OR/17/063 Workshop participants

Gill, J C, and Mankelow, J. 2017. Workshop report: earth and environmental science for sustainable development (Dar es Salaam, September 2017). British Geological Survey Internal Report, OR/17/063.

Overview

Over the course of the two-day workshop, BGS engaged with 17 participants from 12 different organisations in Tanzania. Participants were recruited via emails to existing contacts, a search of relevant organisations in Tanzania, and through word-of-mouth. Some organisations or individuals attending the workshop operate internationally, engaged in research and/or activities in the wider eastern Africa region and beyond. Table 1 gives a summary of participating organisations, with information on the organisation’s purpose and activities. Information was collected through a survey completed by participants, and from organisational websites (where available).

Table 1    Participating Organisations in Tanzania.

Sector	Organisation	Groups	Description of work and research activities
Academia	University of Dar es Salaam	Geology	Established in 1974, they conduct research in different fields of Earth Sciences (e.g., hydrogeology, economic geology, gemmology, geochemistry, geophysics and environmental sciences). www.geology.udsm.ac.tz
		College of Engineering and Technology (Chemical and Mining Engineering)	A semi-autonomous campus College of the University of Dar es Salaam, established in 2001 through the integration and transformation of the Faculty of Engineering and the Institute of Production Innovation. Serving industry, government, NGOs, and the wider community through a synergistic approach involving teaching and research, consultancy and services, and technology development and transfer. www.coet.udsm.ac.tz
	Ardhi University	Environmental Science Environmental Engineering	Ardhi University is the only University in Tanzania and Africa which offers integrated training in the entire spectrum of land based disciplines namely Real Estate, Land Administration, Land Surveying Urban and Regional Planning, Architecture, Building Economics, Environmental Science and Housing under one roof complemented by Engineering, Finance, Accounting, Economics and Community Development Programmes. They aim to provide integrated teaching, research and public services that support sustainable social-economic development of Tanzania and the World at large. www.aru.ac.tz
Government	Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism		Responsible for management of Natural, Cultural and Tourism resources. Their mission is to conserve natural and cultural resources sustainably and develop tourism for national prosperity and the benefit of humankind through development of appropriate policies, strategies and guidelines; formulation and enforcement of laws and regulations; monitoring and evaluation of policies and laws. www.mnrt.go.tz
	Tanzania Forest Services Agency		A semi-autonomous government Executive Agency, mandated to sustainably undertake conservation, development and utilization of national forest and bee resources so that they contribute to the social, economic, ecological and cultural needs of present and future generations. Aims to achieve efficient and effective management of forest and bee resources, promoting the potential for the continuous improvement of the quality and value for money on the delivery of public services. www.tfs.go.tz/en
	Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (Environmental Management Unit)		Aims to deliver quality agricultural and cooperative services, provide a conducive environment to stakeholders, build the capacity of local government authorities and facilitate the private sector to contribute effectively to sustainable agricultural production, productivity and cooperative development. www.kilimo.go.tz
Private Sector	Control Union Certification	Business Development	Works on cargo inspection, geomapping, collateral management and certification. Audits in relation to agricultural and environmental standards.
	Makazi Investment		Commercial development of infrastructure in Tanzania. www.makazirealestate.com
	MAMA Activated Carbon		Start-up company, aiming to take organic waste (e.g., sawdust, food, coconut shells) and recycle to make other products such as biogas and activated carbon.
Civil Society	WWF-Tanzania		Their mission is to stop the degradation of our planet's natural environment, and build a future in which people live in harmony with nature. In order to do this, they focus on (i) protecting biodiversity, and (ii) reducing the negative impacts of human activity and ensuring natural resources are managed sustainably and equitably. wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/tanzania
	Association of Tanzania Water Suppliers		Aims to build capacity of water supply and sanitation providers to be able to offer adequate, affordable and sustainable services; to promote networking among stakeholders in the water supply and sanitation sectors; and to mobilize resources for the development of water supply and sanitation services. www.atawas.or.tz
International Organisations	African Minerals and Geosciences Centre		Established in 1977 principally to carry out regional geological surveying and to provide minerals exploration and consulting services. They aim to be a pioneer and leader in the provision of mineral services in Africa, and to promote socio-economic and environmentally responsible mineral development in Africa. www.seamic.org
	World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF)		The World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) is a centre of scientific excellence that harnesses the benefits of trees for people and the environment. Leveraging the world’s largest repository of agroforestry science and information, we develop knowledge practices, for farmers’ fields to the global sphere, to ensure food security and environmental sustainability. www.worldagroforestry.org

