NICE, France, Jun 10 (IPS) – The late afternoon solar sparkles on the waters of the French Riviera as yachts dock on the Port of Good with mechanical grace. A tram glides previous palm-lined boulevards, the place joggers, drenched in sweat, huff previous leisurely strollers and sunbathers. Simply beside the promenade, a crowd gathers round a younger woman. With braided hair bouncing in rhythm, she belts out Beyoncé’s Halo with beautiful precision. Her naked ft dance on the cobblestones, her voice echoing towards the pastel façades.
Vacationers smile and drop cash into her hat. She grins, curtsies, and begins once more. Her melody, easy but soulful, is a momentary respite from the convention halls just some blocks away, the place world leaders in gleaming designer fits dart to and from the United Nations Ocean Convention—a stone throw away.
Amongst these representing Africa is Tanzanian Vice-President Philip Mpango, who reaffirmed his authorities’s dedication to the sustainable conservation of oceans and marine sources, citing nationwide efforts to fight air pollution, overfishing, and the frequent affliction of local weather.
“We should take motion to guard our oceans and marine ecosystems. The challenges are huge, however there may be all the time hope for once we construct resilience towards the tough impacts of local weather change that threaten our coastal communities,” Mpango mentioned in a press release aired again dwelling on Nationwide Tv Mpango.
However as policymakers communicate of high-level targets, 1000’s of kilometers away on the sun-scorched coast of Zanzibar, 43-year-old Amina Ali squats barefoot within the muddy shallows of the Indian Ocean. Her weathered palms transfer via the water with practiced familiarity, adjusting the polyethylene ropes that maintain her seaweed crops.
“I used to earn sufficient to ship my kids to highschool and purchase meals,” she tells IPS by WhatsApp name, her voice tinged with quiet desperation. “Now, the climate is so unpredictable, and the ocean is consuming our farms. Some days, I come dwelling empty-handed.”
Amina is among the many 1000’s of girls within the Zanzibar archipelago who rely upon seaweed farming for survival. As soon as hailed as a booming inexperienced financial system enterprise, seaweed manufacturing is now threatened by rising sea temperatures, shifting tides, and erosion—local weather change-fueled adversities which have turned once-thriving seashores into battlegrounds.
Again in Good, because the world gathers to chart a course for ocean well being, Dr. Immaculate Semesi, Director Normal of Tanzania’s Nationwide Environmental Administration Council (NEMC), underscores the stakes. “Our oceans are our financial lifeline for 1000’s of our folks; we should defend them at any price,” she tells IPS on the sidelines of the convention.
Tanzania’s ocean territory spans greater than 64,000 sq. kilometers, wealthy in biodiversity and essential for meals, transport, and employment. But, this “blue financial system,” as specialists name it, stays closely underutilized and in danger resulting from Unlawful, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, marine air pollution, and poor regulation.
IUU fishing, typically performed by foreign-flagged vessels, has lengthy plagued Tanzanian waters. Fishermen make use of damaging strategies—blast fishing and banned nets—that decimate marine habitats and undermine lawful fishing operations.
“We’ve made enormous progress—blast fishing has been lowered by 80 p.c via group vigilance and stricter legislation enforcement,” says Dr. Flower Msuya, a marine biologist on the College of Dar es Salaam, in an interview with IPS in Good. “However we nonetheless face severe challenges. Seaweed farmers are struggling. Corals are bleaching. Fisheries are dwindling. Local weather change is accelerating all of it.”
Lately, Tanzania has stepped up efforts to curb environmental degradation. It has banned single-use plastic luggage, ratified worldwide marine safety conventions, and adopted insurance policies just like the Nationwide Blue Economic system Coverage (2024) and the Nationwide Motion Plan (2024/2025–2025/2026). These frameworks goal to combine environmental sustainability with financial growth throughout sectors—fisheries, tourism, transport, and renewable vitality.
Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous archipelago, has turn into a mannequin on this regard. Underneath President Hussein Ali Mwinyi, the area has elevated the Blue Economic system to a nationwide growth precedence. Seaweed farming has rebounded, recording over 16,000 tons in 2023, practically double that of 2020. Fish manufacturing reached 80,000 tons final yr, because of authorities assist together with boats, loans, coaching, and a devoted Ministry of Blue Economic system and Fisheries.
Tourism has flourished as properly. In 2023, Zanzibar welcomed greater than 638,000 worldwide vacationers, surpassing pre-pandemic highs. The variety of accommodations and guesthouses rose to 709, together with new eco-friendly lodges that promote marine conservation.
“The Zanzibar mannequin exhibits us that sustainability and financial development can go hand in hand,” says Dr. Msuya. “However we want extra funding, extra local weather adaptation applied sciences, and insurance policies that attain grassroots communities—particularly ladies like Amina.”
Nonetheless, gaps stay. Many seaweed farmers battle to entry trendy farming instruments, credit score, or markets. Amina’s coastal village, as soon as lined with seaweed drying racks, is now dotted with deserted plots.
“We’re not asking for charity,” Amina says. “We simply need assist to adapt. The ocean has all the time fed us and we are going to all the time rely upon it.”
On the United Nations Ocean convention, Mpango acknowledged these vulnerabilities. He burdened the necessity for world cooperation and regional partnerships to boost ocean governance and marine safety. His name for motion resonated with delegates from throughout the World South, a lot of whom face comparable crises.
Tanzania’s newest marine motion plans goal to extend surveillance, foster group engagement, and harness scientific analysis. These embrace extra patrols to fight IUU fishing, tighter enforcement of fishing licenses, and partnerships with universities to observe marine ecosystems.
But, the tempo of change is usually slower than the rising tides.
Because the solar dips into the Mediterranean in Good, casting a golden glow on the port the place that younger woman sings Beyoncé with uncooked emotion, her voice appears to echo the silent struggles of girls like Amina—unheard but very important.
The ocean, huge and mysterious, connects them.
From the gilded shores of France to the salt-sprayed coasts of Tanzania, the destiny of the ocean is tied to each tune sung, each rope tied, and each promise made.
And as leaders pack up their speeches and fly dwelling, the true work begins—not in marble halls, however in muddy waters the place the ocean meets life.
IPS UN Bureau Report
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