Government ministries, departments & institutions
The National Environment Management Council (NEMC) came into being in 1983 when the Government of Tanzania enacted the National Environment Management Act No. 19 of 1983. NEMC was established with a broad mandate in response to the national need for such an institution to oversee environmental management issues and also implement the resolutions of the Stockholm conference (1972), which called upon all nations to establish and strengthen national environmental Councils to advise governments and the international community on environmental issues. The object and purpose for which NEMC is established is to undertake environmental enforcement, compliance, review and monitor environmental impact statements, research and awareness raising.
Directorates and Units
NEMC is headed by the Director General and it has 5 technical directorates namely:
Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS) is a semi-autonomous government Executive Agency. The Agency is mandated to sustainably undertake conservation, development and utilization of national forest and bee resources so that they contribute to the social, economic, ecological and cultural needs of present and future generations. The specific role and responsibilities of TFS are designed towards achieving efficient and effective management of forest and bee resources, promoting the potential for the continuous improvement of the quality and value for money on the delivery of public services.
The overall objective of the demonstration project is to contribute to the SAPPHIRE principal goal of achieving effective long-term marine and coastal ecosystem management in the Western Indian Ocean LMEs in line with the Strategic Action Programme as endorsed by the participating countries. Moreover, most of the countries in the WIO region have already developed national strategic approaches towards the green and blue economies which are consistent with and complement the LMEs SAP.
Seagrass ecosystems have been recently acknowledged for their blue carbon potential. Blue carbon, is a recent concept used to refer to organic carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems. Mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass beds possess enormous potential to capture, store and release carbon. These blue carbon ecosystems are considered important natural carbon sink sources.