Kaboni Yetu: the Mnazi Bay Blue Carbon Programme

Mnazi Bay operates inside the Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park (MBREMP), covering approximately 4,030 hectares of coastal mangrove across 15 villages in Mtwara Rural District, southern Tanzania. It is the project on which Bahari Nature Capital's full cycle (community governance, MRV, dual-standard certification) is being executed and validated, and the programme that gave the company its first project name, Kaboni Yetu.

The programme is pursuing dual certification under NCMC and Plan Vivo. Readiness-phase funding is confirmed through ORRAA and the UK Blue Planet Fund. Community engagement and ecological and MRV delivery are carried out under formal agreement with Action for Ocean (AFO), which holds established field presence across the Mtwara seascape.

The governance architecture and certification pathway developed at Mnazi Bay form the replicable template for future Bahari Nature Capital projects, including Kunduchi Eco Park.

The 12-month Mnazi Bay readiness phase is funded by ORRAA and the UK Blue Planet Fund. Bahari Nature Capital coordinates certification and commercial workstreams; AFO delivers community engagement, restoration, and field MRV under formal agreement. Four delivery workstreams run in parallel.

Governance and legal alignment. Work with MBREMP, TFS, district councils, and village institutions (VNRCs, VLCs, BMUs) to clarify mandates, update management plans, and establish transparent procedures for community decision-making, safeguards, and benefit-sharing. Governance Compacts are in development and adoption across the 15 villages.

Hydrology-informed restoration. Restoration of 20-30 ha of degraded mangrove using hydrology-informed site selection and right-species, right-site zoning. Two to three community nurseries produce 150,000-200,000 seedlings, with community para-scientists tracking survival, hydrology, and threats.

Community MRV and MEL systems. A verification-ready monitoring system combining georeferenced restoration data, patrol and enforcement logs, leakage-risk monitoring, social safeguards reporting, and baseline updates, feeding directly into the Plan Vivo and NCMC processes.

Livelihood diversification. Three nature-compatible livelihood pilots (from beekeeping, crab fattening, eco-tourism micro-ventures, or seaweed value addition) with a minimum 60% women participation target, reducing extractive pressure and leakage risk.