Sibylle E. RIEDMILLER, M.A., was born on 31.12.1945 in Heidelberg, Germany.
Studies of Social Sciences in Heidelberg, Hamburg and Berlin, Germany. Masters degree in Psychology in Berlin. Postgraduate degree in Social and Education Planning from the German Institute of Development Policy, Berlin 1973.
From 1973-1975, Associate Expert for Educational Planning at the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago de Chile. From 1976-1989, Project Manager with the German aid agency GTZ, mainly in Peru and Tanzania. Professional work in planning, managing and evaluating donor projects, particularly basic education curriculum reforms (Bilingual Education, Primary School Agriculture, Secondary School Science), including curriculum and textbook development, in-service teacher and school inspector training, project and impact monitoring. From 1990, independent consultant, with numerous consultancies in related fields with GTZ, DANIDA, FINNIDA, NORAD, WWF and other aid agencies.
From 1991, initiator, main investor and Project director of Chumbe Island Coral park Ltd, a private island nature reserve in Zanzibar/Tanzania. Resident in Tanzania since 1982.
Chumbe Island Coral Park can be found here: www.chumbeisland.com
What is the history and structure of Chumbe Island Coral Park Ltd and what is its role in the protection of Chumbe Island?
Chumbe Island Coral Park Ltd. (CHICOP) is a private nature reserve that was developed from 1991 for the conservation and sustainable management of uninhabited Chumbe Island off Zanzibar, one of the last relatively pristine coral islands in the region. CHICOP has been registered in Zanzibar in 1992 for the sole purpose of establishing and managing the park. (includes the Chumbe Reef Sanctuary (gazetted in 1994) and the Chumbe Forest Reserve (1995). Company objectives are non-commercial, while operations follow commercial principles. The overall aim of CHICOP is to create a model of Park management, where ecotourism supports conservation, research and environmental education.
CHICOP is a Member of the UNEP Global500 Forum.
Mission Statement
In the constitution of CHICOP, the purpose of the company is: “To manage for conservation purposes, the Chumbe Island Reef Sanctuary and the Chumbe Island Forest Reserve. This includes educational and commercial activities related to the non-consumptive use of the above mentioned natural resources and the doing of all such other things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above object.”
Aims
- Committed to sustainable conservation area management and environmental education (awareness creation and information) financed through eco-tourism
- Committed to facilitate research and monitoring systems in support of the above.
- Committed to community development and well being through environmental education that facilitates better resource use and management by local communities.
- Committed to prioritizing and working closely with local communities.
- Committed to involving all stakeholders in the development of the project.
- Committed to minimizing the environmental impacts of all operations and to promote environmentally friendly design and technology within the project.
- Committed to ethical operations with not for profit objectives.
- Committed to cooperation with National and International conservation and ecotourism organisations to publicise the project and exchange experiences.
General
- To endeavour to work closely with all stakeholders by organising regular meetings with local communities.
- To hold bi-annual advisory committee meetings with officials from government (departments and local community leaders) and academic institutions.
- To support local tourism associations and other relevant bodies through membership fees and with active involvement.
- To support environmental education of schoolchildren and other people through education trips to promote an understanding of nature conservation and the principles of ecotourism.
- To provide environmental education materials and support local schools and other projects.
- To work with government in a transparent manner and submit all relevant documents within set deadlines.
From its early beginnings in 1991, the project has helped to raise conservation awareness and understanding of the legal and institutional requirements among government officials. Seven Government departments were involved in negotiating the project in the initial phase, followed (among other issues) by intense discussions on the Management Plans (1995-2005 and 2006-2016) in the Advisory Committee.This has improved political support and prepared the ground for improvements in the legal framework. Environmental legislation, which gave provision for the private management of protected areas was only passed in 1996.
The legal setup and contractual agreements that facilitated the establishment of the Chumbe Island Coral Park project, especially landlease agreements, gazettement and management agreements for the marine and terrestrial protected areas, clearly define roles and functions of CHICOP Ltd and the several government departments involved.
Who makes up the staff of Chumbe Island Coral Park Ltd and what percentage are local people? What is your policy on recruiting local persons as staff and what training are they then given and by whom?
