Journalists have been urged to strengthen investigative reporting on environmental issues to promote accountability, protect communities and expose practices contributing to environmental degradation.
The call was made by the Tanzania-based Media for Indigenous and Pastoralist Communities (MAIPAC), in collaboration with the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC), during the opening of a two-day training for 35 journalists from Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Coast and Morogoro regions.
THRDC National Coordinator, lawyer Onesmo ole Ngurumwa, and MAIPAC Executive Director, Mussa Juma, said journalists needed to move beyond routine reporting and produce in-depth stories that highlight environmental challenges and their effects on communities.
Mr Ole Ngurumwa said numerous environmental issues deserved investigative coverage but remained largely unreported, leaving communities without adequate information and weakening public accountability.
He cited plans to relocate residents in several wards of Temeke District to pave the way for cargo container storage facilities serving Dar es Salaam Port, saying the proposed developments required closer scrutiny by the media.
He questioned whether journalists had adequately investigated plans to establish inland ports in Coast Region and other areas to ease congestion in Dar es Salaam, including identifying the interests behind the projects and their potential consequences.
"We were told the Government planned to establish inland ports in Coast Region and elsewhere to reduce congestion in Dar es Salaam. Now, with these new plans, have we investigated who is behind the projects?" he asked.
He urged journalists to visit project sites, interview affected residents and consult local government leaders to establish whether the developments would create negative social and environmental consequences.
Mr Ole Ngurumwa also highlighted persistent challenges involving poor waste management and the dumping of rubbish along coastal areas, urging journalists to investigate such practices and expose their effects on the environment.
On his part, Mr Juma said the training was part of a nationwide programme through which 140 journalists had so far received training in environmental reporting and relevant environmental legislation.
Supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the initiative seeks to equip journalists with skills to produce impactful environmental stories that promote accountability, environmental protection and improvements in policies and laws.
He said environmental challenges, including land disputes between farmers and pastoralists, human-wildlife conflicts, charcoal production, deforestation and pollution, continued to affect communities but were not receiving sufficient media attention.
"You have been selected for this training to go out and produce investigative stories that can help protect communities and the planet. The situation is not good, and climate change is already having serious consequences," he said.
THRDC Head of Advocacy, lawyer Paul Kisabo, outlined key environmental laws that journalists should understand and apply when investigating environmental issues.
He said violations of existing legislation, coupled with weaknesses in some laws and policies, continued to contribute to environmental destruction.
Mr Kisabo challenged journalists to expose legal violations and use their reporting to push for stronger environmental laws and policies.
Meanwhile, environmental activist Deus Kibamba urged journalists to investigate developments along the coastline, particularly construction activities near the ocean and pollution affecting coastal communities.
He challenged reporters to establish whether the legal restriction on construction within 60 metres of the shoreline was being enforced, identify those occupying such areas and examine whether low-income Tanzanians had fair opportunities to access and benefit from public beaches.
"Go to the coastal areas and establish whether the law prohibiting construction within 60 metres of the sea is being enforced. Investigate who owns those properties and whether low-income Tanzanians have an opportunity to benefit from the beaches," he said.
MAIPAC and THRDC have previously conducted similar training programmes for journalists in the Northern, Lake and Central zones, with some investigative reports already published by local and international media outlets.