Tanzanian authorities on Sunday officially launched a new biosphere reserve called Rufiji, Mafia, Kilwa, and Kibiti (RUMAKI).
The new biosphere reserve in the Rufiji district Coast region was launched by Khamis Hamza, the deputy minister in the Vice President’s Office responsible for Union and Environment. It joins more than 748 biosphere reserves in 134 countries worldwide.
Hamza said the creation of the RUMAKI biosphere reserve, which was approved by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in May 2023 in Paris, the French capital, was intended to enhance the protection and conservation of mangrove forests, natural forests, and the Kilwa historical ruins in the area.
In June 2023, UNESCO said biosphere reserves were a pillar of UNESCO’s mandate as the UN sciences agency.
Each biosphere reserve promotes innovative local solutions to conserve biodiversity, preserve ecosystems, and tackle climate change while improving people’s livelihoods, such as by developing agroecology, renewable sources of energy, and green industries, it said.
