In all study sites, the determinants of mangrove and seagrass exploitation were demographic change and socio-economic characteristics. Increased population growth has increased demand for coastal natural resources, from mangroves to seaweed. A good example is the huge increase in demand for construction poles, firewood, fish traps and charcoal, which specifically comes from mangroves. Quinn et al. (2017) reported a similar situation in three countries: Brazil, Vietnam and Zanzibar. The findings also reveal that increased bivalve gleaning and seaweed farming along the Charawe coast has had significantly negative impacts on seagrass loss due to disturbance and light attenuation caused by seaweed farms. The exploitation of mangrove and seagrass resources in coastal communities of Zanzibar is influenced by various factors and each factor reflects the reality in terms of social livelihood of coastal communities in the study sites. The results reveal that the age of the household head had a significant influence on the extraction of both mangrove and seagrass resources in the study sites. Mangrove resources extracted were used for charcoal production, boat building, pole making and firewood, while seaweed resources extracted included harvesting bivalves, seaweed through seaweed farming and fish using nets and traps. Resources obtained from both mangrove forests and seagrass beds were harvested by economically active age {30-45 years (88%)}. The resources were intended for the use or sale of substances inside and outside the villages. These findings are consistent with the findings reported by Branch et al. (2002) who observed that productive age is involved in many development activities which may also be associated with degradation of natural resources. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Furthermore, the results show that the marital status of the household head had a significant influence in the exploitation of mangrove and seagrass resources. From focus group discussions and personal observation it was observed that married household heads extracted many resources from mangrove forests and seaweed beds to meet the demands of their family members (wives and children). The involvement of family members, such as eldest sons in mangrove extraction and wives, eldest daughters, and young children in seagrass resource extraction, has also increased pressure on these resources. This was not the case for single household heads because this group has less demand when it comes to seagrass and mangrove resources because they lived alone and had no family members to take care of. These results are in line with previous findings by Nussbaum (2000) and Shackleton et al. (2011) who noted that married men had enormous responsibilities in providing for the family's basic needs at all times, but women were limited in reaching locations and time to obtain mangrove resources. The results showed that family size had a significant influence on the extraction of both seagrass resources and mangrove forests. Increase in household size, increase in the number of people engaged in seaweed and mangrove resource extraction in the study sites. This has therefore led to the decrease in resources obtained from mangrove forests and grasslandsseagrasses following the increase in demand for these resources. This has been observed from personal observations where there has been an increase in the number of bivalve collectors, net and trap fishermen, seaweed farmers, charcoal producers and construction pole collectors. This increase has led to a decrease in resources obtained from seagrasses and mangrove forests, respectively, through unsustainable harvesting. Related findings were confirmed by Jiddawi and Öhman (2002) and Mtwana Nordlund (2012) who reported that multi-female household sizes are predominantly involved in invertebrate harvesting, which is commonly conducted on rocky coasts, in mangroves and in seaweed beds unsustainably due to lack of formal management. The education level of the household head had a significant influence on the extraction of mangrove and seagrass resources. The negative regression coefficient on mangrove resource extraction implies that increasing the education level of the household head leads to a decrease in mangrove resource extraction. 35% of the respondents received at least primary education and this could have been attributed to the development and involvement of community members in various livelihood activities such as owning small shops, selling food and casual labour, thus reducing pressure on mangrove resource extraction. This study is in line with previous findings by Nussbaum (2000) and Shackleton et al. (2011) who found that the more education one attains, the better one is able to manage natural resources. On the other hand, seagrass resource extraction has increased with increasing education levels. This may be due to the fact that since the majority of the coastal communities in the study site have only achieved primary level education, it becomes very difficult for this majority group to secure white collar jobs and thus end up employed in fishing on small scale. (SSF) within seagrass beds and thus promoting unsustainable extraction of seagrass resources. The results also revealed that average annual household income had a significant influence on mangrove resource extraction. The rising standard of living and low education levels of most coastal communities in the study sites have limited them to securing government employment opportunities, thus forcing them to rely on harvesting and selling mangroves in order to generate income and meet needs. basic needs for family members. The increased rate of mangrove extraction has also led to the promotion of unsustainable harvesting of mangroves for building poles, mangrove charcoal, firewood, and poles for boat building. Similar results were also reported by Dahdouh-Guebas et al. (2000) and Jin et al. (2003) in Kenya and China, respectively. Despite the awareness of the importance of marine natural resources, especially mangroves and seagrasses, their exploitation is still alarming due to economic dependence and lack of alternative sources of energy for their daily use, imposing significant pressure on mangrove forestry. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Male-headed families have had a significant influence on seagrass resource extraction. These householders had the ability to conduct fishing activities within and outside villages on grasslands.