MECA on a mission to charm tourists

Tourism Industry in Zanzibar cannot prosper without the coastal beaches attracting visitors and tourists to the Island. For that matter, community living in coastal areas are supposed to be equipped with knowledge about Conservation of oceanic beaches.

Mkokotoni Environmental Conservation Association (MECA) is an Organization which has embarked on enhancing community capacity to manage environmental conservation in Zanzibar in a bid to enhance the tourism industry.

The organisation provided education to the community on environmental conservation including the national environmental conservation policy of Zanzibar.

Commenting on the training, Hamis Kikuni said that there was a need to educate people on the National Environmental Policy because most of them are not aware of its importance.

“I learned also that there is extensive environmental degradation  in Unguja and Pemba Islands especially sand mining (collection), which leaves holes, cutting of mangrove trees for house construction and firewood, “ he said 

With regard to tourism, Kikuni said that one of the most tourist attractions in Tanzania is the incredible historical cultures and sites. 

However, most of the historical sites are found alongside ocean and coastal areas like the Stone Town and its historical discoveries.  But surprisingly those areas have been destructed by day-to-day human activities.

“If we continue to destruct our coasts and ocean by mining sands, we will produce coastal degradation and as a result the historical sites will be affected by oceanic calamities,” Kikuni added.

Kikuni therefore sees a need for deliberate efforts to educate people on environmental conservation in the coastal areas so as to contribute to the development of tourism, thus national economic growth.

Also, MECA has noted about progressive destruction of coral reefs at great extent due to the human development activities like illegal fishing and fishnet rolling.
For that matter, the organisation finds a need to educate the community on the importance of coral reefs in the ocean. The coral reefs helps the sustainability of living organisms in the ocean like grasses, tortoise, breeding sites of a variety  fish species found in the ocean.

Coral reef is also used as food, shelter of fishes and other species living in the ocean, in that regards, failure to protect and conserve the coastal environment will mean losing ocean products and tourist attractions.

The destruction of those coastal beaches is associated by irregular building close to the ocean, mining of sand in coastal areas and the destruction of coral reefs which leads to the speed up of oceanic tides.