Chumbe employs 41 Tanzanians and two Expatriates. All staff on Chumbe Island are Tanzanian nationals. With only 7 rooms, this is the highest staff-room ratio in Tanzania, and three times the international average of 1.89 staff per room for ecolodges, according to a recent IFC study (International Finance Corporation, Ecolodges: Exploring Opportunities for Sustainable Business, Washington 2004). As a fully managed nature reserve, Chumbe needs a Project Manager, Conservation Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Park Rangers, - altogether a third of the staff work for nature conservation and education. Not only they, but all project staff receive continuous training that stresses the overall conservation orientation of CHICOP and the demands of ecotourism and what this entails for each particular job position. This not only makes sure that all operations provide superior services to our guests and are conducted according to best environmental practices, but also creates an excellent team spirit that radiates to our guests. Thousands of entries in the guest book bear witness of the outstanding performance of the Chumbe team in this respect. (for a small sample see visitor feedback at www.TripAdvisor.com)
Local staff working with Chumbe have real career chances. Local community is given high priority for employment opportunities. Four years ago, two positions of expatriates have been ‘africanised’, and Tanzanians now hold all management positions on Chumbe Island. The Maintenance Manager, for example, started working with the project in 1994 as an unskilled and illiterate manual labourer. He has over the years been trained on the job on the necessary technical skills needed for maintaining the sophisticated eco-technology and is now a proud member of the Chumbe Management team! In addition, the International recognition of the Chumbe project has given some of our staff opportunities for travel and fame that are unrivalled in Zanzibar. For example, the Chumbe Head Ranger, a former fisherman himself, represented the project in London/UK and in Adelaide/Australia, for receiving the British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Global Award 1999 and the 2000 UNEP Global500 Award. Some staff members have also been sent to training courses overseas, e.g. for Environmental Education in South Africa. Where possible, women are given preference in employment opportunities. Women are a third of the staff and occupy nearly all management positions: The importance of gender empowerment is recognised.Since 1992 over ten former fishermen have been trained as Park Rangers in marine park management and monitoring techniques for the reef and the forest. They have also learned English and gained the knowledge needed to guide both local and foreign visitors on the island. CHICOP offers help with training rangers who can then be posted to similar projects in the region.
When the park was gazetted and the fringing reef west of Chumbe closed in 1992 this obviously impacted upon the local communities who had in the past utilised it as a resource. How were they compensated and by what means has Chumbe ensured that they are still able to generate income from the island?
Similar to other small rocky coral islands that lack water sources around Tanzania, Chumbe Island was uninhabited. Thus there was no resident population on the island living of its resources. In addition, the Western side of the island was traditionally closed for local fishing boats, which would have obstructed the vessels plying the shipping channel between Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. Therefore, fishing in the area of the Chumbe Reef Sanctuary was traditonally minimal. However, with the rapidly growing population and commercial pressures of the tourism industry, it was to be expected that such traditional restrictions would be challenged in the future. Therefore, it was considered essential to the closing of the reef to fishing that local fishing communities understand and support the Chumbe reef sanctuary.
The main argument in support of this is the recognition that well-managed totally protected areas benefit fisheries as breeding areas for marine animals that restock adjacent frishing grounds, the so-called spill-over effect. Research has established that indeed, fishers around Chumbe do indeed better harvests as a result of the closure, and some have even asked CHICOP to close more areas.
Due to the committed work of the park rangers in educating their fellow fishers, there are now no major problems with infringements from fishers or other users, and the project is well accepted by the local communities (Carter et.al. 1997).
Support from local communities was also gained due to the fact that CHICOP prefers the employment of local - even untrained - staff, in spite of the high training needs. This was the case with employing local fishermen as rangers, for example.
Also, as the local Zanzibarian cuisine is a very delicious blend of Asian, Arabic, African and European traditions, it was decided that guests would be offered typical Zanzibarian cuisine. This allowed for the employment of local women as cooks and became a real success story! None of them had ever received any professional training, but routinely produce culinary delights on Chumbe Island, with meals based on seafood, local spices and sweets, and indigenous vegetables and fruits. This in turn creates a market for local produce, rather than imported foods, and reduces environmental pollution by minimising packaging materials, while also raising pride for the local culture. Local fishermen also benefit directly by selling fish and other seafood to the island restaurant with its delicious seafood meals.
