USAID gives Dar 60bn/- for ‘Heshimu Bahari’

US Agency for International Development (USAID) has issued an aid of 25 million US dollars (almost 60bn/-) for ‘Heshimu Bahari’ respect the ocean activity for five years.

The ‘USAID Heshimu Bahari Activity’ Chief of Party Mr Sadiki Laiser told the ‘Daily News’ yesterday that further 13million US dollars has been pumped for the project that will proceed up to 2027.

“In support of the above objectives and to achieve Heshimu Bahari development goals, the activity will implement these under contract programme to support a wide range of community-based conservation efforts around areas important for marine biodiversity and climate adaptation across Tanzania,”
Mr Laiser said.

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The programme will build the technical and administrative capacity of local organisations to enhance the impact of their activities, and perform critical research.

Mr Laiser said the initial package for the activity that started last year was 12million US dollars covering Bagamoyo district (Coast region), Mkinga and Pangani districts of Tanga region. Others are Unguja and Pemba islands in Zanzibar.

Another package amounting to 13milllion US dollars. The new areas being covered are Dar es Salaam, Mafia (Coast), Kilwa (Lindi) and Mtwara.

He said that ‘USAID Heshimu Bahari Activity’ interventions include facilitating dialogues and supporting the design and co-development of Fishery Replenishment Zones (FRZ) networks nested within existing Marine Management Area (MMAs) and Collaborative Fisheries Management Areas (CFMAs) using ecological data or modelling.

The Chief of Party noted that other interventions are co-developing innovative MMA sustainable financing mechanisms; co-developing standard operating procedures for MMA co-management for MMAs and CFMAs.

Others are co-designing compliance-linked livelihood initiatives, engaging tourism private sector actors on FRZ co-development and fisheries private sector actors on value chain and FRZ initiatives that enhance MMA effectiveness.

The activity will also facilitate dialogues with key stakeholders on the MMA science policy-management interface.

Heshimu Bahari aims to achieve some results, including government’s capacity to manage MMAs, integrate climate science and research, and enforce regulations to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing strengthened.

On cards also is to see durable, accountable extension systems that support community management structures to monitor, resolve conflict, and enforce co-management are established and, or strengthened.

Additionally, Mr Laiser said women and youth participation in fisheries MMA management will also be strengthened.

USAID Tanzania Mission Director Mr Craig Hart who toured Chwaka in Unguja South recently said the country’s coral reefs rank among the 50 most climate-resilient reefs in the world based on their biological and oceanographic attributes.

Tanzania’s marine and coastal ecosystems are home to a wide variety of coral reefs, sea grasses, open-ocean pelagic habitats, and mangroves.

Unfortunately, overfishing, poorly planned infrastructure projects, and climate change not only threaten these ecosystems and their fauna and flora but threaten livelihoods and food security.

Mr Hart hailed fishermen and farmers of seaweed as well as fishing committees and societies in general in Chwaka for putting concerted efforts in their economic activities, pledging support from USAID through the activity.

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