Plant mangrove trees to protect and restore coastline in Tanzania

Place Zanzibar, Tanzania

Affiliate Project Mikoko Kwanza

Community members of Pemba Island are dependent on their environment for their livelihoods. Their ability to earn income from fishing and small holder farming is threatened by soil erosion and flooding, resulting from changes to rainfall patterns and a measurable increase in the severity and frequency of coastal storms. The most vulnerable community members benefit from additional income earned through work planting the mangroves, while all community members benefit from the stabilizing impact of the mangroves which protect the coastline, preventing both erosion and flooding. All community members also benefit from education on the impacts of climate change and the importance of taking action to mitigate against the negative impacts it is having on their environment.

$75 can plant 1,000 seedlings along the most vulnerable sections of coastline in Pemba. This includes the costs of transporting and compensating community members for their labour. 

As a small island, Zanzibar is on the global front lines of climate change impact. By planting mangroves, we can protect the coastline of Pemba from the increased severity and frequency of coastal storms which have dramatically altered rainfall patterns and are threatening the landscape. This is an important intervention to enable the community to adapt to their changing climate, addressing the negative impact climate change is having on local livelihoods and the local fishing and farming economy.

The dense roots of mangrove trees shelter coastlines through storm protection and shore stabilization, and prevent soil erosion and flooding. Up to 3/4 of all tropical fish are born in these nutrient rich habitats, and they protect coral reefs from sedimentation and by filtering out toxins at the shore. Mangroves also sequester large amounts of carbon, at higher rates than terrestrial forests. In Pemba, as well as globally, mangrove forests are being degraded, putting livelihoods and our environment at risk.