How does Chumbe give back to the communities surrounding it? What programs does it run thus to benefit those, whom by way of it being an eco resort no longer can use it as a resource?
As said above, there has been no displacement of local people on uninhabited Chumbe Island, which provided a window of opportunity for creating the reserve that is quite rare in the conservation world of today! However, in line with present thinking on nature conservation, the Chumbe Island Coral Park provides important community benefits and social services to the population of Zanzibar for nearly 15 years, particularly fishermen, schoolchildren, government officials and the population in general.
Chumbe project provides environmental information, education and training, which is essential, as formal education at both primary and secondary levels does not cover coral reef ecology in Tanzania and Zanzibar. Traditionally, there is also no word for ‘coral’ in the national language Kiswahili. Even fishermen refer to corals as ‘rocks and stones’, which explains why the rampant dynamite fishing has for decades met with little political and public concern. To help improve this situation, CHICOP offers environmental Education to the following groups:
- Fishers. The rangers educate fishers by stressing the role of the protected area as a breeding ground for fish. As the Chumbe rangers have no policing powers, they have been trained to educate fishermen about corals and coral reefs and the importance of a marine protected area as a breeding ground for fish. They stress upon fishermen that they should respect the boundaries of the Reef Sanctuary and in exchange enjoy increased fish harvests in the vicinity. The park rangers, former fishermen themselves, have been particularly successful in this, and over the last years infringements of the park regulations have decreased considerably. This has proven very successful. Village fishers now generally respect the park boundaries and report that catches outside the boundaries have increased since the establishment of the sanctuary. Regular half-yearly meetings between local village communities, CHICOP management and government officials encourages open communication between all parties.
- Schoolchildren. All secondary schools in Zanzibar participate in a full Environmental Education program that includes free school excursions to Chumbe Island and teacher training seminars regularly when the tides are safe for non-swimmers. This is organized in co-operation with Ministry of Education. Many of these children come from schools within fishing communities where the children benefit from learning about the resources upon which many of their families' livelihoods depend, and upon which they may be likely to depend upon themselves in later life. Recently, some of the schools who visited Chumbe Island were inspired to start environmental clubs and the Ministry of Education were so impressed that they held an environmental club workshop for all Secondary schools. In summary, CHICOP has created unique facilities for environmental education for schoolchildren and other visitors. A Visitors’ centre was built that has a classroom for local schoolchildren, nature trails and educational materials (in Kiswahili and English) were developed for the forest and the reef. From 1994 excursions for school children were organized through the Department of Environment, over several years with the help of VSO-volunteers responsible for environmental clubs in schools. Since 2003 a conservation co-ordinater and environmental education volunteer employed by CHICOP have been actively managing the several conservation and education programs.
- Local women and girls: in the local Islamic culture, women do not learn how to swim. Therefore, as is done on Chumbe, teaching schoolgirls how to swim and snorkel in coral reefs provides environmental education. They need not to undress for this (which would conflict with local dress codes) and are provided with lifevests for better buoyancy. Including girls and women in the education program also serves as an eye-opener that is necessary for developing feelings of ownership and more political support for marine conservation among local people!
Seven two-bed Eco-bungalows offer accommodation for up to 14 guests. In addition, day trips are offered for up to a total of 16 visitors, when overnight occupancy is low. Groups of schoolchildren are invited for day excursions during the low season, their numbers do not exceed 15 including teachers. Overnight capacity does not exceed around 4500 bed-nights per year and no further construction of overnight facilities is planned. Day visitation to the park is also limited to stay within the carrying capacity of the island.
Supplies
- All supplies are sent to the island in re-usable locally made reed baskets and bags. Plastic is avoided.
- Baskets and bags are re-used to buy supplies for the Island.
- Supplies are bought preferably in local markets, and produce from outside the local community is avoided wherever possible. This benefits local producers and is also more economical.
- In summary, measures to recycle, reuse and reduce waste are prioritised
- Transportation transfers and other services to local contractors are outsourced wherever possible and economical.
