OHI+ Tanzania_Technical Report_2018

Ocean Health Index – Tanzania 2018 10
6. How well can boundaries be drawn that fit ecological units in the sea, e.g. in relation to habitats,
depth, currents and other parameters?
7. How should the assessment cater for the non-union matters with regards to management of coastal
and marine resources
Following consultations the seaward boundary assigned to each operational ‘zone’ was set at the
Territorial Waters boundary defined under the UN Law of the Sea (United Nations, 1982), or 12nM
(nautical miles) from the coastal baseline. The EEZ was classified from 12nM to 200nM (Fig. 4), however
was not considered for this preliminary assessment, as only artisanal fisheries and nearshore coastal and
marine ecosystems were assessed. Zonal boundaries were extended into the ocean along latitudinal lines
to be consistent with the demarcation of the national borders with Kenya in the North and Mozambique
in the South. Where the 12nm territorial waters overlap between mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar zones,
an equal distance was allocated to both (Fig. 4). In total, there are 7 zones for Tanzania (5 zones on
mainland Tanzania and 2 zones on Zanzibar).
Challenges
• There is no official demarcation of sub-national jurisdiction in the ocean, therefore attribution of
these operational boundaries in a justifiable manner required careful and multi-level discussions
• Some regions may disagree with allocation of resources
• The OHI is based on an ecosystem-based approach. Administrative boundaries don’t necessarily align
to ecosystems or socio-economic activities e.g. fishing
• Most problems in ocean emanate from elsewhere e.g. pollution from urban areas such as Dar es
Salaam extends to adjacent regions and those affected districts have little control.
• Planned government activities e.g. offshore oil and gas exploration blocks overlap regions.
• Cumbersome to undertake this preliminary analysis at an administrative regional or district level due
to the high number of divisions.