Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP) for USAID Heshimu Bahari Activity

The project is part of the U.S. government's biodiversity conservation portfolio in Tanzania and seeks to reduce threats to marine and coastal biodiversity while promoting Tanzanian institutions' self-reliance. The project has four main objectives, with overarching interventions that are mutually reinforcing and synergistic in nature. Objective 1 focuses on expanding a collaborative network of resilient marine protected areas (MPAs) and no-take replenishment zones (NTRZs). This involves developing a network of NTRZs and multiple-use MPAs, strengthening government capacity to manage MPAs, and facilitating the adoption of innovative approaches to improve NTRZ management. Additionally, the project aims to improve protection of endangered, threatened, and protected (ETP) habitats and species, and strengthen policy and legal frameworks that enable co-management, sustainable financing, and expansion of the MPA and NTRZ system. Objective 2 focuses on strengthening community co-management of MPAs and wild-caught fisheries. This involves establishing and strengthening community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) models in the marine sector, including Collaborative Fisheries Management Areas (CFMAs), Collaborative Management Areas (CMAs), Beach Management Units (BMUs), District fisheries authorities, Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs), and Shahia Fishing Committees. The project aims to improve capacity and incentives for fishing communities to actively engage in MPAs and reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The project will incorporate a series of interventions to support and strengthen the capacity for biodiversity conservation, including reducing the use of illegal and unsustainable fishing, improving governance and management of coastal land and seascapes, and improving policy development and implementation capacity. These interventions will be implemented over a period of five years, from August 17, 2022, to August 16, 2027. The project is being implemented by Chemonics International, with USAID/Tanzania as the implementing operating unit. The project is funded by USAID through Contract 72062122C00007, and the implementing partner is responsible for developing and implementing the Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP) for the project. The EMMP is a living document that will be updated and tailored as needed over the life of the project. The project's EMMP includes six annexes, which provide guidance on completing the Environmental Review Form (ERF) and Supplement ERF for Natural Resource Management Activities, as well as templates for reporting on the status of mitigation and monitoring efforts. The EMMP also includes an initial environmental screening of USAID Heshimu Bahari Year 1 Work Plan activities and an activity-level climate risk screening for the USAID Heshimu Bahari Activity. The project's environmental mitigation measures and climate risk responses are outlined in two separate sections of the EMMP. The first section focuses on environmental impacts and mitigation measures, while the second section focuses on climate risks and responses. The EMMP also includes monitoring indicators, monitoring/reporting frequency, responsible parties, and field monitoring needs. Overall, the USAID Heshimu Bahari Activity is a comprehensive project aimed at promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management in Tanzania. The project's EMMP provides a framework for implementing environmental mitigation measures and climate risk responses, and will be updated and tailored as needed over the life of the project.