What we do

Environmental Education
The loss of biodiversity has become one of the major environmental challenges of the 21st century. PAMOJA ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS is one of the national environmental NGOs in Tanzania which has dedicated its commitment to the conservation of the country’s natural environment by halting and reversing the loss of country’s biodiversity and degradation of ecosystem services while promoting sustainable lifestyles and livelihoods of the local communities.

PAMOJA has an understanding that education has a fundamental role to play in the resolution of environmental problems and in the achievement of conservation aims. The PAMOJA’s EE programme is a capacity development and awareness initiative specifically designed to support conservation work and sustainable lifestyles in all spheres of life. The EE programme is aimed at setting social context through which conservation can be achieved.

Education for sustainable consuption
Motivating citizens to change their behaviour and consume more sustainably, stimulating individual’s awareness on the role they play and plan in forming society and to empower people to choose responsibly for sustainable lifestyles. • Education for sustainable consumption targeting: – schools & teachers’ colleges in all educational zones in Tanzania; – rural communities to selected communities. • Development of awareness materials like books, newsletters, posters, calendars, leaflets and pamphlets.

Freskhwater Resources
Freshwater is a fundamental, but scarce and non-renewable resource for all life on earth. Freshwater resources are under constant threat all over the world due to ever increasing human pressure coupled with unsustainable use of the resource and climatic variations. The low levels of awareness, destruction of catchment areas and stream flows as well as unpredictable weather patterns including droughts and irregular rainfalls are among the reasons behind increasing freshwater woes. Promoting sustainable management of freshwater resources including protection, restoration and conservation is among PAMOJA’s priorities

Activities
In collaboration with Trust for Rural Food and Development (TRUFOOD), a local NGO involved in food security, community development and environment PAMOJA has been engaged in capacity development on conservation of freshwater sources in Kiegea and Mtumbatu villages in Kilosa District. PAMOJA has provided training to community representatives, religious leaders, teachers and village leaders about conservation of freshwater sources and also monitoring implementation of future strategies and plans of actions developed. Activities conducted as per the strategy include reforestation of catchment areas including establishment of tree nurseries and implementation of by-laws. Over 10,000 trees have been planted in catchment areas since May 2013 todate. PAMOJA has also supported with technical input to TRUFOOD in development of a proposal for water for life project to construct rock catchment dam and rehabilitate an earth dam in Kiegea and Mtumbatu respectively to improve freshwater supply to the two villages. The activities are financed by Church World Services. A research was also conducted and proposal developed for orange-fleshed sweetpotato farming pilot project on food security and climate change

Activities implemented/Accomplishments Capacity development programme to save dwindling freshwater resources to communities in the Eastern Arc’s West Usambara Mountains villages of Mnadani and Malindi, Lushoto, Tanzania. Freshwater resources for community and livelihood activities in the West Usambara Mountains areas are declining and disappearing at an alarming rate. With the spiralling nature of climate change and unsustainable human activities, the environment and livelihoods of the community have been seriously affected. The low levels of awareness, destruction of catchment areas and stream flows are all behind the increasing freshwater shortages for human and livelihood activities in West Usambara Mountain areas. The project therefore involved awareness creation and preparation of a community based strategy for protection, conservation and restoration of freshwater sources and catchment areas as localizing the national strategy for urgent actions on land degradation and water catchments of 2006 developed by the Vice President’s Office. The strategy draws technical expertise from Pamoja Environmental Focus, Lushoto District Council and the National Environment Management Council under the Vice Presidents Office. The

Climate Change
Climate change is one of the biggest threats to human and nature. Climate change affects people and nature in many different ways. Climate change often increases existing threats that have already put pressure to people and the environment. Climate plays such a major part in the planet's environmental system that even minor changes have impacts that are large and complex. Timely actions are a prerequisite for sustainable and stable environment. The PAMOJA’s focus:
• Communicating climate change from district levels to rural village levels
– capacity development on impacts, adaptation & mitigation to help people understand the problem and adapt to the changing climatic conditions;
– identifying policy issues for effective adaptation and mitigation;
– capacity development for effective Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) engagement in climate change;
– support initiatives on carbon trading.

Marine
While fishers livelihoods are threatened due to resource overexploitation, specifically unsustainable fishing and environmental and habitat degradation, increasing incidences of dynamite fishing in the Tanzanian coast in recent times is alarming. The typical form of government control and marine resources management initiatives including the Marine Parks Authority and Local Governments have been inadequate in addressing issues and problems of fisheries management in the vast Tanzanian coastal areas. With initial focus on the Mtwara corridor, PAMOJA intends to:
• engage alternative initiatives including fisheries co-management, i.e. sharing of power and responsibilities among communities, the Marine Parks, local CBOs and CSOs and the Local Government in order to address existing challenges and ensure promotion of protection and sustainable use of marine resources with community participation.
• promote livelihoods initiatives to local communities,
• promote research, awareness, capacity development and natural resources governance.

Natural Resources Governance & Policy
The focus is:
• Capacity development in Natural Resources Governance & Policy
– establishment/enforcement of by-laws,
– awareness about existing mechanisms and supportive policies and laws for sustainable environmental conservation in target communities.

Oil & Gas
It is very unfortunate that discoveries of gas in Tanzania come at a time of uncertainty on policy, legislation and development strategy in this particular area. Yet, Tanzania is one of the world’s countries which suffer for the exploitation of ecologically important areas that hold large deposits of natural gas including the Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park area in Mtwara. The gas sector is a fairly new development in Tanzania and there are related dangers which can be devastating to human and ecosystems alike. While Tanzania is still at the designing and adaptation phase of its "Natural Gas Policy" and other legal frameworks required to manage this resource, there is a well known fact that the technologies employed in the oil and gas exploration are new and most likely unknown for failures that may result into serious damage to human and the environment. Gas and oil exploration and extractions release many tons of harmful pollutants into air and discharge dangerous chemicals into the soil and water thus polluting the land, water and air. Oil spills, gas leaks and oil-rig accidents are some of the known dangers which may result into huge disasters if remain unchecked. It is well understood that, the act of formulating policies and enacting laws is one thing, while the commitment to compliance, monitoring and enforcement of these policies and laws is another. Strong mechanisms and conducive environments to ensure serious commitment to compliance, monitoring and enforcement is critically important. Therefore, capacity development for Community Based Organizations (CSOs) and communities directly affected is crucial for effective monitoring while the willingness of industry and government to corporate is also important. It is in this background that PAMOJA is involved:
– in capacity development to local Community Based Organisations(CBOs) and poor rural communities in the Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park areas and other gas exploration and extraction sites in Southern Tanzania to participate in managing environmental challenges related to gas and oil pollution exploration and extraction.
– in identification of policy related issues for effective participation of communities and CSOs in managing pollution and other environmental problems from gas and oil sector.

Forestry & Wildlife
Promoting sustainable management of wildlife and forestry resources, community development and research aimed at improving the socio-economic well-being of the people through participatory management and protection of natural resources among communities in the respective focus areas.

Research: PAMOJA has a team of technical advisors who also undertake research assignments including development of proposals and project evaluation in the following areas: Project Planning and Management, Forestry, Climate change, Institutional Development, Strategic planning, Natural Resources Management and Land use and Land Management, Sustainable Livelihoods, Environmental Education and Awareness, Education for Sustainable Consumption, Natural Resources Governance, There are also registered Environmental Impact Assessment experts.