Seaweed, Fisheries and Coastal Eco-tourism: How Zanzibar's Innovators are Rethinking the Blue Economy

Most people know Zanzibar, Tanzania, for its white sand beaches, turquoise waters and the kind of coastline that makes you want to stay longer than planned. But step away from the resorts and walk along the shore at low tide, and a different picture emerges.

Fisheries, aquaculture and seaweed farming provide livelihoods for thousands across the island, while tourism depends on a healthy marine environment. Yet the climate and oceans are changing fast. Seaweed farmers are losing 40 to 60 per cent of their annual income as rising sea temperatures trigger ice-ice disease (a stress-induced deterioration of seaweed crops caused by rising water temperatures) across shallow farms. Fishers spend more on fuel reaching new fishing zones as fish migrate to cooler waters. Coral bleaching is quietly impacting the reef systems that underpin the island's tourism economy.

When Climate KIC, together with partners Coastal Biotech and Bahari Network, opened applications for the first-ever Blue Economy Climathon in Zanzibar, an event designed to develop locally-rooted solutions to protect the island's coastal communities and marine environment, 300 people applied.