Barrick North Mara’s ambitious tree-planting drive to restore Tighite River Green Belt
About 47,000 indigenous trees have been planted in a major restoration effort to mitigate effects of climate change and environmental degradation on the river banks in northwest Tanzania
SUNDAY 13th September, 2026
By Patty Magubira
The Tranquillity News Reporter, Tanzania
Along the banks of Tighite River in northwest Tanzania, an ambitious restoration initiative is in progress, with thousands of indigenous trees already planted to restore the river’s degraded landscape and strengthen the resilience of an important local water source.
Nearly 47,200 indigenous trees have been planted out of a 50,000 target under a major environmental restoration project supported by Barrick North Mara Gold Mine and implemented through the Tighite Water Users Association (JWMT).
The initiative is designed to restore natural vegetation, protect the riverbanks, and strengthen the river’s resilience against the growing pressures of climate change.
The trees have been planted across approximately 40 acres as part of a larger 100-acre restoration programme along the Tighite River at Nyamongo area in Tarime District, Mara Region.
The broader objective is to rehabilitate riverine vegetation damaged by environmental degradation and uncontrolled tree cutting.
For communities around the river, the project is about more than planting trees.
Tighite provides water for domestic use, livestock and agriculture, and is an important tributary of the Mara River, which eventually flows into Lake Victoria on the Tanzanian side.
The river is an important source of water for thousands of people in surrounding communities, supporting household needs, livestock keeping, and agricultural activities.
Its role in the local ecosystem makes protecting its banks and catchment increasingly important as communities confront environmental degradation and climate-related pressures.
The restoration effort also puts a local environmental intervention in the context of a global development commitment.
The project reflects the environmental sustainability principles of Millennium Development Goal 7 (MDG 7), particularly the protection of natural resources and ecosystems.
These principles continue through the Sustainable Development Goals, with the Tighite project directly relating to SDG 6 on water, SDG 13 on climate action, and SDG 15 on ecosystems and land restoration, while its partnership model reflects SDG 17.
At Tighite, those goals translate into a practical responsibility: Restoring a degraded river corridor, protecting a water source, and involving the communities that depend on it.
The pressures on the river are not new. Environmental degradation, uncontrolled tree cutting, and unplanned agricultural activities have affected natural vegetation and increased the vulnerability of riverbanks to erosion.
For Tighite, restoring vegetation along the riverbanks offers a practical response to some of those pressures, thanks to the Barrick North Mara Gold Mine in partnership with the local community.
Trees can help to stabilise riverbanks, reduce soil erosion, retain soil, and restore ecological functions in degraded areas.
Mwita Seri, Chairman of the Tighite Water Users Association, said the project represented an important step towards restoring the river’s natural ecosystem.
“Tanzania, like other countries around the world, faces the threat of disasters associated with climate change, driven in part by environmental degradation, particularly uncontrolled tree cutting and unplanned agricultural activities,” Seri said.
The restoration programme is intended to strengthen the river ecosystem while helping to prevent soil erosion along its banks.
Indigenous vegetation is expected to provide a natural buffer, helping to stabilise the riverbanks and restore habitats affected by environmental degradation.
“Barrick has contributed significantly to making this project possible,” Mwita Seri, Chairman of the Tighite Water Users Association.
The project also illustrates how environmental responsibility at a major mining operation can extend beyond the boundaries of the mine itself, linking corporate environmental programmes with community-led conservation.
When the project was launched during last year’s World Environment Day commemorations, Apolinary Lyambiko, General Manager of Barrick North Mara Gold Mine, said environmental protection remained one of Barrick’s major priorities.
The company, he said, would continue supporting environmental programmes aimed at reducing the effects of climate change.
Lyambiko also called on residents in 13 villages surrounding the Tighite River to protect the newly planted trees, emphasising that vegetation along riverbanks plaid an important role in preventing erosion.
“The community around the Tighite River also has a responsibility to demonstrate cooperation and protect the planted trees so that they can grow and fulfil the goal of restoring the natural vegetation of our river,” said Lyambiko, believing:
“By joining forces to address this challenge, we will achieve the intended goal.”
