The Marine Parks and Reserves Authority was established under the Marine Parks an reserve Act Number 29 of 1994, It is Managed by the board of Trustees whose role is to oversee the management and administration of marine parks and reserves to ensure sustainable use of the marine resources.

The Board of Trustees has 10 members including the Secretary (click here to see board member Pictures). The Board advises the Minster for Natural Resources and Tourism on the overall policy and legislative maters pertaining to the conservation and Management of Coastal and Marine resources.

Under the law, each Marine Park there is an Advisory Committee whose role is to advise the Board of Trustees on the day-to-day running of the Marine Park. These committees constitute the representative of Marine Park stakeholders including the local community, local government academia, private sector and -Non governmental organization.

VISION:
"Marine Protected Areas in Tanzania become the joy and pride for all".

MISSION:
"To establish and manage Tanzania’s marine protected areas for sustainable use".

MOTTO:
"Let us share the gift of nature together".

VALUES:
The work and conduct of MPRU are informed and influenced by fundamental values, which are evident in all activities of the Tanzanian Government. MPRU will strive to achieve its goal and meet the principles of the best values and management principles developed for the entire Public Services as part of the PSRP. These values describe how we intend to operate and are a key to our day-to-day decisions, attitudes, conduct, strategies and policies.

Core Values:
* Marine and Coastal resources are conserved for sustainable development.

* Communities are involved and fully participate in the management and conservation of marine and coastal resources.

* Management of Marine Protected Areas {MPAs} and delivery of high quality services from them are carried out efficiently.

PRINCIPLES:
In the management of operations, MPRU will be guided by the following principles:

* Results-oriented: Performance in MPRU will be appraised and rewarded on the basis of outputs and outcomes achieved and not on inputs.

* Mission-driven: The mission and objectives of MPRU will be the basis of all important decisions and not mere compliance with its rules, regulations and standing orders.

* Client-focus: The goals and operations of MPRU will focus on meeting the needs of the beneficiaries of its services {clients}. Thus the organization and its employees will avoid self-interest and bureaucratic behaviour.

* Participatory-orientation: The MPRU will promote the participation of its community and clients, and continuously seek to empower the community for self-development.

* Strategic-orientation: Strategic planning, budgeting and management techniques will be standard practice in MPRU.

* Value for money concern: The quest for cost-efficiency and effectiveness will prevail throughout the operations of the Unit.

* Innovativeness: The MPRU will continuously search for quality-enhancing and costs saving techniques and technologies in its operations.

* Monitoring and evaluating: The MPRU will institute systems and mechanisms to continually monitor and evaluate performance, and to anticipate problems and solutions.

* Catalyzing and facilitating development: The MPRU will play a deliberate role of promoting and enabling the stakeholders to maximize its contribution in the delivery of quality services in marine parks and reserves for the benefit of the people of this country.

* Decentralising: With due concern for cost-effectiveness, MPRU will seek to enable and empower MPR to increasingly assume direct responsibility and authority for delivery of services

OBJECTIVES:
* To manage Marine and coastal areas so as to promote sustainability of the use, and the recovery of areas and resources that have been over exploited or otherwise damaged.

* To ensure that communities and other local resident resource users in the vicinity of the Marine protected area that depend on the resources for their livelihood are involved in all phases of the planning, development and management.

* Communities share in the benefits of operations of the protected areas and have the priority in the resource use and economic opportunity accrued by the establishment of a protected area.

* To promote community oriented education and dissemination of information concerning conservation and sustainable use of the marine protected area.

* To stimulate the rational development of under utilized natural resources.

* To protect, conserve and restore the species and genetic diversity of living and non-living marine resources and ecosystem processes of marine and coastal areas; and

* To facilitate research and to monitor resource conditions and uses within the marine protected area.

STRATEGIES:
a. To put in place and legal tools for smooth management of MPAs.

b. To consolidate the human resource capacities in the MPRs management to meet the demand.

c. To publicize and disseminate Marine Parks and Reserves information such as regulations and its amendments to all stakeholders.

d. To establish and maintain boundary development in all Marine Parks and Reserves.

e. To develop and establish an effective revenue collection system in all Marine protected Areas as per law.

f. To undertake 5 year strategic Planning Exercises including a Mid and Long Term MPRs Financing strategy aimed at reducing excessive Board's dependency on government funding.

g. To improve the economic welfare of the local communities living inside marine Parks and Reserves through promotion of ecologically, socially and economically acceptable practices.

h. To develop and maintain open and consultative procedure between the Board, Marine Parks and Reserves management, local government authorities and other stakeholders in relation to institutional arrangements, mandates and administration.

i. To put in place generic management tool for guiding development within MPAs.

CURRENT MARINE PROTECTED AREAS (MPAs) GOVERNED BY THE BOARD:

a. Dar Marine Reserves - located in Dar es Salaam region.
The Dar es Salaam Marine Reserves include Bongoyo Island Marine Reserve, Mbudya Island Marine Reserve, Pangavini Island Marine Reserve and Funguyasini Marine Reserve.

b. Maziwi Island Marine Reserves - located in Pangani district (Tanga region).

c. Mafia Island Marine Park - located in Coast Region.

d. Mnazi Bay - Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park (MREMP) located in Mtwara Region.

e. Transfrontier Conservation Area encompassing (TFCA) Southern Regions and areas bordering Lake Nyasa in the countries like Malawi and Zambia.