Sustaining the World's Large Marine Ecosystems

Figure 6. Artisanal fishing off the East Coast of Africa
In 1994, the Tanga Coastal Zone Conservation and Development Programme
(TCZCDP) was a response to the Tanga Regional government’s concern for the
decline of marine resources and degradation of reefs. The project was
implemented through IUCN’s Eastern Africa Regional Office (EARO), with
funding from Irish Aid.
TCZCDP was one of the first coastal management programmes in the Western
Indian Ocean to make socioeconomic considerations a central objective. It was
one of the first to take a community-based approach to planning and
implementation right from the start. A broad and ambitious strategy incorporated
the development of new socioeconomic activities, developed and implemented
fisheries and mangrove management plans, established and mainstreamed new
institutional arrangements for coastal management, and built capacity through a
major training and environmental education program (Wells et al. 2007).
Collaborative management areas (CMAs) for fisheries were formally adopted in
village by-laws and approved at the national level (Wells et al. 2007). These
areas include reefs closed to fishing to serve as fishery reserves. Destructive and
illegal beach seines (juya) and dynamite fishing were dramatically reduced
through surveillance patrols and gear exchange for beach seines (Horrill et. al.
2001). Regular monitoring of coral reef health and artisanal fisheries, and the
implementation of alternative livelihood strategies such as seaweed farming by
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