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New Partnership Supports Communities and Nature Across the Lake Tanganyika Basin

Six-year collaboration across Burundi, DRC, Tanzania and Zambia to strengthen livelihoods, conserve critical ecosystems and build climate resilience.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | November 06, 2026

Aerial view of a boat on the lake.
Lake Tanganyika aerial view A bucket is tossed into Lake Tanganyika to collect a water sample for eDNA analysis from the TAFIRI research vessel, Tanzania. © Roshni Lodhia

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By 2032, 1.6 million hectares of freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems in the Lake Tanganyika Basin will be conserved, connected and made more resilient to climate change through the Lake Tanganyika Biodiversity Conservation Network for Nature, Communities and Climate Resilience (LaTaBioCoN).

LaTaBioCoN was launched by Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Zambia at the 14th Ordinary Meeting of the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA) Conference of Ministers in Dar es Salaam on 30 October 2026. Implemented by The Nature Conservancy and a consortium of regional partners, the six-year programme aims to strengthen biodiversity conservation, community livelihoods and climate resilience across the basin.

For lakeshore communities, the programme goes beyond conservation. It will strengthen the capacity of 80,000 people to manage fisheries, land and habitats, with participation targets of 30% women and 40% youth. A further 32,160 people will benefit from climate-resilient livelihood opportunities.

By 2032, the programme will also strengthen natural resource management capacity for 28,826 people and improve the effectiveness of 22 community management institutions. Eighteen Community Conserved Areas, including 15 in Tanzania and three in Zambia, will be proposed as Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), while five Key Biodiversity Areas will gain national recognition. The programme will also strengthen six nature-based enterprises, establish three sustainable finance mechanisms with benefit-sharing, and support the review of nine policy and regulatory instruments.

The Lake Tanganyika Basin covers approximately 223,000 km² and contains 22 Key Biodiversity Areas. More than 12 million people depend on it for fisheries, farming, forests and water. Climate change, sedimentation, habitat loss and illegal fishing are increasing pressure on these natural resources and the communities that depend on them.

Field implementation is concentrated in Tanzania and Zambia, while Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo participate through regional policy engagement, scientific collaboration and capacity-building coordinated by the LTA. The programme serves as a practical delivery mechanism for the LTA Strategic Action Programme (SAP).

“These numbers are promises to people, not just to a map. Every hectare we conserve contributes to healthier fish stocks, better soil conservation and cleaner water for families. Our goal is that by 2032, lakeshore communities have the rights, skills and income to protect this lake themselves.”

— Fridolin Nzambimana, Director, Lake Tanganyika Basin, The Nature Conservancy

“We do not lead alone. LaTaBioCoN brings together six organisations with complementary expertise. In Tanzania, we will strengthen existing community institutions such as Beach Management Units, fisheries cooperatives, village natural resource committees and water users’ associations. The participation of women and youth, rights and benefit-sharing are core to this programme, not add-ons.”

— Lucy Magembe, Country Director, The Nature Conservancy

The programme has a total financing volume of EUR 15.986 million, comprising EUR 12.553 million in funding from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Government of Germany and EUR 3.433 million in own, external and third-party financing.

The Nature Conservancy leads a consortium comprising Frankfurt Zoological Society Zambia (FZS), WWF-DRC, Environmental Management and Economic Development Organization (EMEDO), Education Outreach Tanzania (EDOTA) and the Lake Tanganyika Authority.

This project is supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Government of Germany. Within the Federal Government, the IKI is anchored in the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN). Selected individual projects are also the responsibility of the Federal Foreign Office (AA).

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more resilient. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 86 countries and territories (41 by direct conservation impact and 45 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. For more news, visit our newsroom or follow The Nature Conservancy on LinkedIn.