Why the survey starts in the north
Tanzania's northern coast has been studied in fragments for decades, but never with a single, comparable benthic dataset. The BES Northern award gave ASUTA the mandate — and the equipment — to close that gap across Kinondoni and Kigamboni.
How the survey works
The team is using high-resolution underwater imagery on a structured grid. Each 50×50m cell is photographed, geotagged and scored for substrate type, coral cover and visible pressures. Quality control happens nightly so a bad weather day does not corrupt the dataset.
What this unlocks
Once BES Northern closes, the same protocol moves south (the second Heshimu Bahari award), and the combined evidence base will guide the community-based component that follows.
BES Northern is the foundation award — it turns Dar's seabed into a dataset BMUs and managers can actually plan against.