Chumbe Island

The Chumbe Island lighthouse.

Chumbe Island is a small privately-owned island a few kilometres off of the main island of Zanzibar, known for its ecological innovation and exceptional coral reefs.

In 1994, the island and its surrounding waters were declared the Chumbe Island Coral Park, which contains the Chumbe Reef Sanctuary and the Closed Forest Reserve.^[1] The park is run by the nonprofit private organization Chumbe Island Coral Park, Ltd. (CHICOP), which conducts marine research and small amounts of eco-tourism on the island.^[2]

The high quality of the reef is attributable to the fact that the island was within a military zone which limited human impact on the marine life.

The island has two historic buildings, a small mosque and a lighthouse, both built around the turn of the 20th century.^[3]

CHICOP has won several awards^[4] relating to its environmental and sustainable development work, most notably the UN 500 Roll of Honour:

• United Nations Environment Programme Global 500 (2000)

One of the main settings in Giles Foden's 2002 novel Zanzibar, the island of Lyly, appears to be based on Chumbe Island. As depicted by the author, Lyly Island has a lighthouse and a mosque.

References

1. ^ Chumbe Island conservation status
2. ^ Chumbe Island Management
3. ^ Historic buildings
4. ^ Awards_links

External links

• Chumbe Island website
• Description of park management "Private sector management of marine protected areas - The Chumbe Island Coral Park Project in Zanzibar, Tanzania." Proceedings of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) Regional Workshop for the Indian Ocean, Maputo, Mozambique. 26-28 November, 2001.

Coordinates: 6°17′S 39°10′E / 6.283°S 39.167°E / -6.283; 39.167