Fuente : World Bank
http://www.worldbank.org

Tanzania: World Bank Supports Marine and Coastal Environment Management Project in Tanzania

/noticias.info/ Washington DC, July 21, 2005— The World Bank Board of Directors today approved the Marine and Coastal Environmental Management project for the United Republic of Tanzania. The overall project cost is US$61 million, including a US$51 million credit* from the International Development Association (IDA) and a US$10 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The Grant from GEF was included in the work program approved by the GEF Council on April 6, 2005.

The Marine and Coastal Environment Management project aims to strengthen the sustainable management and use of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), territorial seas and coastal resources of the United Republic of Tanzania resulting in enhanced revenue collection, reduced threats to the environment, better livelihoods for participating coastal communities living in the coastal districts and improved institutional arrangements.

The grant has a 6-year objective to develop an ecologically representative and institutionally and financially sustainable network of marine protected areas and to build capacity in the United Republic of Tanzania to measure and manage transboundary fish stocks.

The lack of a sound governance regime for both offshore marine fishery and the nearshore fisheries results in serious loss of revenue for Tanzania and lost economic opportunities for local fishermen and the growth and possible export of other marine products. The project aims to strengthen the governance regime for both the commercial fishery in Tanzania’s Exclusive Economic Zone as well as the nearshore marine resources.

The project also aims to achieve improved quality of life and social well being in the target areas through better information and training to promote innovation, access to markets, value addition of marine products, reduction of post harvest loss and the identification of public-private partnerships to reduce risk and vulnerability.

The Marine and Coastal Environment Management project will target all coastal districts on mainland Tanzania as well as Unguja and Pemba islands in Zanzibar and the 200,000 km2 Exclusive Economic Zone. The strategies being implemented are intended to be replicable throughout the coastal area, thus representing a potential target population of 8-9 million inhabitants along 1,424 km of coastline. The project will improve governance of the EEZ, and increase the effective management and protection of the 37,000 km2 of territorial seas.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a mechanism for providing new and additional grant and concessional funding to meet the agreed incremental costs of measures to achieve agreed global environmental benefits in the six focal areas - Climate change, Biodiversity, International waters, Ozone, Land degradation, and Persistent organic pollutants. GEF also supports the work of the global agreements to combat desertification and eliminate persistent organic pollutants.

The World Bank Group is one of GEF’s implementing agencies and supports countries in preparing GEF co-financed projects and supervises their implementation. It plays the primary role in ensuring the development and management of investment projects. The Bank draws upon its investment experience in eligible countries to promote investment opportunities and to mobilize private sector, bilateral, multilateral, and other government and non-government sector resources that are consistent with GEF objectives and national sustainable development strategies. Since 1991, the World Bank Group has committed $1.972 billion in GEF resources and $3.037 billion in Bank group co-financing for GEF projects in 80 countries. In addition to GEF and Bank resources, it has mobilized additional co-financing of $6.952 billion from other donors.

* The credit is provided on standard International Development Association (IDA) terms, with a commitment fee of 0.35 percent, a service charge of 0.75 percent over a 40 year period of maturity which includes a 10-year grace period. notas_de_prensa_archivo