Chumbe Island is a small privately-owned island a few kilometres off of the main island of Zanzibar

Zanzibar

Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...

, 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

Chumbe Marine Park

The Chumbe Marine Park, officially recognized officially as Chumbe Reef Sanctuary since 1994, is a privately managed mairne park in Chumbe Island, Zanzibar. It is successful as a ecotourism project. The objective of this sanctuary is to preserve and develop the rich biodiversity of the coral...

 and the Closed Forest Reserve. 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.

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.

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

• United Nations Environment Programme Global 500
  Global 500 Roll of Honour
  The United Nations Environment Programme established the Global 500 Roll of Honour in 1987 to recognize the environmental achievements of individuals and organizations around the world.The last Global 500 Roll of Honour awards were made in 2003...
  
  (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.

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.