Waste and sewage disposal is particularly important in sensitive coral areas where nutrients and sedimentation from sewage and beach erosion suffocate corals and encourage algal growth. On Chumbe, the installation of composting toilets instead of flush toilets not only reduces the water consumption, but also avoids any sewage run-off into the sea. Grey water from the showers and kitchen is disposed of through particular plantbeds filtering the nutrients out of the water.
Kitchen refuse is either composted and then used in the composting toilets, or removed from the island. As around 90% of all kitchen supplies are bought fresh from the local market, hardly any tins or plastic containers reach the island in the first place.
Therefore, as non-biodegradable materials are minimized and removed and others fully recycled, it can be said that the Chumbe Island Coral Park project generates as close to zero pollution, both liquid and solid, as is possible with relevant technologies today!
As an eco tourism concern, what percentage of the profit generated by such tourism goes directly to conserving the island’s eco system and from what other sources is funding obtained if there is need for further projects to preserve the environment?
All operations are fully self-funded since the year 2000. Approximately 1.2 Million US$ were invested to develop the park. Half came from the project initiator, one quarter were small donor grants, while another quarter was professional work contributed by more than 50 volunteers over several years.
Commercial operations started in 1998, with occupancy rates increasing from 13% then to 85% in 2006-2007. The revenue generated from small-scale but high value ecotourism fully funds the Park management and conservation and education programs since the year 2000. About one third of the operational budget of Chumbe is spent on conservation management staff and education programs.
Due to extremely cost-effective operations and the continued assistance of volunteers, even a slump in tourist arrivals would not threaten the survival of the park, as an occupancy rate of around 40% is sufficient to cover basic operations.
Several project components, such as the construction of the Visitors' Centre, biological baseline surveys, the Aders' duikers sanctuary, the park rangers patrol boats, the nature trails and school excursion program got some funding from donors, e.g. GTZ-GATE, GTZ-EM, the German Tropical Forest Stamp Program, EC-Microprojects, the International School Schloss Buchhof, Munich, the Netherlands Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the WWF-Tanzania, the Zoo Munich-Hellabrunn, the Chicago Zoological Society, the SADC-Environmental Education Program among others. Donor support covered about one quarter of the investment costs, but is not required anymore for operations. Another quarter were contributed by more than 50 volunteers from several countries who provided, and continue to provide, professional support for between one month to three years.
With very frugal management and the help of numerous volunteers, costs are kept down in order to avoid over-dependence on a high occupancy rate. Therefore, from 2000, that is only three years after starting commercial operations. Chumbe is able to cover operational costs of park management entirely with income from guests. This in spite of a slump in bookings caused by local political turmoil in 2001, that generated security threats and international travel warnings. Basic operations include support to the Environmental Education and research programs. An occupancy rate of about 40% is sufficient for that. Therefore, the economic and institutional sustainability are not at risk.
What is the immediate history of Chumbe Island before CHICOP began operating? In what state was the island when management was taken over and how has it changed with sound environmental practises?
Tanzania traditionally has a well-established system of world-renowned terrestrial protected areas, while the several marine parks designated along the coast in the early seventies remained on paper only (Jameson et.al. 1995). As a consequence, many coral reefs are now probably damaged beyond recovery (UNEP-RSRS 1989).
The project initiator, working in Tanzania as manager and consultant for donor aid projects from the early eighties, fell in love with the tropical sea and became an enthusiastic sailor, diver and amateur marine biologist. In 1990, after concluding a consultancy on environmental education in Zanzibar, she developed a proposal for a small marine park that would help conserve a pristine coral reef, offer environmental education for both foreign visitors and the local population, and generate management funds through genuine ecotourism. Disillusioned with the failure and continued donor dependency of most aid projects implemented through government institutions in the country, she felt that the future for nature conservation in Tanzania needed support and commitment from the private sector which has a more long-term and intrinsic interest in effective conservation management on the ground.
When searching the sea around Zanzibar for a suitable coral reef for a small privately managed Marine Park, she ‘discovered’ Chumbe Island, 8 miles southwest of Zanzibar Town. An uninhabited fossil coral island of approximately 20 ha, covered by coral rag forest and bordered on its western shore by a fringing coral reef of exceptional biodiversity and beauty, Chumbe seemed to face little immediate threat. Similar to other historic sites in Zanzibar it appeared an abandoned place with signs of passed glory, such as an old lighthouse built during colonial rule in 1904, and other ruined historical buildings. A lighthouse keeper was still on the payroll of the Harbours Authority but had not been residing on the island for decades.
