The wealth from the mud
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is working with the Government of Tanzania to support activities conducive to transformational change in the management and utilisation of marine and coastal resources and habitats, and to help reconcile economic growth and food security with the ecosystem conservation and sustainable use.
Mangroves, classified as forests and wetlands, are able to provide a wide range of ecosystem goods and services. Some of them include trapping sediments and nutrients, stabilizing shorelines and contributing to soil formation; serving as nurseries, refuge and habitat for marine organisms, such as fish, crabs, oysters and other invertebrates, and wildlife, such as birds and reptiles; protecting coastal communities against storms.
Mangroves are also important for aesthetics and tourism. Many people visit these areas for sports fishing, boating, bird watching, snorkelling and other recreational pursuits. Mangrove ecosystems also attract researchers.
In the coastal regions of Eastern and Southern Africa, including in Tanzania, there is a notable migration of rural population to the coasts to benefit from the dynamic growth occurring in those areas. Mangroves provide a wide range of ecosystems services with a direct impact on the livelihoods and food security of local communities. Some of them refer to the provision of timber and non-timber products.
Timber products include firewood, building poles and charcoal used in urban and rural areas. Other uses of mangrove include boat masts and fish traps/stakes. Larger logs of mangroves, especially Avicenniamarina, are used in traditional boats construction. Aerial roots of Sonneratiaalba are also used as floaters for fishing nets. Mangrove wood is also utilized by local communities for furniture making. Non-timber products include honey harvesting, medicinal values, crabs and fish caught inside the forests.
Mangroves compete with urban development along the coasts of Eastern African countries, Tanzania included, and are threatened with degradation and extinction.
Natural resources as a boost to tourism
As one of the most established tourist economies in Africa, Zanzibar aims at preserving indigenous traditions and values, on one hand, while keeping up with the rapid social development and economic growth, on the other. Zanzibar’s natural resources, including mangroves, offer attractive touristic destinations, rich biodiversity and a substantial array of goods and services.
Unfortunately, often, mangroves and other wetland ecosystems are considered wastelands because their values are not fully appreciated, even when fully utilized by the local and tourist population. To bring forth these values, awareness has to be raised about the importance of the different services offered by the mangroves. The value of the Zanzibar ecosystem needs to be studied and brought to light to support decision-makers in mangrove conservation on the Island.
The FAO-KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) funded project for the development of the mariculture, touches upon some of the services offered by the Zanzibar Ecosystem. For instance, through a KOICA-funded Hatchery for the Government of Zanzibar, it is set to produce crab juveniles (crablets) of one of the most valuable crab species in the world, scylla serrata, commonly known as mud-crab. However, it should be noted that the mud crabs hatchery-produced seeds and its farming is at an early stage of development around the world.
Experimental production trials of mud crabs hatchery-produced seeds have been initiated in Zanzibar. The success of these experiments will be an achievement for the production of crabs on extensive or semi-intensive farms, alone or in polyculture with other aquaculture species, and in mangrove forests, ponds and cages. In Zanzibar, while mud crab farming based on collection of juvenile crabs from the wild is slowly taking place, over the past years many farmers have abandoned the activity for the difficulty to find good seeds and for lack of protocols to farm them.
Mangrove-based tourism is another important source of income and employment for Zanzibar coastal communities.
Mariculture project to raise awareness on environmental conservation
This KOICA – funded hatchery project will also increase awareness and sensitize a wider audience on the benefits of mangrove preservation and ecosystem conservation and management.
Considerations about climate change are becoming increasingly important for the selection of suitable mariculture sites and conservation of mangroves. Hence, the need for its preservation and restoration.
The more healthy mangrove forests and ecosystems are, the greater will be their contribution to income and employment generation for coastal communities and the national economy in general.
Everyone living in the Island and coming to this Island is invited to recognize it!