Tanzania’s mangrove revival offers hope in climate fight

In the coastal Rufiji Delta, local communities are spearheading a large-scale mangrove restoration effort as a frontline defence against sea-level rise, shoreline erosion and loss of fisheries. Thousands of seedlings are being planted in mudflats where mangroves were lost, restoring a critical carbon sink that stores up to 10 times more carbon per hectare than tropical rain-forests. The project links climate adaptation, biodiversity protection and community livelihoods: women and men join hands to plant and maintain the forests, while fishing families reclaim areas that once were productive. Tanzania plans to highlight this work at the global climate summit in Brazil, aiming to showcase how nature-based solutions can be scaled and funded. The initiative is framed as both an ecological imperative and a means of creating new income streams and resilience for vulnerable coastal communities.