Fishing was traditionally not allowed on its western side, as small boats would have obstructed vessels plying the shipping channel to Dar es Salaam, the capital of mainland Tanzania and the sea surrounding the island was a military area where the army routinely conducted shooting range exercises from the adjacent coast. In addition, few boatmen could then afford an outboard engine to go to this most distant of the islets surrounding Zanzibar town. As no traditional users were to be displaced, conditions appeared ideal for the creation of a marine park that depended on co-operation with local fishermen, not government enforcement.
Therefore, in 1991 she started campaigning for the protection of the island, and presented a business plan that would establish Chumbe Island as a privately managed marine park financed through ecotourism. When the Government of Zanzibar approved this in 1993, she registered Chumbe Island Coral Park Ltd. (CHICOP) for the management of the reserve. After lengthy negotiations with several Government departments, CHICOP leased a small plot on the island for development and signed management agreements for the Chumbe Reef Sanctuary and the Chumbe Forest Reserve that had been declared protected areas in 1994 and 1995.
This created the first managed marine park in Tanzania, and to our knowledge also the first and only private marine park in the world. The reserve covers the whole of Chumbe Island and has become a rare example of a still pristine coral island ecosystem in an otherwise heavily over-exploited area.
When management of the island was taken over what were the immediate objectives and how were they achieved? As time has passed, how have those objectives evolved and how are you achieving them?
Operations on the island started in 1993, with biological baseline surveys of the terrestrial and marine environment. Local fishermen were employed and stationed on Chumbe from 1992 and trained on the job as park rangers by professional volunteers.
A Management Plan was commissioned in 1995, to a team of ecologists contracted for three months by CHICOP (with support of the British volunteer organization BESO) and who had previous experience in managing a tropical island nature reserve (Aride Island, Seychelles). They held extensive meetings with a wide variety of stakeholders including CHICOP staff, all concerned Government departments, representatives of other environmental projects, local fishermen and private diving companies.
The comprehensive document includes ecological data collected by the baseline surveys, on the physical, biological and historical features of Chumbe Island and the Reef Sanctuary, and specifies the aims and objectives, while also prescribing detailed management actions based on these. It outlines the management policy for sustainable development, eco-lodge management, research policy, safety and health regulations for staff and visitors, guidelines for visitors as well as responsibilities of essential personnel. In summary, the Management Plan specifies that only non-consumptive and non-exploitative activities are permitted in the Sanctuary area.
Permitted uses of the marine park include recreation (swimming, snorkelling, underwater photography), education and research. Extractive and destructive activities, such as fishing, anchorage, collection of specimens (even for research) is not allowed. Research is co-ordinated with the Institute of Marine Sciences of the University of Dar es Salaam.
The Government responsibilities outlined in the Plan (and based on the previously signed Management Agreements) are mainly the public announcement of all legal and regulatory measures concerning the reserve and their enforcement through the relevant organs (Fisheries officers, Navy, Marine police, Courts of Law). CHICOP has full managerial and financial responsibility for Chumbe Island. The Management Plan was endorsed by the Advisory Committee in 1995 and has since then been the basis for project operations. In early 2006, the Management Plan was revised and updated for another 10 years by a consultant commissioned by the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN), again based on communications with the relevant stakeholders.
