It is said that “nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” (Lao Tzu). Mangroves are one of nature’s true accomplishments. These tropical plants are adapted to loose, wet soils, salt water tides and provide a natural infrastructure — a safety net — for their surroundings. They reduce soil erosion and absorb storm surges during extreme weather events. Their environmental impact protects both people and biodiversity.

Tanzania's total forest vegetation covers 48.1 million hectares (ha), while the mangrove forest ecosystem in Tanzania covers an area of 158,000 ha — 0.32 percent of total forest cover. Despite their small area coverage, mangrove forests provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including coastal protection, breeding sites for various aquatic inhabitants, biofiltration of pollutants, provision of habitat for birdlife and wildlife. They also increase the potential of carbon sequestration, contributing to the improvement of climate change.  Opportunities for beekeeping and ecotourism also directly benefit. Any source of mangrove degradation or decline has major implications for both marine resources and livelihood of adjacent mangrove-dependent communities.

To ensure people continue to benefit from mangroves and to halt illegal cutting for charcoal production rather than their degradation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), through the European Union funded “Multilateral Environmental Agreements in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Countries – Phase III (ACP MEAs 3)” project, has supported restoration of two hectares of mangrove forest close to Tundwi Songani village in the Kigamboni district.

ACP MEAs 3 Project Coordinator Diomedes Kalisa recently visited the mangrove forest nurseries in Kigamboni. “A total of 20,000 mangroves seedlings were planted in a reserve area close to Tundwi Songani village. Some 36,000 mangrove seedlings are being raised in a nursery and are expected to be planted between April and May 2023, covering three hectares of degraded mangrove areas in that district,” he explained.

“This has been made possible by the commitments of the district authority and the community members who have played and continue to play critical roles in collecting and planting mangrove seedlings despite challenging conditions that exist in the mangrove forest,” Kalisa said.

“Mangrove forest degradation, due to illegal cutting of mangrove trees for charcoal and firewood, was previously rampant due to limited funding resources for both protection and restoration. Community-based mangrove restoration, facilitated by FAO, has raised awareness amongst neighbouring communities about the importance of protecting and restoring mangrove forests for enhanced sustainable provision of ecosystem services in the long run.”
Kigamboni District Executive Director (DED), Erasto Kiwale, thanked FAO and the EU for their support, which has not only restored degraded land, but also instilled skills that will help staff and citizens prioritize environmental conservation on a daily basis.

“We greatly appreciate this project because now our mangrove forest, which was badly destroyed due to various human activities, has been restored and the coastline is regaining its beauty, and looks so attractive,” said Sikujua Mwapinga, District Natural Resources, and Environmental Conservation Officer.

Mangrove forest restoration requires technical and financial support to ensure that interventions are scaled up to other locations that have not yet been addressed, as well as community commitment to ensure that whatever has been planted is protected.”