Fresh push for wise management of Tanzania’s natural wealth

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is rich in natural resources but recent trends have shown threats, with stakeholders calling for wise management to ensure clean and green development.

Rapid population growth; an increasing urbanisation rate; a growing economy driven by the country’s industrialisation agenda; and climate change are the main factors that emphasize the need for improved management, according to a new report launched yesterday.

Incidents like poaching, overfishing and overcrowding are cited as threats to the resources.

The government and the World Bank partnered to produce the country environmental analysis which indicates resources such as forests, freshwater, fisheries, land, and wildlife were under threat.

“Our economy depends heavily on natural resources and more than half of Tanzanian population lives in rural areas depending on natural resources for food, fuel and fodder. We therefore need to wisely manage the natural resources,” said Vice President Samia Suhu Hassan who launched the report yesterday.

Tanzania’s economy grew by around seven per cent in the recent years, but the experts say that is also stressing the natural resources due to dependence on them.

Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries represented 30 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017, the report indicates.

Tanzania is reported to be one of only 10 countries in Africa—and of only a few more countries in the rest of the world—where total wealth per capita has declined.

The country’s total wealth per capita—the sum of all types of physical, human, and natural capital— declined between 1995 and 2014, despite robust and sustained economic growth. Competing demands for and open access to many of Tanzania’s natural resources are causing the resources’ degradation and are limiting their ability to continue to provide goods and services.

The report warned that rapid population growth, economic growth, increasing urbanisation and climate change as factors posing risks towards the natural resources.

“The impacts of these factors are intensifying and have resulted in significant loss of ecosystems, competing demands for land and water and environmental pollution,” said Mr Daniel Mira-Salama from the World Bank who presented summary of the report.

World Bank country director Bella Bird said Tanzania’s natural resources were currently at risk of going down but asked the actions taken today.

“Tanzania has the opportunity to harness its natural capital in a sustainable way. Tanzania should, in a way, feel fortunate that they are still in the early phases of some of the serious environmental challenges we witness worldwide,” she said.

The Minister of State in the Vice President’s Office responsible for Union Affairs and Environment Mr January Makamba said the report would guide the policymakers in making right decisions.

“As a people, we are growing more alert to the challenges and opportunities that we have as a country, and conserving our natural resources and environment has gradually scaled up the priority list. We are building commitment and we are appreciative of the support from development partners, including analytical work in this kind of report,” he said.

Pathways

The pathways suggested by the report include conservation of biodiversity and marine and freshwater resources; promotion of resilient landscapes; access to modern fuels and low impact urbanization; and strengthened institutions for pollution management.