Local community training and education in southern Tanzania—a case study

Abstract Local coastal communities are highly dependent upon the marine environment not only for protein but also as a primary source of income. In addition, there are growing economic opportunities offered within the coastal zone. As populations increase in these areas there is an increasing demand on coastal resources. This in turn requires effective management initiatives at regional, national and local levels.The Marine Education and Training Programme in Mtwara, southern Tanzania was a small scale capacity building project that incorporated two elements; a primary schools field day education programme and a marine coastal resources course for fishermen and women from the Mtwara District. The programme ran for a period of 1year and during that time 14 schools, 198 children, 34 fishermen, 2 women and 14 villages participated. Results from preliminary evaluation indicated that such education is not only welcome by the local government offices, teachers, village chairmen and fishermen as an expansion of the knowledge base, but is also an important and valuable stepping stone for the local communities to become active in issues regarding the management of coastal resources.