PERMANENT Secretary in the Vice President's Office, Cyprian Luhemeja, has urged regional environmental officers to ensure organisations comply with environmental laws, implement sustainable practices, and protect the local environment.

He said their responsibilities include conducting environmental audits, assessing risks, developing policies, and providing training.  

Speaking in Dodoma over the weekend during a meeting of environmental experts, Luhemeja emphasised the importance of collaborative engagement between regional officers and liaison staff in identifying environmental challenges and developing sustainable strategies.

 The meeting brought together environment officers from all 26 mainland regions, liaison officers, and senior officials from the Vice President’s Office.

 Luhemeja noted that three phases of environmental monitoring and evaluation have already been conducted across ministries, public institutions, regional secretariats, and local government authorities. The goal, he said, is to assess environmental trends and recommend targeted actions to improve the situation.

 He expressed concern over escalating forest loss, citing data showing an increase in deforestation from 372,816 hectares in 2019 to 469,420 hectares in 2023—an average annual loss of 24,151 hectares.

 “This is largely driven by unsustainable practices such as overreliance on firewood and charcoal, unregulated logging, harmful farming methods, and uncontrolled livestock grazing,” he said.

 Luhemeja also raised alarm over pollution from poor waste management, noting that Tanzania generates about 7 million tonnes of solid waste annually, of which only around 50 percent is properly handled.

 He called on environment officers to champion climate initiatives such as carbon trading through tree planting as a means to conserve and restore the environment.

 Director of Environment in the Vice President’s Office, Kemilembe Mutasa, added that appointing regional liaison officers has boosted coordination and strengthened environmental management.

Theodory Mulokozi,  President Office-Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG() environment officer praised the Vice President’s Office for organising the meeting.

Mangabe Mnilango from Mwanza Region said the forum is key to uniting professionals to shape the future of environmental sustainability for generations to come.