, monitoring its growth, and promoting sustainable fishing practices.

“Seagrass restoration requires financial and human resources. For this reason, protecting, conserving, and maintaining seagrass beds is given high priority. Planting is conducted in areas where damage has occurred and where the seagrass has failed to recover naturally,” said Dr Lugendo.

In Moa village, she said, the community has been actively engaged and empowered as project owners by receiving education and participating in every stage of the process.

“To attain positive outcomes, it is imperative to integrate seagrass replanting into national and regional planning, policies, and decision-making processes,” said Lugendo, emphasizing the need to develop strategies to reduce or eliminate the factors causing seagrass degradation.

Such strategies may include banning the use of destructive fishing gear—such as drag nets—in seagrass areas, restricting boat movement in shallow seagrass beds, especially during low tide, regulating unplanned seaweed farming, improving management of rivers and other sources of marine pollution, treating wastewater before discharge into the sea, and ensuring that Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) are thoroughly conducted.

Sites for activities such as industries, ports, pipelines, and aquaculture should be located away from seagrass habitats.

“We’ve reinstated between 60 and 70 per cent so far; the work is still ongoing. Achieving full results takes a long time—up to 15 years,” she said, adding that if the planting uses thriving species, the outcomes will be more successful.

Mr Mohamed Ndaro who is the Secretary of the Beach Management Unit (BMU) in Moa, said that they protect marine resources and all other connected components. In protecting these resources, we also conserve the environment and participate in planting seagrasses, mangroves, and corals.

ALSO READ: How IUCN, Mkinga enhance marine conservation by artificial coral reefs

“We also conduct patrols to ensure the planted seagrasses and other materials are not destroyed. The community participates in all activities because they’ve already been educated. We protect these areas because human activities—such as dynamite fishing and the use of drag nets—have contributed to their degradation,” he explained.

Mr Ndaro said they started preparation for seagrass restoration last year. In August 2024, they held training and conducted a survey to identify specific planting areas. He said all community groups—including fishermen, women, youth, and BMU members—were involved. The planting exercise officially began in October 2024.

“Monitoring continues even in the absence of BMU officials as community members are well informed on the importance of seagrass.,” he added.

“Before the ocean floor was wrecked, fish availability was high. We used to get many fish in our local harbour, but after the destruction, fish and other marine species—used both for food and income generation— declined sharply. Since the restoration began, fish are returning. Even species like starfish and invertebrates are making a comeback as the marine ecology begins to rebuild.”

According to Dr Rushingisha George, Senior Researcher at the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI), seagrasses are not well-known, their importance is underappreciated, and conservation efforts are still minimal.

He said that seagrasses supports biodiversity and deliver food for endangered species such as sea. They are also natural water purifiers. He cited World Bank (2023) findings, which show that the annual carbon mitigation potential of seagrasses is the highest among all marine ecosystems.

He added that seagrasses support the fisheries and tourism sectors—both pillars of the blue economy, thus help sustain livelihoods and household incomes for local fishers.

Even though seagrasses and seaweeds look superficially similar, they are very different organisms. Seagrasses belong to a group of plants called monocotyledons that include grasses, lilies and palms.

Like their relatives, seagrasses have leaves, roots and veins, and produce flowers and seeds. Chloroplasts in their tissues use the sun’s energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen for growth through the process of photosynthesis.

Veins transport nutrients and water throughout the plant, and have little air pockets called lacunae that help keep the leaves buoyant and exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the plant.

JET Director, Mr John Chikomo, said his organization has been organizing trainings and field trips for journalists so that they get enough knowledge and experience so that in turn could educate the mass through their media in simple and understandable language, and that has been done successfully and will continue in the future.