Chumbe Island Coral Reef Sanctuary: Building a Lasting Legacy for our Oceans
Photo Credit: Chumbe Island Coral Park Ltd.
| August 13, 2026
Introduction
The Blue Parks program honors marine protected areas (MPAs) that set the bar for ocean conservation. Every five years, our Blue Parks undergo a rigorous review to ensure they continue to meet our science-based criteria and standards of protection. Today, we're highlighting Chumbe Island Coral Reef Sanctuary, located in the Zanzibar Archipelago off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean. First awarded Gold-level Blue Park status in 2018, this privately managed MPA was reviewed again in 2023 and has once again demonstrated its commitment to preserving one of the world's most vibrant coral ecosystems.
About Chumbe Island Coral Reef Sanctuary
Chumbe Island is a small, uninhabited island just south of Zanzibar, managed by Chumbe Island Coral Park Ltd. (CHICOP) since 1991. CHICOP has combined conservation, ecotourism, and environmental education to protect the island's extraordinary biodiversity for over three decades. The sanctuary is renowned for its pristine coral reefs and is described by experts as "one of the most spectacular coral gardens to be found anywhere in the world." Research places Chumbe within the East African Coral Coast ecoregion, in the Western Indian Ocean province of the Western Indo-Pacific realm, and has found that the sanctuary holds the highest diversity of coral species - and the highest number of locally rare and "unique" taxonomic units - found anywhere in the region.
The reef supports at least 474 species of reef fish, blacktip reef sharks, endangered green turtles, critically endangered hawksbill turtles, and a variety of dolphin species. The island also features a rare coral rag forest with unique plant and animal life, making it a biodiversity hotspot both above and below the water. The sanctuary and its accompanying forest reserve are sustained by a dedicated full-time staff and an annual operating budget generated primarily through Chumbe's own ecotourism revenue - a self-financing model that allows the sanctuary to fund its conservation, education, and enforcement work with minimal reliance on outside subsidy.
Highlights from the Five-Year Review
Like many MPAs, Chumbe Island faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the sudden loss of ecotourism revenue. When international flights to Zanzibar were suspended in 2020, CHICOP was forced to temporarily halt its eco-tourism operations that June, cutting off the sanctuary's primary source of funding. With no income and a severely limited budget, CHICOP responded by submitting a series of project proposals to international agencies and ultimately secured three emergency grants, which allowed Chumbe to continue its core conservation and education work even as some research and monitoring activities were temporarily reduced or paused.
The loss of tourism revenue also led to layoffs among tourism workers, prompting some to turn to subsistence fishing. On-site staffing was cut to a core team of just 12 for four months, though all 42 pre-pandemic employees remained on CHICOP's payroll throughout, continuing to receive a monthly allowance and healthcare access. As grant funding came through, staff members returned to full-time work by November 2020, with the remainder back on site by September 2021. Since then, several departments have grown further still - notably the patrol ranger team, which has expanded and is largely made up of young fishers from nearby communities trained on the job in patrolling, surveillance, and enforcement.
These combined pandemic pressures also drove a significant increase in recorded poaching attempts, putting added strain on a historically well-protected MPA. Between June 2020 and May 2022, 95 poaching-related incidents were recorded. In response, three security officers from Tanzania's Economic Defense Force were stationed on the island, and a BIOPAMA Rapid Response Grant helped reinstate eight full-time conservation team members, enabling more proactive patrols that led to a marked decline in infringements.
As tourism recovered, Chumbe's monitoring and education programs resumed in full, and reef health surveys have continued to show that the sanctuary's coral reefs demonstrate remarkable resilience to bleaching events - a testament to the effectiveness of its no-take policies and minimal human impact. Wildlife monitoring also continued to expand throughout this period. CHICOP's long-running Occasional Observation program, active from 2017 through August 2022, logged 421 blacktip reef shark sightings, 232 sea turtle sightings, and 125 dolphin sightings, along with occasional spotted eagle ray encounters. In August 2022, this was succeeded by "Chumbe's Big Five," a citizen-science initiative that invites visitors to help record reef sharks, rays, turtles, dolphins, and the brown-marbled grouper - a shift that has significantly increased monitoring coverage. Chumbe also took part in the 2022 East African Synchronized Whale Watch Day, recording 20 humpback whale sightings, including five calves - the first confirmed humpback sightings around the island since 2018.
Community and Stakeholder Engagement
Chumbe Island's success is owed in large part to its strong partnerships with local communities and its emphasis on environmental education, built around three core focus areas: school programs, peer education and outreach, and wider stakeholder engagement. Since the program's founding in 1996, 8,746 school children, 1,433 teachers, and 1,670 community members have taken part in hands-on learning experiences on Chumbe. Excursion numbers have remained strong even through disruption, with environmental field trips continuing steadily throughout the pandemic years and beyond.
CHICOP sustained this work through several targeted partnerships with local and international organizations. These collaborations supported additional environmental education excursions focused on waste awareness and management for target fishing communities, funded island clean-up events, and delivered hands-on sustainability programming to youth groups and environmental NGOs across Zanzibar.
CHICOP also invested in building local capacity more broadly. In 2021, the sanctuary hosted public advocacy workshops on sustainable seafood, waste management, and marine conservation, drawing professionals from across Zanzibar's tourism and conservation sectors. Separately, Chumbe staff completed a Training of Trainers program in water safety, with several going on to become certified swimming coaches who delivered a "Safety at Sea" program that trained 300 community members in essential water safety and swimming skills. The island classroom itself has also been kept up to date, with its educational displays refreshed using newly compiled materials.
Award Status Update
The Blue Park Award is not permanent. Every five years, Blue Parks undergo a rigorous review to ensure that protections remain strong, management remains effective, and biodiversity outcomes continue to meet the science-based criteria of the Blue Park Standard.
Following its latest five-year review, Chumbe Island Coral Reef Sanctuary has maintained its Gold-level Blue Park status, first awarded in 2018. The review found no changes to the sanctuary's zoning or regulations, and no new information affecting the criteria the sanctuary meets. This continuity is especially meaningful given the operational and financial challenges of recent years, and it highlights Chumbe's ability to adapt and sustain high standards in marine protection even under sustained pressure.
Looking Ahead
Chumbe Island continues to operate under its 2017-2027 management plan, which aims to maximize the sanctuary's contribution to biodiversity conservation, serve as a model for ecotourism and MPA management, and promote environmental awareness across Zanzibar. Ongoing goals for the sanctuary include maintaining the health and resilience of the coral reef, supporting local livelihoods through sustainable tourism, and expanding education and research programs that benefit both people and nature.
Conclusion
