Tanzania calls for increased financial resources in protecting grazing areas, forests, water sources

ULAANBAATAR: TANZANIA has called for increased international investment, technology and financial resources to restore degraded land and combat desertification and drought, stressing the need to protect grazing areas, forests and water sources.

The call was made by the Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office (Union and Environment), Eng Hamad Masauni, as Tanzania participates in the 17th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), which was officially opened on Sunday by Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa in Ulaanbaatar.

Speaking at the conference Minister Masauni said the conference, held under the theme “Restore Land, Restore Hope,” places emphasis on increased investment in land restoration, building resilience against drought and desertification, and sustainable management of grazing areas.

He said the declaration of 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists has further elevated Tanzania’s agenda on rangeland conservation and the welfare of pastoral communities at the conference.

“For Tanzania, land degradation is associated with various factors, including deforestation and forest degradation, expansion of agricultural activities, uncontrolled bushfires, soil erosion, unsustainable land use and settlement expansion,” he said.

ALSO READ: Tanzania, ADDI explore strategies to enable African diaspora to support development initiatives

Commenying on the vitality on the event, Eng Masauni said Tanzania’s participation in the conference provides an opportunity to access experience, technology, partnerships and financial resources to strengthen sustainable rangeland management, restore degraded land, conserve forests, water sources and biodiversity, and enhance the resilience of farming and pastoral communities.

Meanwhile, Tanzania’s Convention Focal Point, Thimoth Mande, said international cooperation enables the country to address land degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change in an integrated manner rather than treating them as separate challenges.

Mr Mande said Tanzania’s participation goes beyond attending the conference, providing an opportunity to showcase measures already being implemented to combat land degradation while seeking increased investment and technology.

According to Mr Mande, Tanzania could use the outcomes of the conference to mobilise additional resources from environmental financing institutions and funds, including GEF, IFAD, UNDP, FAO and UNEP, as well as the private sector and innovative financing mechanisms, to scale up land restoration projects from specific areas to wider landscapes.

NEMC Eastern Southern Zone Manager Aminata Kirama said the National Environment Management Council (NEMC) continues to undertake research and assess identified areas facing environmental challenges, providing an important basis for appropriate conservation and land restoration measures.