THE Community Wildlife Management Areas Consortium (CWMAC), Honeyguide Foundation and WildAid have teamed-up for a sustained campaign to sensitize communities on the vital benefits of nature and the importance of collective conservation.

The campaign dubbed in Kiswahili as ‘Mimi ni Mhifadhi’ translated as ‘I am a Conservationist’ underscored that regardless of humanity and origin people share a connection to nature and it is in their best interests to care for it.

Newly appointed head of the World Health Organization Africa region, Professor Mohamed Janabi (pictured) and Singer and TV personality Nakaaya Sumari, popular music duo Navy Kenzo are leading the campaign to raise their voices in support of nature.

According to a joint statement released yesterday, Prof Janabi reminds communities of the personal bonds they have to nature and the multitude of positive services it provides - from beauty and inspiration, to jobs creation and health.

“Tanzania and nature are intrinsically linked. Much of our origin and culture comes from the natural environment, and we have a long history of coexisting sustainably with nature.Nature provides resources for our way of life and our remarkable landscapes, and provides our fertile soils and clean oceans,” said Prof Janabi.

According to Prof Janabi, Tanzania is home to the largest wild lion population in the world and the second largest population of elephants, and we derive about 18 percent of the GDP and 1.5 million jobs every year from tourism, which is strongly driven by tourism.

In rural areas, he argued, income from tourism flows directly to communities to finance schools, health centres and infrastructure.

On her part, Nakaaya noted that nature is Tanzania, and that nature is for everyone. She urged people to spend a day in nature with their family or friends, appreciating it and reflecting on what it means to them.

Other ways of being a conservationist suggested by Nakaaya are to not eat unregulated wild meat, to not throw plastic waste where it shouldn’t go, or to think twice before cutting down plants or trees.

“We find inspiration for our songs from nature. It is valuable, and as Tanzanians, our cultural identity, national development, and future prospects depend heavily on using nature sustainably, and therefore we must all be conservationists. Sisi ni wahidfadhi!” she said.

She emphasized that the overwhelming message is: if you are a Tanzanian, you have a connection to nature, you can play your own role in protecting it.

The Mimi ni Muhifadhi initiative aims to foster a sense of shared responsibility, and inspire all Tanzanians to identify as conservationists. It is a reminder that conserving our environment benefits our daily lives and wellbeing, as well as those of future generations.

Hassan Sengo, Dar es Salaam resident and boda boda rider stood up to say that he benefits from nature daily, as his boda boda stage is under a neem tree that provides shade.

Sengo highlighted that no matter what a person’s profession, whether they live in the village or the city, nature provides something for us all.