Project activities from 1991-2006 are summarized and explained in more detail below. The sequence of activities is the following:
- The gazetting of the Western reef and the island as a protected area was negotiated from 1991 to 1994 by the project initiator;
- Park rangers were employed and trained by expatriate volunteers from 1993, mostly on interaction with fishers, monitoring techniques and tourist guidance skills. Patrol boats and outboard engines were sponsored by GTZ-Small projects, the International School Schloss Buchhof/Munich and EC-Microprojects in Tanzania;
- Also with the help of volunteers and some donor funds from GTZ-Small projects, baseline surveys and species lists on the island's flora and fauna were conducted from 1993;
- An Advisory Committee was established in 1995, with representatives of the Departments of Fisheries, Forestry and Environment, the Institute of Marine Sciences of the University of Dar es Salaam and village leaders of neighbouring fishing villages;
- A Management Plan 1995-2005 was produced in 1995 and guided the project operations since then. The Management Plan was updated in 2006, with new developments for another ten years up to 2016;
- Forest and marine nature trails were developed from 1993 with information materials in English and Kiswahili, sponsored by the Netherlands Embassy in Kenya and the Special Tropical Forest Stamp program of the German Post;
- Rats (Rattus rattus) were eradicated in 1997, with the help of an expert from Cork University, Ireland, supported by the Irish volunteer organization APSO and ZENECA, the company producing the rodenticide used;
- A Sanctuary for the highly endangered Ader's duiker (Cephalophus adersi) was established from 1997, in co-operation with the Commission of Natural Resources of Zanzibar, the Zoo Munich-Hellabrunn, Flora and Fauna International (UK), the WWF-Tanzania and the Chicago Zoological Society;
- The ruined lighthouse keeper's house was rehabilitated as Park HQ and Visitors' Centre in 1997-98 with some support from GTZ-CIM and the Netherlands Embassy in Tanzania;
- Seven visitors' bungalows ('eco-bungalows') and the Visitors' Centre were constructed in 1994-1998 according to state-of-the-art eco-architecture (rainwater catchments, grey water vegetative filtration, composting toilets, photovoltaic power generation);
- As part of the Chumbe Environmental Education Program, in-service teacher training seminars and free excursions to the island are offered to local schoolchildren from 1995, in some phases supported by the US National Fish and Wildlife Foundation NFWF, the Southern African Development Community Environmental Education Program SADC-EE, the International Coral Reef Action Network ICRAN and others. Up to mid 2007, around 2200 schoolchildren and 450 teachers have already visited the island under this program;
- Tourism operations (day excursions and overnight stay) commenced fully in 1998.
How was the accommodation for Chumbe designed for minimal environmental impact and by whom? On what premise did they work from; as outlined by CHICOP or with a blank canvas? And now, after the intervening years, are the accommodations as efficient as first planned or have there had to be revisions?
With the help of architects of the Technical University Braunschweig (Germany) and other specialists, the Visitors' Centre and seven 'eco-bungalows' were built with state-of-the-art eco-architecture and eco-technology that have close to zero impact on the environment.
All buildings are designed to catch sea breezes for ventilation and do not require air-conditioning. Technologies for energy and water supply and waste disposal on Chumbe Island are of the highest environmental standards. Solar panels and rainwater catchment provide renewable energy and water.
Environmental concerns
- Emissions of carbon dioxide is minimised, for example by reducing the use of fossil fuels by using photovoltaic energy as much as possible, by regulating boat trips and size of engines used and limiting use of cars to essential trips controlled by logbooks.
- Large water filters are provided so that bottled water is completely avoided (reducing plastic waste). All plastic waste used is recyled.
- All biodegradable raw fruits, vegetables and plant matter are composted for use in the composting toilets.
- The Environmental Education Program helps sensitizing local communities of the benefits of conserving the environment
- Use of locally made biodegradable soap in combination with the bungalow greywater filtration systems help minimise pollution and eutrophication
- Composting toilets installed to completely avoid sewage (black water) and waste of water for flushing toilets.
- Grey water systems introduced for showers and the guest kitchen waste water in order to minimise marine eutrophication.
- Solar powered electricity and torches (flashlights) are used.
- Bungalows, education centre and staff quarters provided with underground rain water collection tanks and roofs designed for maximum rainwater collection and storage.
- Usage of water in bungalows is conserved and controlled manually, e.g. through water-saving showerheads.
- Local building technologies and materials. All buildings on Chumbe Island reflect local architectural low-energy and low-input traditions, cultures and technologies. Constructed from locally available natural renewable building materials and technologies, this also created a thriving market for local producers, particularly also for small farmers who found a market for products from the coconut tree, a crop that had been long neglected.
