Zanzibar’s marine conservation area has expanded by more than 50 percent, highlighting Tanzania’s progress as governments confront funding shortages and implementation gaps ahead of the 2030 biodiversity targets.
Tanzania has called on world leaders to move beyond biodiversity pledges and deliver concrete action, sustainable financing and greater community participation as countries prepare for a major UN biodiversity summit in Armenia.
Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi made the appeal at the Leaders’ Summit on Biodiversity in Yerevan on Friday, ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), scheduled for October 19–30.
Representing Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Mwinyi stressed the need for practical conservation measures, sustained financial support and meaningful involvement of local communities in protecting biodiversity and ensuring the sustainable use of natural resources, according to a statement from Zanzibar’s Directorate of Presidential Communications.
His remarks come amid growing pressure on governments to translate international biodiversity commitments into measurable progress, particularly in developing countries where conservation needs often outstrip available funding.
Mwinyi said Tanzania had developed its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan for 2025–2030 to strengthen conservation, restore degraded ecosystems and promote the sustainable use of biological resources.
The strategy is designed to guide efforts towards achieving global biodiversity targets while balancing environmental protection with economic development and the needs of communities dependent on natural resources.
Highlighting conservation progress in Zanzibar, Mwinyi said the number of marine protected areas had risen from five to seven, while the area under conservation management had expanded from approximately 2,400 square kilometres to more than 3,600 square kilometres.
The expansion represents an increase of more than 50 percent in the area under conservation management, although the statement did not specify when the changes took place.
Mwinyi said the measures had helped protect marine resources and support sustainable development.
Marine conservation is particularly important for Zanzibar, an island economy where fishing and coastal livelihoods depend heavily on healthy marine ecosystems.
Protecting these ecosystems is closely linked to food security, biodiversity conservation and long-term economic resilience.
However, expanding protected areas alone does not guarantee conservation success. Effective management, ecological monitoring and equitable participation by coastal communities are also essential to securing lasting environmental and social benefits.
Tanzania reaffirmed its commitment to political leadership and implementation of global biodiversity targets by 2030.
Among those commitments is the internationally agreed target of conserving and effectively managing at least 30 percent of terrestrial and inland water areas, as well as coastal and marine areas, by 2030.
The goal, commonly known as the 30×30 target, is part of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by nearly 200 countries in December 2022.
The framework also recognises the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and calls for their effective participation in decisions affecting biodiversity.
Tanzania’s demand for sustainable financing comes as concerns mount over whether governments can mobilise sufficient resources to fulfil their international conservation commitments.
Under the Kunming-Montreal framework, countries agreed to mobilise at least $200 billion annually from public and private sources for biodiversity conservation by 2030.
The agreement also calls for international biodiversity financial flows to developing countries to reach at least $30 billion annually by 2030, alongside efforts to reduce environmentally harmful incentives and subsidies by at least $500 billion a year.
However, data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development indicate that annual biodiversity financing ranged between $75 billion and $92 billion during 2023–2025, less than half the amount targeted for 2030, according to the Associated Press.
The funding gap poses particular challenges for developing countries attempting to protect ecosystems while addressing competing demands for healthcare, education, infrastructure and economic development.
A recently released assessment has also raised concerns about the pace of global implementation.
The State of Biodiversity Action report, launched ahead of COP17, found that fewer than half of the national biodiversity targets assessed were on track, despite widespread government efforts to incorporate international commitments into national strategies.
According to the assessment, current national commitments would protect approximately 26 percent of terrestrial and inland water areas and 12 percent of marine areas by 2030, falling short of the internationally agreed 30 percent target.
Against this backdrop, Tanzania’s emphasis on community participation highlights the challenge of ensuring conservation policies protect ecosystems while respecting the rights, knowledge and livelihoods of people who depend on them.
Local communities, including fishing populations and forest-dependent groups, play important roles in biodiversity conservation.
But meaningful participation requires more than consultation. Communities must also have opportunities to influence conservation decisions and share fairly in the benefits of sustainable resource management.
COP17, being held under the theme “Taking Action for Nature”, will conduct the first global review of collective progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The October 19–30 conference is expected to examine implementation gaps, biodiversity financing, international cooperation and measures needed to accelerate progress towards the framework’s 2030 targets.
Tanzania’s appeal adds to the international debate over how biodiversity-rich developing countries can secure predictable financial support while ensuring conservation programmes deliver tangible benefits for ecosystems and local communities.
With the 2030 deadline approaching, the Yerevan summit will provide a test of governments’ willingness to turn political commitments into stronger implementation, adequate financing and measurable conservation results.
