Realising the value of nature in Tanzania’s fast-growing cities

Nature provides many diverse life-supporting and life-enhancing contributions to people in cities and surrounding areas. Cities that incorporate nature into the urban landscape facilitate improved human health and well-being, support vibrant economies, and protect lives and infrastructure against extreme events. However, rapid urban expansion has led to people around the world living in nature-poor cities, increasingly disconnected from the natural world.

Towards Nature-Rich Cities: The INTERACT-Bio Project in Tanzania

The INTERACT-Bio project was designed to improve the incorporation, utilisation and management of nature within fast-growing urban areas. The project will help city-regions understand the potential of nature to provide essential services and economic opportunities, while simultaneously protecting and enhancing biodiversity and ecosystems.

As part of the INTERACT-Bio project, BORDA Tanzania and Nipe Fagio have developed an outreach programme to create general awareness of the benefits of nature in selected cities in Tanzania: Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Arusha and Moshi.

In 2018, the outreach team put all its efforts into showcasing several “Nature Hubs” at two city events: Dar Construction Exhibition at Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre and Bonanza at Barafu Primary School in Mburahati Ward. The exhibition of different Nature Hubs engaged local government, the private sector and local communities for a better understanding of nature’s benefits in urban areas.

Partnerships for Demonstrating Nature's Benefits at Real Scale

In 2019, the outreach team is working to establish cross-sector partnerships to demonstrate at real scale the benefits of nature in various urban spaces in Tanzania. In July, the outreach team headed by engineer Charles Muhamba and BORDA Tanzania country coordinator Joyce Zablon established an agreement with the Dodoma city council to implement a public garden in Nyerere Square. The garden will be partially irrigated by greywater, supporting the greening of the city and helping to realise its vision of sustainability by 2025.

The INTERACT-Bio project will also:

• support a non-profit organisation (The Kilimanjaro Project) in creating an arboretum in the Kiviwana Conservation Centre in Moshi,
• install a treatment system for reusing greywater from handwashing facilities to irrigate fruit trees in a public school in Arusha, and
• install temporary temperature stations in a public school in Dar es Salaam to demonstrate the cooling effect of trees for benefit of the students and teachers.