Marine researchers in Wales and Tanzania join forces under a new UNESCO agreement

UK researchers in the School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University, Wales, will partner with counterparts in Tanzania to promote sustainable management of coastal region resources in East Africa under a UNESCO UNITWIN Network.

The partnership will enable around 14 academics at Bangor University to work with over 20 researchers at the Institute of Marine Sciences, Zanzibar, part of the University of Dar es Salaam, to extend the Institute's research capacity and create a regional centre of excellence in marine sciences and technology in east Africa.

Tanzanian academics will be able to visit Bangor University's School of Ocean Sciences to learn the latest techniques in environmental impact and biodiversity assessments and policy formation.

A wider goal of the network is to promote sustainable management of coastal regions and resources of east Africa through research and cooperation. This will contribute towards fulfilling the UNESCO Major Lines of Action in Natural Science, Education and Culture, and the Millennium Development Goals of ensuring environmental sustainability, including clean water resources and a reduction of poverty and hunger through sustainably managed marine resources.

UNITWIN—short for Univeristy Twinning—is a UNESCO programme designed to advance research, training and programme development in higher education by building university networks and encouraging inter-university cooperation through transfer of knowledge across borders.

There are 61 UNTWIN Networks, involving over 770 institutions in 126 countries. The principal beneficiaries are Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in developing countries and countries in transition.

Bangor University is the first UK university to lead a twinning partnership under UNESCO's UNITWIN Network.