The Institute of Marine Science based at the University of Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar, Tanzania is the East Africa Centre of Excellence for the CRTR Program.

The Institute of Marine Science is the focus for coral reef research in East Africa and is collaborating with CRTR Working Groups to build regional capacity. It is achieving this through graduate scholarships and training workshops which strengthen expertise in areas such as remote sensing analysis and modelling techniques, coral bleaching, restoration and remediation, and general coral reef and fish ecology.

The Institute of Marine Science is located in the heart of Stone Town, Zanzibar. The facility is equipped with laboratory facilities and office space and houses over 25 faculty and staff.

As the CRTR’s East Africa Centre of Excellence, the Institute of Marine Sciences’ goal is to build scientific capacity to inform management and policy, so that coral reef ecosystems can be sustained for current and future generations.

Its objectives are:

• To provide technical support to CRTR Working Groups’ research and training activities
• To build regional capacity through graduate scholarships; training workshops on regionally emerging issues, and access to new expertise
• To undertake regionally relevant coral reef research such as the impacts of coral bleaching, fisheries, and various environmental factors (nutrients, sedimentation, primary productivity) to coral degradation and recovery processes, and also facilitating coral reef information outreach and uptake in the Eastern Africa region.

• Institute of Marine Science 
• University of Dar Es Salaam  
• Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association