- Rainwater catchment. All buildings have been designed to make maximum use of rainwater that is collected by the palm-thatched roofs and filtered through combined gravel and sand filters, to be stored in large cisterns under the floor of each building. To our knowledge, Chumbe Island is the only project harvesting rainwater from palm-thatched roofs worldwide! This could be a model for low-cost water harvesting in rural communities where palm-thatched roofs also predominate.
- Composting toilets. The eco-bungalows and staff quarters have composting toilets that recycle human and organic waste in a sustainable way. They reduce organic waste to one sixth of its original volume and produce compost and fertilizer for the grey water filtration plant beds mentioned below. Organic kitchen waste is recycled in the compost beds that provide for the compost toilets. Any other waste is removed from the island.
- Vegetative greywater filtration. To avoid introducing unwanted nutrients, waste water (greywater) from the shower, washbasin and kitchen pass through a filter before entering a plant bed that has been sealed from its surroundings. Plants that absorb large amounts of phosphates and nitrates have been used here to remove these nutrients before the water enters the eco-system.
- Solar power for light, communication and water heating. Photovoltaic panels provide for lights and other electricity needs on the island. The Visitors' Centre has a solar-powered VHF radio station for communicating with the CHICOP-Office in Zanzibar town, with passing ships and the Harbours Authority that communicates regularly for the maintenance of the historic Chumbe lighthouse. The restaurant kitchen has a solar-powered freezer. In all bungalows, shower water is heated by solar water heating panels.
- Avoiding light pollution at night. To protect nocturnal wildlife from light pollution, the walkways, nature trails and beach areas are not artificially illuminated. Guests are given solar powered torches for walking along the pathways between the eco-bungalows and the Restaurant at night. This protects feeding and breeding patters of nocturnal animals, and also helps preserve and view one of the most stunning attractions of Chumbe Island: the rare giant Coconut Crabs (Birgus latro), red-listed by IUCN. This largest land crab on Earth has now found refuge on Chumbe Island and produced the probably greatest known population concentration worldwide.
- Cooking energy. One challenge remains: the issue of cooking energy. Against a backdrop of the rapid deforestation in the country, the search for an appropriate clean and renewable cooking energy remains a major challenge to the project. To be manageable, a restaurant has to offer a variety of dishes that are prepared and served hot according to a strict time schedule for breakfast, lunch and dinner times, irrespective of the number of guests and of the weather patterns and peak sunshine hours. For cooking energy, we have so far experimented with a wide range of cookers: two models of solar cookers, the so-called solar boxes and a parabol solar-cooker, a low-pressure gas cooker, kerosene cookers and traditional charcoal stoves. Of the several options examined, a flexible combination of charcoal stoves, kerosene and gas cookers has been found to be the most appropriate and cost-effective so far. An energy-saving wood stove has also been constructed for the staff kitchen.
Chumbe Island was uninhabited for many decades except for a lighthouse keeper, but had historical buildings that were either left untouched or carefully restored by CHICOP:
- A historic lighthouse, built by the British in 1904, is kept functioning with the AGA gas system installed in 1926. The Chumbe Park Rangers now make sure that the lights are working for the traditional dhows that have no modern means of navigation. The lighthouse also facilitates monitoring of the reserve and provides spectacular views of the Chumbe Sanctuary and Zanzibar.
- A protected historic mosque on the island is left untouched and still used daily by the Chumbe staff on the island. This is one of the few mosques of Indian architecture in Zanzibar, built for the Indian lighthouse keepers by their community at the turn of the previous century.
- The former lighthouse keepers' house has been carefully restored and converted into a Visitors' Centre that harbours the restaurant and exhibits environmental information about the island reserve for all guests, including schoolchildren.
Over the last decade, two basic dynamic forces are increasingly threatening the once pristine Tanzanian environment: the rapid population growth of around 3% per year, and the economic development brought by liberalization and globalization.
These forces have increased pressure on natural resources and lead to rapid destruction and pollution of the terrestrial and marine environment. The once breathtakingly beautiful coral reefs now suffer from over-fishing, destructive fishing techniques and water pollution from sedimentation and urban sewage. Forests are disappearing at a fast rate, to provide land for settlement and agriculture, and are cleared for firewood and charcoal; still the most important sources of domestic fuel in rural and urban areas. Endangered and protected species, such as sea turtles, duikers, large mammals and a myriad of unexplored indigenous flora and fauna lose their habitat or are hunted or collected for food. Formerly unexploited marine organisms, such as sea cucumbers and sea horses, are now harvested and exported to distant Asian markets.
