James Tobey

Remote Sensing of Mangrove Change Along the Tanzania Coast

This article contributes to the understanding of the changes in distribution and total area of mangrove forests along the mainland Tanzania coast over the past decade. Mangroves are recognized as critical coastal habitat requiring protection and special attention. The Tanzania coastline forms a suitable habitat for establishment of mangrove forests. Mangrove forests are distributed from Tanga in the north to Mtwara in the south covering approximately 109,593 hectares from 1988-1990 and about 108,138 hectares in 2000. The largest continuous mangrove stands are found in the districts of Rufiji, Kilwa, Tanga-Muheza, and Mtwara. Comparison of data between these two time periods shows that the geographic coverage of mangroves has no dramatic change in the past decade. The Tanzania Mangrove Management Project and other closely related programs and efforts pertaining to mangrove conservation contribute to direct restoration and natural regeneration of mangroves. This study documents the changes of mangroves and demonstrates that remote sensing and GIS offer important data and tools in the advancement of coastal resource management and ecosystem monitoring. Application of geographic information technologies is critical for improved coastal resources management and decision making for sustainable development in Tanzania.

Practicing Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change: Lessons from Integrated Coastal Management

The challenges faced in adapting to climate change present themselves with increasing urgency. Nowhere will these challenges be greater than in the developing world where often weak institutions and governance systems struggle to deal with mounting pressures from population growth, inadequate infrastructure, and diminishing or already depleted natural resources. This article synthesizes the many global climate change and other anthropogenic threats to coastal ecosystems and draws on lessons and good practices from global experience in integrated coastal management (ICM) that can be transferred to coastal adaptation to these challenges. The case is made that the process and best practices of ICM are not radically changed by applying a climate lens. For the most part, the good practices of planning and implementation coastal management measures apply equally to climate change as they do to other coastal issues. However, there are some new and important considerations that enter into planning and decision-making with respect to climate change. These considerations include the need for an even greater emphasis on nature-based coastal protection strategies and measures, more pronounced issues of uncertainty in decision-making, the need for a longer planning horizon, and the importance of including in the decision-making equation opportunities to mitigate the sources of climate change with adaptation measures.

Learning Frontiers in the Practice of Integrated Coastal Management

Since the Rio conference in 1992 investments in integrated coastal management (ICM) have increased dramatically. National and subnational governments have undertaken many initiatives to protect and develop coastal areas. Extensive field experience has advanced understanding of the operational attributes of ICM. This article reviews the principles and operational attributes of ICM that have become well accepted, particularly from the perspective of international ICM donors and professionals. A common understanding of the fundamentals of ICM provides a base from which targeted and systematic study and assessment of ICM can be conducted. Several thematic areas are suggested where there are currently important needs and opportunities for collective study and learning in ICM. The important role of donors is emphasized in supporting collaborative learning initiatives that advance understanding of ICM, and improve and expand the practice.

Moderating our Expectations on Livelihoods in ICM: Experiences from Thailand, Nicaragua, and Tanzania

Livelihood development is often integrated into coastal management projects as a strategy for increasing project success. This strategy is taken because it is known that livelihood development increases the interest, support, and trust of the community in coastal and marine ecosystem conservation. The research described in this article explores what factors contribute to enterprise success and whether livelihood interventions lead to other benefits in addition to employment and income generation. A learning portfolio approach was used that draws on the field sites and projects supported by the USAID-funded Sustainable Coastal Communities and Ecosystem (SUCCESS) Program. Our experience suggests that key factors that influence livelihood enterprise success (revenue generation) include: the type of enterprise supported, the form of extension support provided, community context, and enterprise ownership (i.e., group or individual). The results also confirm the idea that there are important benefits from livelihood development not related to profitability, which can improve the impact of coastal management programs. We found benefits that include increased resilience, community and gender empowerment, stronger social ties, and improved coordination with local government.

Involving Geospatial Information in the Analysis of Land-Cover Change Along the Tanzania Coast

Abstract This article provides the first comprehensive scientific data on land-use and land-cover change in the coastal zone of Tanzania over the 1990 and 2000 time periods. The research was part of an African region initiative to demonstrate the practical application of geographic information for sustainable development. Remotely sensed images from close to 1990 Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor and 2000 Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) sensor and geographic information system (GIS) technologies are applied to discern changes in land cover and land use along the mainland Tanzania coast. Change detection results show that urban land area has increased dramatically. Mangrove forest area declined modestly, but field verification shows severe deterioration of their conditions near urban areas. While the area of dense woodland decreased, the area of open woodland and the area of woodland interspersed with agriculture increased. This study demonstrates how geospatial information science and technologies provide critical information and tools for coastal resource managers who work at the crossroads of resource use, land-cover change, poverty alleviation, and environmental management.

Donor evaluations of ICM initiatives : what can be learned from them?

Abstract The experience of 19 donor agencies and international organizations with evaluation of ICM initiatives is surveyed to analyze the differences in the evaluative purposes and methodologies and their relevance to a “learning-based approach” to ICM. We group evaluation into three broad categories: performance evaluation, management capacity assessment and outcomes evaluation. Performance evaluations address the quality of project implementation, and the degree to which project goals are achieved. Management capacity assessments are conducted to determine the adequacy of management structures and governance processes as these relate to generally accepted international standards and experience. Outcome assessments evaluate the impacts of a coastal management initiative upon coastal resources and the associated human society(s). The survey show that most donor evaluations emphasize performance evaluation, but usually combine elements of all three types. There is strong interest among international donors investing in coastal management in learning from and advancing coastal management practice. If donors are to maximize leaning and commit to an adaptive approach to ICM they will need to modify the manner in which project monitoring and evaluations are conducted, analyzed and distributed. A number of modifications to current approaches to evaluation are suggested in the paper.