By Zuhura Shaweji, 2025 Ocean Restoration Steward
On the shores of Bagamoyo, where the Indian Ocean whispers secrets into the roots of tangled mangroves and swaying seaweed beds, a quiet revolution is growing.
This stretch of Tanzania’s Swahili coast, once a key stop along the Indian Ocean trade route, is now on the frontline of the climate crisis. Here, rising tides, declining fisheries and degraded ecosystems are threatening nature and the livelihoods of thousands who depend on it.
Yet, amid these challenges, a new wave of conservation is unfolding – one that is inclusive, community-led and shaped by women, youth and innovators.
Bagamoyo’s coastal ecosystem is a complex mosaic where patches of mangroves protect the shoreline from erosion. Women wade into the shallows at dawn to harvest red and green seaweed to be used in soaps, skincare and as food supplements. But both mangrove forests and seaweed beds are under threat in Tanzania.
Much of Bagamoyo’s mangroves have now been lost, mostly due to illegal logging, unsustainable harvesting of mangroves for fuelwood and salt pan expansion.
At the same time, seaweed production has been declining due to warming waters, excessive runoff into the ocean from the land and poor access to markets.
Yet these threats have also catalyzed a movement rooted in community resilience and cooperation.
At the heart of this movement is 36-year-old Mama Sauda, a fisherwoman-turned conservation leader and active member of the Bagamoyo Entrepreneurs Group, a local women-led initiative focused on seaweed innovation and mangrove protection in Bagamoyo.
“Conservation used to be something we heard about on the radio, but we didn’t know that it starts with us,” Sauda says.
“Now, we plant mangroves with our own hands. We speak in council meetings. We make decisions.”
Through partnerships with local leaders and youth groups, the Bagamoyo Entrepreneurs Group has restored more than 10 hectares of degraded mangrove land since 2020.
Every Saturday, 25 women meet to tend to mangrove nursery sites, plant seedlings and show others in the community how to successfully restore mangroves.
The women teach their fellow community members how to identify and differentiate mangrove species, including red mangroves (Rhizophora mucronata), yellow mangroves (Ceriops tagal) and white mangroves (Avicennia marina), among many others found in the area.
“We call it ujamaa wa mikoko [mangrove solidarity],” Sauda says in Swahili, her hands coated in salty mud.
Alongside the women’s group, Bagamoyo’s youth are reshaping what conservation leadership looks like.
One standout example is Young Women Thrive, a youth-driven group of young women engaged in seaweed farming and advocacy. At just 24, community mobilizer Lailath Omary is training local girls how to farm seaweed sustainably and create market value-added products.
“Seaweed gave us an income, but innovation gave us independence,” she says.
The group also partners with older seaweed farmers from the Bagamoyo Entrepreneurs Group to learn about traditional planting and harvesting methods, blending ancestral wisdom with new approaches.
These methods include shallow-water and bamboo-rafting seaweed farming, which are each used at different times depending on the weather.
Meanwhile, other members of Young Women Thrive use social media and mobile tools to map farm locations, document climate-related losses and advocate for fair prices for seaweed locally and nationally.
“We use WhatsApp like a monitoring tool,” Omary explains. “If there’s bleaching or poor growth, we send updates and pictures in real time.”
Backed by community networks and mentorship from conservation and blue economy professionals, seaweed farming is no longer just a livelihood – it’s becoming a platform for climate action and entrepreneurship.
Zaituni Bunga, 28, recently launched a small brand of seaweed-based oils and powders after training with Young Women Thrive and a local marine science team. She now sells to eco-conscious buyers in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
“With one kilogram of dried seaweed, I used to earn TZS 1,000 [USD 0.40],” Bunga said. “Now, one bottle of oil sells for TZS 10,000. That’s the difference innovation makes.”
Warda Iddi is another entrepreneur working on seaweed farming and its value chains. She trains other young women to process and package their own products and apply for small grants.
“We want every girl here to believe she can lead, create and protect,” she says.
Bagamoyo’s conservation story is not just the ecological recovery – it’s about the inclusive, grassroots collaboration that powers it.
Each month, a Kijiji Conservation Circle – a group of women building a nature-based economy – brings together women’s groups like the Bagamoyo Entrepreneurs Group, youth initiatives like Young Women Thrive, marine scientists, village elders and government officers.
The circle sits under mango trees and co-designs restoration strategies to allocate replanting efforts in degraded mangrove areas, test new seaweed strains and engage schools in ocean education.
This participatory approach has improved compliance, trust and long-term conservation outcomes.
“When people see themselves as stakeholders, they protect what they help create,” says Bagamoyo District fisheries officer Hillary Maanga.
He notes that over 60 percent of the district’s current conservation volunteers are women, a significant shift from a decade ago. “We’ve gone from top-down policies to bottom-up power.”
My name is Zuhura Shaweji, and I’m from Bagamoyo. With my background in gender and climate, I see how these programs go far beyond environmental restoration. They are changing power dynamics, amplifying marginalized voices and making climate action more equitable.
Women like Mama Sauda, Zaituni Bunga and Lailath Omary are leaders, innovators and role models. Their knowledge will be passed down through generations and continue to shape local policy and science partnerships.
Youth, too, are no longer passive. They’re holding cameras, advocating on WhatsApp, applying for innovation funds and influencing the future of conservation.
As the impacts of the climate crisis intensify, with rising seas, hotter days and declining marine life, these inclusive approaches to conservation are not just ideal – they are essential.
When I ask Mama Zawadi, a beneficiary of seaweed farming, what her dream is for Bagamoyo, she doesn’t hesitate: “I want our daughters to swim in clean water, to fish with their children, to walk among mangroves that we planted.”
I share that dream. And I believe we’re building it tree by tree, tide by tide, hand in hand.
The story of Bagamoyo is not one of crisis but of collaboration. It is a story not just of environmental loss but of community leadership and ecological hope.
In a world desperate for solutions, Bagamoyo offers several. Center women. Trust youth. Invest in local knowledge. And restore not just nature but equity and dignity.
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