The Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park (TCMP) (''Hifahdi ya taifa Bahari ya Sikilikanti wa Tanga'', in

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language official in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa * Swahili culture Swahili culture is the culture of ...

) is a Marine park in Tanzania, with the IUCN category II located within Tanga Region of Tanzania. The Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park (TACMP), which covers the entirety of Tanga City and all Coastal Areas from

Tanga Bay Tanga Bay (''Ghuba la Tanga'', in Swahili) is a bay in Mkinga District of Tanga Region of Tanzania. The bay is home to Tanga Island and is surrounded in the north by Chongoleani ward, west by Mabokweni and Mzizima wards. To the south is Centr ...

and South of the Fishing Village of Kigombe, was Gazetted in 2009 by the Government of Tanzania (GoT) in recognition of the value of the Coelacanths and for their protection (see Map 1). Coelacanths have been spotted on

Tanga Island Tanga Island known during German East Africa as Toten Island in old colonial maps (Swahili ''Toten'', adapted from German ''Toteninsel'', meaning "Island of the Dead") is a small uninhabited and protected island situated north of the city of Ta ...

, Mwambani Bay,

Yambe Island Yambe Island ( Swahili ''Kisiwa cha Yambe'') is protected, uninhabited historic island located directly east of the city of Tanga in Tanga District of Tanga Region in Tanzania. It is the largest island in Tanga region. It is located entirely wi ...

, and Karange Island, all of which are part of the Park.

Overview

The park is famous for its conservation of the coelacanth. Island under the marine park include

, Karange Island and

Toten Island Toten Island ( Swahili ''Kisiwa cha Toten'', adapted from German ''Toteninsel'', meaning "Island of the Dead") is a small uninhabited and protected island situated north of the city of Tanga's harbour in Tanga Region, Tanzania. It is within th ...

. Shoals in the marine park include Fungu Niule and Fungu Tongone. Offshore from Tanga Bay to Kigombe.

Geography

The marine park is around 552 square kilometers, of which 85 square kilometers is terrestrial, covering small coastal parts of

Pangani District Pangani District (Swahili language: ''Wilaya ya Pangani'') is one of the eight districts and one of 11 administrative councils in Tanga Region in north eastern Tanzania. As of the 2012 census, the population was Pangani district was 54,025, makin ...

Muheza District Muheza is one of eleven administrative districts of Tanga Region in Tanzania. The District covers an area of . It is bordered to the north by Mkinga District, to the east by Tanga and the Indian Ocean, to the south by the Pangani District and ...

and Tanga District. The park extends along the coast from 100 km starting from the estuary of the Pangani River to the bay of

Tanga Tanga may refer to: Places Burkina Faso * , a town in eastern Burkina Faso * Tanga, Sidéradougou, a village in western Burkina Faso * Tanga-Pela, a village in northern-central Burkina Faso Other places * Tanga, Tanzania, a city and port on th ...

City. The Marine parks covers the Islands of Toten, Yambe and Karange Islands. The marine park is home to the famous Coelacanth. The park is also a sanctuary for the African Dugong and

Green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exten ...

Ecology

Coelacanth fish are found in waters that are deeper than 150 metres. Coelacanths are among the oldest fish on earth, existing more than 300 million years before dinosaurs and listed as a "Cites I Species" that is highly endangered. They have great scientific value because we can learn a lot from them about how living things have changed over time, especially when marine organisms first began to migrate to new habitats on land. When Tanga fishermen began unintentionally catching coelacanths in Tanga while using deep-sea shark nets, the species was only found in 2003.

Management

A general management plan, with specific zones for protection and multiple uses, was created for the Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park with assistance from the IUCN. The TACMP's declared goals include protecting biodiversity, managing natural resources, stopping dynamite fishing, and encouraging tourism that is friendly to marine conservation. New national regulations on user fees for marine parks and reserves were released in 2009 at the same time the Coelacanth Marine Park was gazetted. In accordance with the Marine Parks and Reserves authorities, "Marine Parks" are larger marine areas that are multipurpose and have zoning for management, while "Marine Reserves" are smaller marine regions (islands, reefs, and sandbanks) that are only for enjoyment and have no-take or extraction restrictions.Tarimo, Laura, and Norval Mare. "Rapid Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Planned Marine Parks Legislation on Coastal Tourism: Focus on Tanga Region, Tanzania." (2012).

References

{{Pangani District Marine parks of Tanzania Uninhabited islands of Tanzania East African coral coast