Conservation of mangroves a delicate balance

Kibiti. The conflict between the Village Land Act No. 5 of 1999 and the Forest Act No. 14 of 2002 has been cited as a major cause of mangrove forest destruction.

By 2020, more than 7,000 hectares of mangroves had been cleared out of the 53,255 hectares in the Kibiti Rufiji Delta, primarily for agricultural activities, according to reports shared with the Mwananchi newspaper.

This is happening despite research highlighting the critical role of mangrove forests in combating climate change. In 2020 the United Nations University (UNU) and the Institute for Environment and Human Security noted that mangroves are significantly more effective in sequestering carbon dioxide than other forest types. Further states that globally, more than a quarter of mangrove forests have been lost in the past 40 years.

The findings underscore the vital importance of mangroves in mitigating climate change and reducing global warming. In Tanzania, the government is drafting a National Mangrove Management Strategy, expected to be launched in July 2025.

Mangrove hotspots in Tanzania

The Rufiji River Delta hosts the largest mangrove forests in East Africa, followed by Kilwa District in Lindi Region, which has 23,422 hectares.

Speaking on behalf of the Conservation Commissioner, Prof Dos Santos Silayo, Frank Sima, a forest conservation officer with the Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS), said the destruction of mangroves requires urgent and integrated efforts.

“The Rufiji Delta Mangrove Forest Reserve covers 53,255 hectares, but reports indicate a significant decline in its coverage, necessitating deliberate government interventions,” he said.

Mr Sima pointed to unsustainable farming, livestock grazing, and climate change—resulting in rising sea levels—as key drivers of mangrove loss.

“The consequences include stronger ocean waves causing coastal erosion, which brings sand onto the shores and kills mangroves. This is evident in some islands within the Rufiji Delta,” he explained.

A 2015 report by the National Forest Resources Monitoring and Assessment (NAFORMA) detailed the state of mangrove reserves in Tanzania. Another assessment conducted in 2020 revealed that 7,000 hectares in the Rufiji Delta had been converted into rice fields. Current figures suggest that this area has expanded further.

The role of agriculture and legal conflicts

Mr Sima highlighted rice farming as a significant contributor to mangrove destruction.

“The fresh waters of the Rufiji River spread over more than 10,000 hectares of land where farmers cultivate rice. This contributes to mangrove deforestation,” he said.

While the Forest Act emphasises conservation, the Village Land Act allows villagers to clear land for farming as part of land-use planning.

Mr Sima traced the issue back to the 1971 Ujamaa Village policy, under which some villages were established within the Rufiji Delta’s mangrove reserves.

“There are 43 small islands in the delta, 24 of which lie within the reserve. Nineteen villages are registered there, and their rice farms overlap with mangrove forests, creating legal conflicts,” he said.

Before the Ujamaa Villages policy, communities used the islands for fishing, and farming was conducted outside the mangrove areas.

Community perspectives

Some villagers, such as those in Nyamisati, have expressed dissatisfaction with TFS’s efforts to restore mangroves in areas they use for farming.

Ms Sakina Anthony, a rice farmer, lamented that mangrove restoration efforts have disrupted their activities.

“We still plant rice where they’re planting mangroves, but the close spacing of mangroves prevents our rice from thriving,” she said.

Another farmer, Fatuma Ally, criticised the lack of community engagement in the restoration process.

“Mangroves have been planted on my farm without my permission. I’m a widow raising orphans, which limits my ability to provide for my family. We ask the government to create a plan to support us,” she said.

Management strategy

In response to the destruction, the government has developed the National Mangrove Management Strategy, scheduled for launch on July 26, 2025—World Mangrove Day. “The strategy will address legal, regulatory, and administrative conflicts in mangrove conservation,” Mr Sima said.

He also mentioned the National Forestry Implementation Plan (2021–2030), which seeks to enhance enforcement of the 1998 Forestry Policy.

Under the plan, the government permits national and international stakeholders to collaborate with local governments to combat mangrove destruction.

Unregulated activities

In addition to rice farming, other contributors to mangrove loss include unregulated salt farming and daily resource needs. “Those establishing salt farms often expand without following proper procedures, leading to further deforestation,” Mr Sima said.

Enforcing Conservation Rules

Sima explained that mangrove harvesting is governed by guidelines outlined in the Mangrove Forest Conservation Plan. The current plan, updated in 2021, divides mangroves into four zones: conservation, harvesting, restoration, and investment.

In harvesting zones, TFS allows cutting specific mangrove species—Mkaka, Mkandaa, and Mchu—within defined size ranges.

“Any violation of these standards is considered destructive,” Mr Sima said. Villages surrounding mangrove forests are also permitted to create by-laws to regulate forest management and collect fees at the local government level.

Historical context

Mangrove conservation in Tanzania dates back to 1898 under German colonial rule. The Germans reserved mangroves in Rufiji (now Kibiti District) for timber trade, primarily with Arab traders exporting to the Persian Gulf.

The British expanded conservation efforts in 1928, declaring all mangroves along the Tanganyika coast—from Tanga to Mtwara—government reserves.

Mangrove locations in Tanzania

Mangrove forests can be found in Mkinga and Pangani districts (Tanga) and Kinondoni, Temeke, and Kigamboni (Dar es Salaam). The Pwani Region hosts mangroves in Bagamoyo, Mkuranga, Mafia and Kibiti. In Lindi, Kilwa District has significant mangrove coverage, while Mtwara’s mangroves are concentrated around the Ruvuma River mouth.

