The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has called on journalists to give greater prominence to environmental conservation and blue economy reporting, saying stronger public awareness is essential to protecting natural resources and sustaining economic activities that depend on them.
The organisation says the media can play a critical role in connecting conservation with people's livelihoods, influencing public policy and holding authorities accountable for environmental protection.
WWF Senior Programme Officer Happy Minja made the call during a three-day environmental journalism training organised in Morogoro in collaboration with the Journalists' Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET).
He said environmental reporting should go beyond covering conservation campaigns to examining how the degradation of natural resources affects communities, businesses and the country's economic prospects.
"At WWF, we want journalists to put greater emphasis on conservation issues because conservation and the environment are everything. Our lives depend on the environment," he said.
Mr Minja said journalists had the power to raise issues that might otherwise receive little attention, helping to push the government and other stakeholders to take action.
He said WWF was investing in journalists because of their influence in informing the public about conservation, environmental protection, the blue economy and investment opportunities linked to sustainable use of natural resources.
"When we build the capacity of journalists, we believe they will use the knowledge they acquire to educate the nation and society at large," he said.
The training, which brought together journalists from different media organisations, is part of a programme that WWF began in 2022.
Mr Minja said the latest session was the fourth, following previous editions in 2022, 2023 and 2025. He said the organisation had witnessed improvements in environmental reporting and valued journalists' contribution in highlighting challenges facing conservation initiatives.
For Tanzania, stronger coverage of the blue economy is particularly important because coastal and marine resources support livelihoods through activities such as fishing, seaweed farming and other businesses linked to the ocean.
Conservation and Natural Resources Specialist Allen Mgaza said partnerships between conservation organisations and the media were necessary to ensure the public received accurate information about environmental initiatives.
However, he challenged organisations implementing conservation projects to change how they engage journalists, arguing that media involvement should begin at the planning stage rather than after projects have been completed.
"I think project implementers need to change their approach by involving journalists from the beginning of projects, instead of bringing them in only to report on results or challenges," he said.
He said early involvement would give journalists a better understanding of project objectives, implementation challenges and expected outcomes, improving the depth and accuracy of their reporting.
JET Executive Director John Chikomo said WWF had played an important role in building the capacity of journalists covering environmental and conservation issues.
He said the latest training focused on the blue economy and sustainable conservation, reflecting the growing need for reporting that connects environmental protection with economic development.
"The fourth edition of this training has focused on the blue economy and sustainability in conservation, and we have seen significant achievements since the programme started," he said.
Mr Chikomo said JET had also organised field visits with other stakeholders to expose journalists to conservation activities and communities whose livelihoods depend on natural resources.
He cited visits to Tanga Region, where journalists learned about seagrass conservation and seaweed farming, both of which are important to marine ecosystems and coastal livelihoods.
He said environmental issues had previously received limited attention in the media but the situation had improved through initiatives aimed at equipping journalists with specialised knowledge.
Meanwhile, Tanzania Agricultural Development Corridor (AGCOT) Head of Corridor Development John Banga said the media should also give greater attention to the relationship between agriculture and environmental sustainability.
He said journalists could help farmers understand practices that protect soil and other natural resources while improving agricultural productivity and access to markets.
"Media organisations have a major role to play in promoting sustainable agriculture that protects the environment, identifying modern markets and supporting the country's ambition of developing a blue and green economy," he said.
Mr Banga said agriculture and environmental protection were closely connected because farming depends on rainfall patterns, healthy soils and ecological processes that sustain agricultural production.
He said promoting sustainable farming practices would help protect the natural resources on which agricultural communities depend.
The calls highlight the need for environmental journalism that goes beyond reporting activities to examine whether conservation policies and projects are delivering tangible benefits to communities while safeguarding the resources that support Tanzania's economy.