From Tanga to Mtwara and across Zanzibar — Tanzania's coral reefs, seagrass, and seaweed ecosystems are being surveyed for the first time in a single, nationally coordinated effort. We are leading that work, and here is what we are finding, how we are doing it, and why it matters.
Tanzania has over 1,400 kilometres of coastline. For decades, pieces of it have been studied — a reef here, a seagrass bed there. But no one had ever sat down and surveyed the whole thing systematically, from north to south, inside and outside protected areas, using the same methods so that the data could actually be compared.
That is what is happening right now. And we are in the middle of it.
Through a commission from The Nature Conservancy, funded by the European Union's €110 million Blue Economy Programme, we are leading the most comprehensive marine ecosystem assessment ever conducted in Tanzania. The work runs from 2026 to 2027 and covers five ecological zones — Tanga, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Mafia, and Mtwara.
What are we actually doing in the water? Our teams are conducting detailed surveys of coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and seaweed ecosystems. We are using underwater cameras, GPS-linked depth sensors, and a grid-based photography system that captures what the seabed looks like at multiple depths. The imagery goes into an internationally recognised marine science platform for analysis — including AI-assisted identification of habitat types and health indicators.
We are also going beyond the ecology. We are calculating the value of what these ecosystems provide to people — fish, coastal protection, income from tourism, carbon storage. This is called ecosystem valuation, and it is increasingly important for making the case to governments and investors that protecting the ocean is not a cost — it is an investment.
To do this work across an entire country, no single organisation can go it alone. We have assembled a team drawn from Tanzania's best marine science institutions — researchers, divers, data analysts, and community specialists working together in the field.
When this assessment is complete, Tanzania will have something it has never had before — a single, up-to-date, scientifically credible picture of the health of its entire coastal and marine environment. That picture will guide conservation policy, attract investment, and inform marine park management for years to come.
We are proud to be leading it.
“You cannot protect what you have not measured.”
Published by BlueGreen Tanzania
Field notes from our work across the Tanzanian coast.