This article is sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Kibiti. The conflict between the Village Land Act No. 5 of 1999 and the Forest Act No. 14 of 2002 has been cited as a major cause of mangrove forest destruction.

By 2020, more than 7,000 hectares of mangroves had been cleared out of the 53,255 hectares in the Kibiti Rufiji Delta, primarily for agricultural activities, according to reports shared with the Mwananchi newspaper.

This is happening despite research highlighting the critical role of mangrove forests in combating climate change. In 2020 the United Nations University (UNU) and the Institute for Environment and Human Security noted that mangroves are significantly more effective in sequestering carbon dioxide than other forest types. Further states that globally, more than a quarter of mangrove forests have been lost in the past 40 years.

The findings underscore the vital importance of mangroves in mitigating climate change and reducing global warming. In Tanzania, the government is drafting a National Mangrove Management Strategy, expected to be launched in July 2025.

Mangrove hotspots in Tanzania

The Rufiji River Delta hosts the largest mangrove forests in East Africa, followed by Kilwa District in Lindi Region, which has 23,422 hectares.

Speaking on behalf of the Conservation Commissioner, Prof Dos Santos Silayo, Frank Sima, a forest conservation officer with the Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS), said the destruction of mangroves requires urgent and integrated efforts.

“The Rufiji Delta Mangrove Forest Reserve covers 53,255 hectares, but reports indicate a significant decline in its coverage, necessitating deliberate government interventions,” he said.

Mr Sima pointed to unsustainable farming, livestock grazing, and climate change—resulting in rising sea levels—as key drivers of mangrove loss.

“The consequences include stronger ocean waves causing coastal erosion, which brings sand onto the shores and kills mangroves. This is evident in some islands within the Rufiji Delta,” he explained.

A 2015 report by the National Forest Resources Monitoring and Assessment (NAFORMA) detailed the state of mangrove reserves in Tanzania. Another assessment conducted in 2020 revealed that 7,000 hectares in the Rufiji Delta had been converted into rice fields. Current figures suggest that this area has expanded further.

The role of agriculture and legal conflicts

Mr Sima highlighted rice farming as a significant contributor to mangrove destruction.

“The fresh waters of the Rufiji River spread over more than 10,000 hectares of land where farmers cultivate rice. This contributes to mangrove deforestation,” he said.

While the Forest Act emphasises conservation, the Village Land Act allows villagers to clear land for farming as part of land-use planning.

Mr Sima traced the issue back to the 1971 Ujamaa Village policy, under which some villages were established within the Rufiji Delta’s mangrove reserves.

“There are 43 small islands in the delta, 24 of which lie within the reserve. Nineteen villages are registered there, and their rice farms overlap with mangrove forests, creating legal conflicts,” he said.

Before the Ujamaa Villages policy, communities used the islands for fishing, and farming was conducted outside the mangrove areas.

Community perspectives

Some villagers, such as those in Nyamisati, have expressed dissatisfaction with TFS’s efforts to restore mangroves in areas they use for farming.

Ms Sakina Anthony, a rice farmer, lamented that mangrove restoration efforts have disrupted their activities.

“We still plant rice where they’re planting mangroves, but the close spacing of mangroves prevents our rice from thriving,” she said.

Another farmer, Fatuma Ally, criticised the lack of community engagement in the restoration process.

“Mangroves have been planted on my farm without my permission. I’m a widow raising orphans, which limits my ability to provide for my family. We ask the government to create a plan to support us,” she said.

Management strategy

In response to the destruction, the government has developed the National Mangrove Management Strategy, scheduled for launch on July 26, 2025—World Mangrove Day. “The strategy will address legal, regulatory, and administrative conflicts in mangrove conservation,” Mr Sima said.

He also mentioned the National Forestry Implementation Plan (2021–2030), which seeks to enhance enforcement of the 1998 Forestry Policy.

Under the plan, the government permits national and international stakeholders to collaborate with local governments to combat mangrove destruction.

Unregulated activities

In addition to rice farming, other contributors to mangrove loss include unregulated salt farming and daily resource needs. “Those establishing salt farms often expand without following proper procedures, leading to further deforestation,” Mr Sima said.

Enforcing Conservation Rules

Sima explained that mangrove harvesting is governed by guidelines outlined in the Mangrove Forest Conservation Plan. The current plan, updated in 2021, divides mangroves into four zones: conservation, harvesting, restoration, and investment.

In harvesting zones, TFS allows cutting specific mangrove species—Mkaka, Mkandaa, and Mchu—within defined size ranges.

“Any violation of these standards is considered destructive,” Mr Sima said. Villages surrounding mangrove forests are also permitted to create by-laws to regulate forest management and collect fees at the local government level.

Historical context

Mangrove conservation in Tanzania dates back to 1898 under German colonial rule. The Germans reserved mangroves in Rufiji (now Kibiti District) for timber trade, primarily with Arab traders exporting to the Persian Gulf.

The British expanded conservation efforts in 1928, declaring all mangroves along the Tanganyika coast—from Tanga to Mtwara—government reserves.

Mangrove locations in Tanzania

Mangrove forests can be found in Mkinga and Pangani districts (Tanga) and Kinondoni, Temeke, and Kigamboni (Dar es Salaam). The Pwani Region hosts mangroves in Bagamoyo, Mkuranga, Mafia and Kibiti. In Lindi, Kilwa District has significant mangrove coverage, while Mtwara’s mangroves are concentrated around the Ruvuma River mouth.

This article is sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.