That partnership was visible again on June 5 this year, when Barrick North Mara Gold Mine joined the Tighite Water Users Association and residents of Matongo Village to mark World Environment Day by visiting and assessing progress on the restoration project.
Led by Matongo Village Chairman Charles Ryoba, community representatives, and other stakeholders, Lyambiko expressed satisfaction with the growth of the trees and measures being taken to restore the river’s vegetation following years of uncontrolled tree cutting.
The stakeholders said the partnership between Barrick North Mara Gold Mine and the water users’ association provided a foundation for expanding community participation and bringing other institutions and stakeholders into efforts to complete restoration across the targeted 100 acres along the Tighite River.
The initiative is supported by an initial contribution of TSh36.7 million (about $13,870) from Barrick North Mara Gold Mine.
Seri said the funding had supported the propagation of indigenous tree seedlings, planting, initial protection of the trees, and installation of iron posts for fencing the project area.
“Barrick has contributed significantly to making this project possible,” Seri admitted.
He called for continued financial and technical support to ensure the early gains are sustained and produce long-term benefits for both the environment and surrounding communities.
That call also goes to the heart of environmental accountability in mining.
A restoration project cannot be measured only by the money invested or the number of seedlings planted.
Its long-term test is whether the trees survive, riverbanks remain protected, degraded areas recover, and communities continue benefiting from a healthier water system.
The Tighite restoration project forms part of a broader environmental stewardship approach at Barrick North Mara Gold Mine.
Beyond supporting tree planting along the river, the mine has been implementing environmental protection policies through operational and production systems intended to minimise environmental harm, while supporting environmental education and awareness on the protection of water sources.
Barrick North Mara Gold Mine employees have also participated in various environmental conservation initiatives, reinforcing the role of staff and surrounding communities in protecting ecosystems on which local livelihoods depend.
The partnership between the mine and surrounding communities gives the environmental agenda a local dimension.
It places responsibility for protecting the restored landscape not only with the company providing financial support, but also with the communities and institutions that depend on the river, and will ultimately determine whether the restoration effort is sustained.
At its heart, the Tighite project is a practical expression of a wider development challenge: How to reconcile economic activity with the protection of natural resources and the needs of communities living around major industrial operations.
The principle behind MDG 7 — that development must go hand in hand with environmental sustainability — remains relevant at Tighite.
The project shows how that principle can be translated into practical action through river restoration, protection of water resources, climate resilience, and community participation.
As climate change places additional pressure on water availability, ecosystems, and rural livelihoods, the responsibility of mining companies extends beyond production and investment.
It includes demonstrating that environmental commitments can produce measurable and lasting benefits for the landscapes and communities around their operations.
For Barrick North Mara and the communities of Tarime, the answer is increasingly visible along the riverbanks — in the growing canopy of indigenous trees, in the restored vegetation, and in a partnership built around protecting water, land, and the ecological systems that sustain them.
The work is not yet finished. Of the 50,000 trees targeted, 47,200 have been planted, while restoration across the full 100 acres remains part of the longer journey.
The next measure of success will not simply be how many trees are planted, but how many survive, how much of the riverbanks is restored, and whether the Tighite and the communities that depend on it are measurably better protected.
But along the Tighite, the landscape is already beginning to change. ends
The Tranquility News Reporter/Sub Editor, Tanzania
Patty Magubira is an experienced environmental and business editor whose career started at the Tanzania's state-owned newspaper - The Daily News. He is a man of perfection. Aided by his extensive training as a community forestry expert before joining Tanzania School of Journalism. Magubira had successfully held various key posts in newsrooms, giving him an unmatched connections in media fraternity. Having worked as a bureau chief in Arusha and Mwanza, he managed to build a team work, boosting sales to the highest level ever. He was then promoted to a sub-editor after completing a training in Nairobi, Kenya. His incredible experience, critical thinking and exposure are critical to the quality of any media outlet.
