PAUL MATONYA

A marine scientist specializing in marine and coastal ecosystem conservation, with expertise in mangrove ecosystems. His professional experience focuses on community-based ecological restoration, stakeholder engagement and mapping, blue economy interventions, and nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and resilience.

Paul currently works extensively on community-led mangrove restoration initiatives, integrating ecosystem conservation with sustainable alternative livelihoods, including mangrove beekeeping, seaweed farming, and value addition to enhance socio-economic outcomes for coastal communities.

He is a Young Ocean Leader and serves as the General Secretary of Sustainable  Ocean Alliances Tanzania (SOA TANZANIA), a youth-led organization advancing ocean conservation and sustainable coastal development. Under SOA Tanzania, he has served as a project lead and co-lead for multiple initiatives, including the MIKOKO YETU Project, Mangrove Beekeeping Project, and the Grass Under Water Project, Mikoko Yetu Ujamaa Project, Our Ocean Bootcamp and others.

Previously, Paul served as a Project Officer for the NORAD-funded Mangrove Management for Climate Risk Resilience and Improved Livelihoods Project, implemented across Kilwa, Kibiti, and Mafia districts, contributing to mangrove management planning, climate risk reduction, and community engagement.

Paul also has experience in marine litter research, having participated as a Research Assistant in the Clean Shores – Great Lakes Project (2023–2024), supporting marine litter data collection, analysis, and reporting. Additionally, he has contributed to Community-Based Ecological Mangrove Restoration (CBEMR) assessments led by the Mangrove Action Project in Tanga and Coastal regions, providing technical recommendations to improve restoration outcomes.