marine environment
The Nairobi Convention holds a Conference of Contracting Parties (COP) every two years to review the implementation of decisions of past COPs. The Eighth Conference of Parties to the Nairobi Convention (COP8) was held on 22-24 June 2015 in Mahe, Seychelles.
At the Conference of Parties 15 decisions were adopted.
The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region is recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot and is one of the least ecologically disturbed areas of the world. The high biodiversity in the WIO and its broad array of habitats, both in the coastal and marine environment, are however under increasing pressure from burgeoning coastal populations.
Tanzania has over 800 km of coastline, characterised by a mixture of beautiful sandy beaches, rocky outcrops, extensive coral reefs, and dense mangrove stands, especially around river deltas. Among the more famous of these natural resources are the beaches of Bagamoyo, the Jozani Forest Reserve, the coral reefs of Mafia, Zanzibar and Pemba, and the Amboni Caves. These coastal ecosystems support a wide variety of marine life.