The University of Dar Es Salaam (UDSM) is the oldest and biggest public university in Tanzania and is actively involved and engaged in national programmes to reduce poverty and contribute to sustainable development. Although Tanzania has taken significant steps to make the environment a key element in future policy, there are still challenges to implementing the measures defined by the Tanzanian Poverty Reduction Strategy (TPRS) and to developing operational guidance at local levels. The main challenges are to integrate the environment in policy, regional and local planning, and budgets; increasing community-based programmes for managing natural resources that impact on livelihoods and growth; reducing vulnerability to environmental risks; and collecting data for poverty and environment indicators. UDSM plays a key role in educating scientists, managers and decision makers as well as in developing analytical tools and research instruments for measuring and assessing processes in the environment and impacts on communities and livelihoods.

Even though some cooperation between UDSM and the University of Oldenburg took place during the last decade, a formal Memorandum of Understanding was only signed in 2008 linking up to the fact finding mission that also lead to Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. A particular interest in collaboration has been shown on the part of the ‘Institute of Marine Sciences’ (IMS), whose director visited Oldenburg a few times since. Topics of common interest as well as research and teaching areas in the Coastal and Marine Sciences and Environmental Modeling were identified for both IMS (UDSM) and ICBM (Oldenburg University). Within the subject related partnership and network Developing Sustainability (DevSus) these play a prominent role and the counterparts have started working on them during the kick-off meeting at the end of 2009.

During a visit to UDSM (February 2010), two professors of Oldenburg University involved in the Developing Sustainability network were able to link up to the key players of climate research in Tanzania at the Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA/UDSM). Existing teaching programmes and research projects at both institutes at UDSM and Oldenburg University were introduced and key cooperation areas identified.

UDSM key actor in the Clim-A-Net is the Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA): IRA runs a MSc programme in Natural Resource Assessment and Management which includes socio-economic aspects such as environmental economics and governance aspects of natural resource management. Through its director, Prof. Dr. Pius Yanda, the institute is involved in a broad network of research, teaching and governance activities, also on an international level. As member of UN bodies on Climate Change as well as coordinator of the African Climate Change Fellowship Programme and the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), Professor Yanda brings valuable partners to the Climate Network. A strong focus of the IRA besides excellent research is building capacity in Africa for the management of natural resources, climate change and biodiversity conservation.

Clim-A-Net coordinator at UDSM is Professor Pius Zebhe Yanda. Since 2006 Pius Zebhe Yanda is serving as the Director of the Institute of Resource Assessment. This academic unit with a 25 researchers working on full time basis and 5 research associates. There is also nearly equal number of supporting staff. Professor Yanda has worked extensively in climate related studies in the region as well as in Tanzania. He has also been involved in IPCC Fourth Assessment Report and currently involved in IPCC Special Report on Managing Extreme Events. Professor Yanda has published extensively in the field of environment, natural resources management and climate change. Pius Zebhe Yanda holds a PhD from Stockholm University. He is a Research Professor in Physical Geography at the Institute of Resource Assessment, UDSM, and currently appointed Member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the Earth System Governance Project. He has served the University of Dar Es Salaam in different academic positions for 22 years.