Chumbe Island: Small Footprint, Big Impact

September 26, 2025

Dear Subscriber First Name,

8 km off Zanzibar’s main island, Unguja, lies Chumbe, a small island sanctuary and the world’s first financially self-sustaining marine protected area (MPA). Little more than 1 km long and no larger than about 22 soccer pitches, it is almost completely covered by dense forest and surrounded by a remarkably healthy coral reef.

For over 25 years, the proceeds from its ecotourism have paid for Chumbe’s conservation and environmental education. And this work shows. Chumbe’s reef is among the healthiest and most productive in Zanzibar, with up to 80% live hard-coral cover, 514 fish species, and 59 hard-coral genera—over 90% of those known in the region. Its Forest Reserve is the most intact coral rag forest habitat in Tanzania, with 178 recorded plant species and several rare and endangered animals, including a healthy population of coconut crabs, the largest land-dwelling crab in the world—we saw individuals roughly 0.5 m (1.5 ft) across.

To keep it that way, the ecolodge is deliberately small, with only 7 zero-impact bungalows and a strict cap of 18 visitors on the island at any one time.

Chumbe invites its visitors into an intact ecosystem and into the practice of caring for it. Children can roam freely and experience the island’s ecosystem, and patient, knowledgeable rangers guide snorkelling at a gentle pace. With a bit of luck, you might spot one of the blacktip reef sharks that have recently returned. Guided nature walks deepen the understanding of this special ecosystem. Our favorite was the night walk, when hundreds—likely thousands—of crabs cross the forest floor, including the mainly nocturnal coconut crabs. On moonlit nights, if conditions allow, rangers also lead night snorkelling, revealing a different underwater world with nocturnal creatures such as lobsters and rainbow-hued squid. Another highlight is the old British lighthouse from 1904; its 132 steps are open to climb, and from the top you can watch the sun rise and set.

Chumbe exemplifies successful stakeholder inclusion: 95% of the team comes from nearby coastal communities, and nearly 40% are women. Rangers—recruited and trained from local villages—patrol and protect the reef sanctuary with an “educative enforcement” approach. Management is inclusive, with an advisory committee of village, government, and academic representatives. The initiative also directs spending locally—all agricultural products and seafood are purchased from Zanzibari farmers and fishers following a strict sustainability guide.

Chumbe runs an environmental education program that has reached nearly 12,000 participants. Alongside teacher training and awareness events in nearby coastal communities, its core focus is local schoolchildren, who take part in hands-on lessons in reef and forest ecology. For many, it’s their first time in the water—and for some, a life-changing experience.

Tuko pamoja!

Conrad

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