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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesTANZANIAN WILDLIFE EXPERTS CHECK OUT BUCK ISLAND

TANZANIAN WILDLIFE EXPERTS CHECK OUT BUCK ISLAND

Tanzania may be known as the home of Mount Kilimanjaro and vast wildlife preserves filled with lions, elephants and giraffe, but it also has a rich marine environment similar to the Virgin Islands'.
Because it has in common with the Carribean such marine life as sea turtles, sea grass, corals and mangroves, five Tanzanian wildlife and natural resource officials toured Buck Island Reef National Monument on Monday and took part in all-night sea turtle research the night before.
Their visit to St. Croix followed a two-week visit to the Cumberland National Seashore in Georgia and the Florida Keys National Sanctuary. Their next stop will be the V.I. National Park on St. John.
The visitors came to see how the National Park Service on St. Croix deals with such matters as research, conservation and tourism. Such tours are made possible through the collaboration of the U.S. Department of Interior and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Situated along the Indian Ocean on the east coast of Africa, Tanzania has long been known for its parks, Mount Kilimanjaro and Lake Victoria. Since the country’s independence in 1959, a dozen national parks have been established, said Lota Melamari, who chairs the Board of Trustees for Tanzania Marine Parks and Reserves.
Tanzania has five marine reserves and a single marine park — Mafia Island Marine Park, established in 1995. The 328-square-mile park encompasses 11 villages with about 15,000 inhabitants. Because of that dynamic, Melamari said, he and his colleagues are studying ways to meld biodiversity with sustainable use of marine resources.
Effort to establish more marine parks in Tanzania are patterned after successes in establishing and managing land-based national parks, he said. Currently, management of the marine sector is under the nation’s fisheries director, within the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.
"There is only one marine park," Melamari said, "but we’re moving rapidly to establish a second one. We have a strong belief we can merge them in the future."
The establishment of marine parks will help stop harmful practices such as dynamite fishing while at the same time begin programs such as coral rehabilitation, said Dr. Yunus Mgaya, a professor at the University of Dar es Salaam. The observed saw a coral rehabilitation program in Florida; a similar program is in place for the V.I. National Park.
"Dynamite fishing is a big problem," Mgaya said. "We have huge expanses of reef damaged by dynamite."
Chikambi Rumish, manager of the marine park and reserve, said he was impressed with the volunteerism he has seen at parks throughout his visit. That is something that is being stressed on Mafia Island, he said.
"I think the citizens are well informed to ensure the sustainability of the resource," he said. "I think that was a good lesson."
The visitors got to see an example of volunteer involvement on Buck Island during sea turtle research lasting from sundown Sunday to sunup Monday.
"To participate in that kind of research, a lot of patience is required," said Thomas Maembe, director of fisheries. "Maybe you get results, maybe you don’t."
To find out more about Tanzania and what it has to offer click here

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