Existing networks and collaborations

Following brief introductions from representatives of each of the organisations in Table 1, multi-sectoral groups were established. Each group was tasked with identifying where existing collaborations exist, and describing the nature and strength of these relationships. Figure 1 synthesises this mapping exercise. The network diagrams in Figure 1 give a preliminary understanding of existing and absent collaborations, with further research needed to understand the detailed nature of these.

Figure 1    Mapping Existing Collaborations. A schematic to show the extent of existing collaborations between organisations represented at the workshop. Cell shading indicates the sector, and line thickness indicates the relative strength of collaborations (determined by the participants).

Example pathways to impact

The final exercise in this section was a group discussion around three different scenarios:

• Connecting new research to policy-makers, informing policy development, and ensuring effective policy implementation,
• Assimilating data and promoting a new geodata portal, and
• Integrating perspectives from local communities into a new research programme.

Each group considered the organisations and collaborations that are necessary for their scenario to be successful. Groups considered which collaborations already exist and are mature, and which new collaborations need to be developed. Potential barriers to prevent collaborations were also discussed. These discussions provided a rich source of information on pathways to development impact in the particular political and social context of Tanzania.

From research to policy
This team considered the uptake of research into policy, using the example of research into safer mining practices (Figure 2). Universities in Tanzania undertake such research, with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals responsible for policy on this theme.

Figure 2    From Research to Policy. A schematic to show the groups involved in research uptake in Tanzania, using the example of research on safe mining practice.

For research to influence policy, it needs to be communicated to the Ministry via NGOs (e.g., WWF-Tanzania), the National Environment Management Council (NEMC) of Tanzania (sitting within the Office of the Vice President), or the Geological Survey of Tanzania. Universities could engage with any of these three bodies, through directed/funded research (NGOs), providing data (NEMC), or through research visits and internships (Geological Survey of Tanzania). While national government would have lead responsibility for sharing subsequent policy, for example with artisanal and small-scale miners, this could be alongside district governments, private sector groups and NGOs.

Assimilating data and promoting a Geodata portal
The accessibility and management of data was an important theme of previous workshops (e.g., see Gill et al., 2017). This exercise encouraged participants to discuss the stakeholders and processes involved in the assimilation of relevant data into an open portal, and its promotion to relevant users. The group noted:

• Diverse Stakeholders. Academics and government ministries or bodies (e.g., National Bureau of Statistics) collect data that could be usefully published in an online portal. NGOs and the private sector would use this information (in addition to academics and government). It is unlikely that communities would directly use this information, due to language, technical and access barriers.
• Lack of Capacity and Integration. There is not much spatial data infrastructure in Tanzania. There are currently portals for specific data sets, which are not integrated.
• Lack of Communication. A government data centre exists, but there was uncertainty as to its scope and purpose.

Integrating perspectives from and engaging with local communities
Recognising the frequent need to engage with local communities when undertaking science-for-development, this scenario explored relevant stakeholders and processes in a Tanzanian context. Examples of engagement discussed included:

• Feedback of research results to communities. This could be done by academics themselves, directly feeding information to groups such as farmers. It may also occur through the local government, with researchers liaising with them, and their extension officers working with community groups.
• Participatory research. In this scenario, communities are actively engaged in the research design and process. Local governments and NGOs (with the permission of local and national government) work with communities to understand their priorities and needs. This may influence the funding of research, and the support given by NGOs and governments to research undertaken by universities.