DAR ES SALAAM, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Vice-President, Philip Mpango, on Monday restated the government's commitment to sustainable conservation and use of oceans and marine resources.
A statement by the Vice-President's Office said Mpango made the commitment when he addressed the United Nations Ocean Conference in the Portuguese capital Lisbon.
According to the statement, Mpango said apart from ratifying international conventions for managing marine pollution, Tanzania has developed policies, strategies and plans to manage pollution.
He said Tanzania has also taken measures, including a total ban on single-use plastic carrier bags that are major polluters to oceans across the world.
"We have also enacted laws that guide the management of coastal and marine resources," he said, adding that Tanzania has also undertaken projects which relate to managing, protecting, conserving and restoring coastal and marine ecosystems.
Mpango mentioned other conservation measures as controlling blast fishing by almost 99 percent and strengthening surveillance and monitoring of deep-sea fishing activities.
Tanzania's territorial waters cover 64,000 square kilometers, thus making the country rich in biodiversity with a huge blue economy potential which supports livelihood for millions of its people, including food security and mode of transportation.
However, Mpango said, exploitation of this ocean-based sector is compromised by marine pollution, loss of biodiversity and aquatic habitat, climate change-related impacts, and beach erosion.
