The United States and Tanzania launched the five-year USAID Heshimu Bahari (“Respect the Oceans”) project. USAID’s initial $8.4 million investment in the project will enable sustainable co-management and biodiversity conservation of marine resources through active involvement of local communities. The project will address numerous threats to Tanzania's marine ecosystems, including promoting gender-equitable approaches to development, addressing overfishing that has profoundly damaged key coastal fisheries, and mitigating the impact of climate change that has disrupted ecosystems and livelihoods, and impacted the tourism potential of the country.