page_title: Environmental protection
section_title: Government protection
hierarchical_section_title: Environmental protection / Government / Government protection
caption_attribution_description: English: Photograph of a creek in the Longwanqun National Forest Park, Huinan County, Jilin, China.
context_page_description: Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair damage and reverse trends.
  Due to the pressures of overconsumption, population growth and technology, the biophysical environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently. This has been recognized, and governments have begun placing restraints on activities that cause environmental degradation. Since the 1960s, environmental movements have created more awareness of the multiple environmental problems. There is disagreement on the extent of the environmental impact of human activity, so protection measures are occasionally debated.
context_section_description: Division of the biosphere is the main government body that oversees protection. It does this through the formulation of policy, coordinating and monitoring environmental issues, environmental planning and policy-oriented environmental research. The National Environment Management Council (NEMC) is an institution that was initiated when the National Environment Management Act was first introduced in year 1983. This council has the role to advise governments and the international community on a range of environmental issues. The NEMC the following purposes: provide technical advice; coordinate technical activities; develop enforcement guidelines and procedures; assess, monitor and evaluate activities that impact the environment; promote and assist environmental information and communication; and seek advancement of scientific knowledge.
  The National Environment Policy of 1997 acts as a framework for environmental decision making in Tanzania. The policy objectives are to achieve the following:
  Ensure sustainable and equitable use of resources without degrading the environment or risking health or safety.
  Prevent and control degradation of land, water, vegetation and air
  Conserve and enhance natural and man-made heritage, including biological diversity of unique ecosystems
  Improve condition and productivity of degraded areas
  Raise awareness and understanding of the link between environment and development
  Promote individual and community participation
  Promote international cooperation
  Use ecofriendly resources.
  Tanzania is a signatory to a significant number of international conventions including the Rio Declaration on Development and Environment 1992 and the Convention on Biological Diversity 1996. The Environmental Management Act, 2004, is the first comprehensive legal and institutional framework to guide environmental-management decisions. The policy tools that are parts of the act include the use of environmental-impact assessments, strategics environmental assessments, and taxation on pollution for specific industries and products. The effectiveness of shifting of this act will only become clear over time as concerns regarding its implementation become apparent based on the fact that, historically, there has been a lack of capacity to enforce environmental laws and a lack of working tools to bring environmental-protection objectives into practice.
caption: The Longwanqun National Forest Park is a nationally protected nature area in Huinan County, Jilin, China
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