Protecting Tanzania’s Coral Reefs: From Community Action to National Progress

Tanzanian communities and government programs are working together to safeguard climate resilient coral reefs for people, livelihoods, and marine biodiversity.

27 Jan 2026

Thanks to the dedication of the government, NGOs, universities, and the local communities, Tanzania’s coral reefs—from the waters around Tanga and Pemba Island to Lindi and Mtwara—are being safeguarded for future generations.

Coral reefs are found along two-thirds of Tanzania’s continental shelf, covering approx. 3,580 km2 of this striking coastline of 1,424 km. These reefs provide habitat for over 70% of Tanzanians’ artisanal fish production, with over 87 species of fish identified in these waters.

The waters around Southern and Central Tanzania house coral reefs that have been identified as more resilient to climate change, providing foraging grounds for iconic marine life, including finfish, whale sharks, marine turtles, and dugongs.

The GEF-7 Coral Reef Rescue (CRR) Project, through in-country sub-executing partner Marine Parks and Reserves Unit (MPRU), is supporting the Tanzanian people and local communities as they work together to develop their local and national plans to conserve their climate-resilient reefs.

Throughout 2024 and 2025, substantial groundwork was laid for long‑term coral reef conservation, with outcomes continuing into 2026.

At the UN Oceans Conference, Tanzania announced the establishment of two new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) surrounding Pemba Island, Zanzibar. These include Pemba North-east Marine Conservation Area and Pemba South-east Marine Conservation Area.

Pemba Island, also known as Green Island, is the second largest island in the Zanzibar archipelago. These newly designated MPAs will now protect a total of 1,300 km2 with designated zones for coral reef restoration. The MPRU also plan to designate five islands and one marine park in the areas of Kilwa, in the Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa (RUMAKI) region.

The National Action Plan for the Conservation of Resilient Coral Reefs (NAPCRCR) and National Coral Reef Hub were endorsed and launched in July 2025 with over 100 guests from government bodies and universities, NGOs, international organisations, private sector, and communities.

At the event, speakers highlighted the need for Tanzania to prioritise coral reef protection. These reefs not only provide essential habitats for a wide range of marine species, but they also underpin local food security and support thousands of livelihoods in the fishing sector. Alongside their ecological productivity, Tanzania’s coral reefs also greatly enhance the country’s appeal as a tourism destination.

Participants including members of the PMU at the launch event of the National Action Plan for the conservation of coral reefs in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

These national and international developments complement the collaborative work by local communities and NGOs. This article highlights some of the initiatives completed so far by the GEF-7 CRR Project with its partners on the ground in Tanzania and how local community engagement is contributing to national coral reef conservation efforts.

A 4-day workshop took place in May 2025, focusing on capacity building for MPRU staff in conjunction with SwAM (Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management). This workshop focused primarily on the benefits of addressing MPAs from a network perspective and the importance of adaptive management, the need for General Management Plans and data collection and reporting.

This followed on from previous workshops, where a training program introduced participants to the newly established National Coral Reef Database system. With 60% of resilient coral reefs on the mainland in Tanzania under the jurisdiction of the MPRU, knowledge sharing and support for this team will ensure effective management of resilient coral reefs.

Research on opportunities and threats facing climate resilient coral reefs was also conducted in 2025 with local stakeholders.

Several opportunities were identified, including alternatives to fishing activities and the blue economy. Major threats facing coral reefs include unsustainable fishing practices, inadequate involvement in reef decision-making processes, inadequate use of traditional knowledge in reef conservation, pollution, and climate change.

For example, in Tanga, one of the elders whose livelihood depends on fishing reported that:

“Storms have become more frequent. These days, they are not even predictable. You only hear about ships sinking, and suddenly there's an unpredictable wind, lots of wind, and I don't know where it came from. This is different from how it used to be in the past.”

Another study conducted in 2025 under MPRU and funded by the GEF project was on stakeholders’ awareness of coral reefs conservation. Results show that, in terms of values, behaviour, and emotions, communities were aware of what it takes to conserve coral reefs. However, cognitively, i.e., the awareness based on the levels of information and knowledge of coral reef issues was very low. In addition, women had little knowledge of reefs compared to men.

Local communities were invited to participate in training in Kibiti, Kilwa, and Zanzibar to learn about the National Action Plan for the Conservation of Resilient Coral Reefs and how to actively participate in the National Coral Reef Hub. Attendees included Chairs and Secretaries of the Beach Management Units, Chairs and Secretaries of the Shehia Fisheries Communities (Zanzibar), Community Fisheries Management Associations, Government Officials, Elders, and the media.

Sustainable financing for the future.

As the focus moves towards sustainable finance, work on the ground in Tanzania is focusing on establishing engagement with small, medium, and large established enterprises to support the sustainable management of coral reefs in Tanzania. A cost-benefit analysis of illegal fishing and other unsustainable practices was conducted. This analysis helped generate evidence-based insights to inform conservation strategies to promote sustainable reef management and support the growth of Tanzania’s blue economy.

Free online coral reef conservation courses

Complementing the work of National Hubs on the ground, the GEF-7 CRR project has released free online courses on coral reefs. These include Coral Reefs: Introduction to Challenges and Solutions, Coral Reefs: Data and Monitoring, Coral Reefs: Sustainable Blue Economy, Coral Reefs: Climate Resilient Communities. Alongside these courses, a new online decision support tool was created Coral Reef Rescue Portal. This brings together over 70 existing coral reef datasets and resources in one easy-to-use, searchable platform.

In 2026, we hope to see continued progress in coral reef conservation in Tanzania and are grateful for all stakeholders working to conserve these precious coral reefs for generations to come.

About the project

The Coral Reef Rescue Project is a US$7m initiative funded by the Global Environment Facility to build capacity and solutions that ensure the long-term survival of climate refuge coral reef ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. The project is implemented by the World Wildlife Fund and executed by The University of Queensland in partnership with Wildlife Conservation Society (Fiji, Madagascar, Solomon Islands), Yayasan Reef Check Indonesia, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Philippines and Marine Parks and Reserves Unit, Tanzania.