Tanzania has urged countries bordering the Western Indian Ocean to turn environmental commitments into concrete action, warning that climate change, marine pollution and unsustainable exploitation of ocean resources are increasingly putting coastal livelihoods and economies at risk.
Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office (Union and Environment), Eng Hamad Y Masauni, said stronger regional cooperation was needed to protect marine ecosystems while ensuring communities continue to benefit from the ocean.
He made the call in Dar es Salaam yesterday while opening a technical meeting of national focal points and partners ahead of the 12th Conference of the Parties (COP12) to the Nairobi Convention.
More than 500 delegates from the Western Indian Ocean region and international organisations are attending the conference, which is being held as the Nairobi Convention marks its 40th anniversary.
Mr Masauni said the region was facing increasingly complex threats, with rising ocean temperatures and acidification damaging coral reefs and fisheries, while plastic pollution and unsustainable fishing were degrading marine ecosystems.
“Climate change is warming and acidifying our waters, threatening coral reefs and fisheries, thus threatening the livelihoods of coastal communities and even national economies,” he said.
The minister said growing demand for marine resources was adding pressure on already vulnerable ecosystems, making coordinated action among countries essential.
The Western Indian Ocean supports millions of people through fisheries, tourism, transport and other economic activities. Damage to marine ecosystems therefore carries consequences beyond environmental conservation, affecting food security, incomes and economic growth.
Mr Masauni said the regional response should consequently move beyond environmental protection alone and link conservation with livelihoods, food security, resilient infrastructure and responsible economic activity.
“This integrated approach is at the heart of the sustainable blue economy and must be reflected in our decisions,” he said.
The Nairobi Convention brings together 10 Contracting Parties—Tanzania, Comoros, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia and South Africa—to coordinate protection and sustainable management of marine and coastal resources in the Western Indian Ocean.
Tanzania is currently chairing the Convention's Bureau after being elected at COP11 in Antananarivo, Madagascar, in August 2024.
Mr Masauni said Tanzania's leadership had overseen several regional policy initiatives, including the finalisation of a protocol on marine and coastal biodiversity and protected areas, a regional oil spill contingency plan and a regional strategy on plastics and associated chemicals.
The country has also supported the development of a regional vision and implementation framework on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.
Several of these frameworks are expected to be considered by the parties during COP12.
However, Mr Masauni cautioned delegates against producing decisions that remain on paper without clear mechanisms for implementation.
He said the technical meeting should establish what had changed since previous decisions, where progress had been made, what gaps remained and what action was required.
“Decisions that cannot be translated into national and regional action will not meet the urgency before us,” he said.
He called for fewer, clearer and more measurable commitments, with each decision assigned a responsible institution, realistic implementation arrangements and mechanisms for tracking progress.
The minister also pushed for greater involvement of communities, women and young people in environmental decision-making.
He said coastal communities should not be regarded merely as beneficiaries of conservation programmes but as key actors in protecting marine resources and shaping investments that affect their livelihoods.
Science and traditional knowledge, he added, should both inform regional policies, while governments, private-sector players and communities should have clearly defined responsibilities.
The minister further stressed the importance of regional data-sharing and compatible environmental standards, saying marine pollution and ecosystem degradation do not stop at national borders.
“The value of this Convention will be measured by the results achieved across our coasts and seas, and not by the number of meetings held or decisions adopted,” he said.
The Nairobi Convention was adopted in 1985 and entered into force in 1996. Tanzania ratified it in March 1996 and the amended Convention in September 2017.
Over the past four decades, the Convention has supported regional cooperation on marine protected areas, pollution control, biodiversity conservation and scientific capacity.
In Tanzania, the regional framework has complemented national conservation efforts, including the establishment of the Marine Parks and Reserves Unit in 1996 and the creation of the Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park and Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park.
Mr Masauni said the 40th anniversary should be used to assess the Convention's achievements while preparing for emerging threats to the ocean.
He said decisions expected from COP12 would shape regional approaches to marine conservation and sustainable use of ocean resources for years to come.
“As the Nairobi Convention enters its fifth decade, we have an opportunity to shape its future direction, strengthen its implementation and ensure that it remains fit for purpose in a changing world,” he said.
COP12 is expected to bring together governments, development partners, scientists and other stakeholders to consider regional priorities on marine pollution, biodiversity, climate change and sustainable use of the Western Indian Ocean.