Lyidia Selis Kapapa

Biography:

Dr. Lyidia Selis Kapapa is a Senior Fisheries Research Scientist at the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute (TAFIRI) with over two decades of experience in fisheries socio-economics, governance, and community-based natural resource management. Her work focuses on small-scale fisheries, co-management systems, gender in fisheries value chains, and the vulnerability of fishing-dependent livelihoods to climate change and variability.

She holds a PhD in Aquatic Sciences (Thesis) from the University of Dar es Salaam, an MSc in International Fisheries Management from the Arctic University of Norway Tromsø, and a BSc in Marine Biology and Microbiology from the University of Dar es Salaam. Dr. Kapapa has led and collaborated on numerous nationally and internationally funded research projects, including World Bank-supported initiatives such as the Marine and Coastal Environment Management Project (MACEMP) and the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Governance and Shared Growth Project (SWIOFish), Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) marine research grants, and Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH)-funded innovations.

Her research has been widely published in peer-reviewed journals, including Marine Policy and the Tanzania Journal of Science. Dr. Kapapa brings to the organization strong expertise in evidence-based policy, fisheries governance, climate resilience, and inclusive blue economy development, with a particular commitment to empowering women, youth, and coastal communities.