Chumbe Island’s marine protected area: A blueprint for successful marine conservation?

By Emilie Authier

Zanzibar. While climate change spares no ecosystem, least of all the blue lung of our planet, the Marine Protected Area (MPA) managed by Chumbe Island Coral Park (CHICOP) seems to be a place where, although threats do not disappear entirely, they are significantly minimized.

It is a kind of marine peace bubble, whose sustainability has been made possible by a dedicated team and a successful multidisciplinary action plan.

Located 8km west of Unguja in Zanzibar, Chumbe Island was the first privately established and managed MPA worldwide in 1994, at a time when Tanzania was suffering from significant marine degradation.

Thirty years later, Chumbe Island is particularly known for its ecological innovations and exceptional coral reef, preserved notably through its MPA.

The oceans know no borders, and neither do the threats to the marine ecosystem, thus bringing this issue to the international stage.

Although Chumbe is particularly protected from many of these threats, such as overfishing, the MPA is still affected by the increase in marine heatwave events.

Ali Y. Chaga, a ranger for several years, confirms this: “When I arrived in 2011, it was the most beautiful coral reefs that I had ever seen. Then, in 2016, there was a big change with coral bleaching because the ocean temperature really increased, and the biodiversity of the reef was impacted.”

Omari Nyange, the Head of Rangers, who has been on the field for many years, also noted this evolution: “In 1998, we had the first episode of coral bleaching, and we lost about 30 percent of our area.

Climate change is the biggest issue every day, we can see it directly, so monitoring is very important to understand that.”

To measure these threats, ecological monitoring has been implemented since the MPA was established.

The MPA’s private management allows crucial flexibility and gives Chumbe’s predominantly local workers the freedom to react and implement long-term conservation initiatives.

As Ulli Kloiber, who has overseen all research, conservation, and environmental education at CHICOP, underlines, key ecological monitoring programs include reef health, seagrass, sea surface temperature, and Chumbe’s Big 5 monitoring.

The rangers are trained in marine ecosystem conservation upon their arrival and subsequently become key pillars of the island's conservation efforts.

Chaga, a passionate ranger who has been working at Chumbe since 2010, has gained marine science knowledge over time in the field and is now contributing to these efforts.

“When I arrived, I learned a lot. I was very happy because I had a desire to learn about marine sciences. With the School of International Training in Zanzibar, I went to the University of Dar es Salaam, where we did monitoring together for a week. It was a very rich experience. Then this year, I participated in a Marine Protected Area Professionals Certification in Zanzibar. I was the first one to get this certification as a Zanzibar citizen, so I was really proud of it,” he said.

Data is primarily collected through the rangers' snorkeling activities and the analysis of results gathered from transects and quadrat photos.

"We utilize data loggers deployed at a depth of 3 meters in the coral reef to record ocean temperatures every minute. These data are compiled to create temperature graphs, enabling us to assess variations in ocean temperature,” explains Kloiber.

Nyange also highlights the importance of monitoring, saying that “We need to know where we were, where we are, and where we will be. Monitoring is like a picture; we need it to see the changes in coral and fish populations.”

Through its protection, the Chumbe reef has remained one of the region’s most abundant and resilient biodiversity hotspots. It hosts over 500 reef fish species, at least 59 hard coral genera, and a range of micro and megafauna, such as blacktip reef sharks.

The reef crest is shallow and encompasses a spectacular array of hard corals, allowing visitors to see—and even hear—an exceptional underwater world, where an abundance of fish of all colors, sizes, and shapes seem to live in harmony.

While guests can witness the vibrancy of the coral reef by just putting their heads underwater and spending an hour snorkeling, scientific results also confirm the effectiveness of Chumbe's conservation efforts.

Indeed, the presence of “Chumbe’s Big 5” (blacktip reef sharks, bluespotted stingrays, sea turtles, brown marbled groupers, and dolphins), all listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is a crucial indicator of a healthy and balanced reef ecosystem within the MPA.

With pride, Chaga explains, “I could observe a lot of remora fish, which is a really good indicator of the coral reef’s good health. I also like hearing guests' feedback because sometimes I don’t realize how much we can see our efforts by looking underwater. Chumbe is a representative sample for Zanzibar.”

Chumbe’s conservation efforts have also led to a remarkable increase in fish biomass thanks to the no-take zone.

With the Chumbe reef exceeding the ‘pristine’ threshold of 1,100kg/ha of fish biomass, the MPA provides an important ecosystem service beyond its borders: fish “spilling over” and moving outside of the MPA.

“As nearshore fisheries face crises across Zanzibar due to overexploitation, CHICOP's restocking services become increasingly crucial for the livelihoods and food security of coastal communities,” underlines Kloiber.

Finally, Chumbe advocates for transparency in their conservation results and aims to share them with various stakeholders to promote collaboration and, thus, marine ecosystem conservation.

For example, at the regional level, CHICOP has developed an online form for recording bleaching in partnership with Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean.

The conservation of this MPA goes beyond the protection of a no-fishing zone and is effective because CHICOP has managed to find a balance in its measures.

Conservation, education, and ecotourism are the fundamental pillars of this island. As conservation spreads through environmental education, the latter is intrinsic to the values promoted.

The rangers, who are also tasked with preventing fishers from entering the MPA, play a crucial role in educating these ocean users as well.

“Sometimes I talk to the local fishing communities about the importance of the marine environment; most people agree with us nowadays. They see Chumbe as a mother because it’s like a fish nursery here; the fish can move outside, and then they can fish outside the MPA,” declared Nyange.

CHICOP has also focused on a third pillar: ecotourism, with a nonprofit model, where ecotourism funds education and conservation efforts, thereby creating a virtuous circle.

While walking around the island, one can observe seven eco-bungalows whose striking architecture catches visitors' eyes and encourages further exploration of their functioning.

By talking with the people working on-site, guests can learn that beyond the unique architecture, these eco-bungalows are actually 100 percent ecological, with showers using rainwater, compost toilets, a zero single-use plastic policy, vegetative grey water filtration, sustainable waste management, and electricity generated from solar panels.

CHICOP also offers daily excursions to discover Chumbe's operations and see the conservation of this Marine Protected Area.

“Every day, all rangers do a lot of snorkeling. I love sharing ideas with the guests, and it’s very enriching because they can compare it with their other snorkeling experiences and see the differences with their own eyes. They understand the importance of the MPA and all the conservation projects,” says Chaga.

Thus, although environmental challenges persist, both on the international stage and along the East African coast, the proven results of Chumbe Island’s MPA demonstrate that conservation initiatives, when put into practice and managed effectively, are part of the solution to facing these challenges in the future.

For all its efforts over the years, in 2018, CHICOP’s MPA became a global ocean refuge, accredited by Blue Park, an initiative aimed at rewarding organizations striving to achieve the 30x30 goal.