The recent liberalization of the Tanzanian economy has opened coasts and beaches for investment in tourism. This also contributes to the deterioration of coral reefs and coastal forests. Beach resorts are being constructed too close to the shoreline, polluting the sea with untreated sewage. For their constructions, large areas of indigenous shore vegetation that is needed to prevent beach erosion are being removed. Furthermore, in a country where most foodstuffs are traditionally marketed fresh on the market, a flood of imported industrially processed and packaged food for the urban elite and tourism market is now changing the nutritional habits of the population. In the absence of garbage disposal systems, plastic bags, containers and packing materials litter the streets and beaches.
Environmental awareness in the general public and government action lag far behind the pace of environmental deterioration. This is particularly the case concerning coral reefs that are important for biodiversity conservation, human development, tourism, sustainable fisheries and protection from beach erosion. Traditionally, the national language Kiswahili had no word for corals (referred to as ‘mawe na miamba’, stones and rocks). Moreover, formal education does not yet provide environmental knowledge on coral reefs, as they are not covered in the syllabi of primary and secondary education. As a result, decades of destructive fishing methods (dynamiting, smashing corals and beach-seining) have been met with little public and governmental concern.
What powers do you have to prevent illegal instances of fishing and how is the law enforced? What is the local Zanzibar government position on such matters?
In spite of the rather violent nature of some of the fishing methods used in the area, the Chumbe Park rangers do not carry arms and have no powers of enforcement. On Chumbe Island, conservation work is pro-active. Rangers patrol the island to ensure that the laws prohibiting fishing and anchoring on the protected reef and guarding of the closed coral-rag forest habitat are met. They monitor any event or infringement, and their reports provide daily data from 1992, on the type, number and names of vessels involved, nature of the intended activity and the fishers' reaction to the rangers' intervention. They also record observations on any major change in the coral reef, such as storm damage or coral bleaching. As the Chumbe rangers have no policing powers, they have been trained to educate fishermen about the nature of corals and coral reefs and about the purpose of a marine protected area as a breeding ground for fish. They could only verbally convince fishermen that they should respect the boundaries of the Reef Sanctuary and in exchange enjoy increased fish harvests in the vicinity, which has over the many years of protection, become a reality recognised bu local fishermen. The park rangers, former fishermen themselves have been particularly successful in this, as from 1995 infringements of the park regulations have decreased drastically. This has also been achieved due to the fact that the closed area is relatively small and patrolling thus not a challenge. The Reef Sanctuary covers only 1 km stretch of reef along the western shore of the island, up to 300 metres from the high water level.
The fact that the rangers work in two- to three-weekly shifts on the island and continue to reside in villages and may fish themselves during their off-time, has probably also helped for close bonds with villagers. Due to the excellent work of the Park rangers, there are now no major problems with infringements from fishers or other users, and the project is well accepted by the local communities for many years already.
The Zanzibar Government has committed itself to full political and legal support for the reserve through gazettement and the various contractual agreements, as well as active participation in the Advisory Committee that meets half-yearly.
From where do the illegal fishermen come from and what has been the local community reaction on Zanzibar coast to your activities?
From 1993, the Chumbe park rangers have been keeping daily monitoring records of activities in the protected area. The data gathered from these reports are unique as they give a daily account of the hands-on management of a small island environment and provide detailed information on methods used to deal with external pressures on the protected area. It has been possible to calculate accurately the number of incidents of fishermen breaching the boundaries of the protected zone from the very beginning of the project. With this data, trends in seasonal fishing pressures could be assessed, as well as trends in the origin of the fishermen, their vessel types and their target catches over time. In addition, the fishermen’s reactions to the rangers doing their job have also been meticulously recorded.
Data extracted from the rangers’ daily Monitoring reports and continuous information thereafter demonstrate a clear decline in the total number of incidents over time particularly from 1995, suggesting the overall success of the rangers’ methods in deterring activity within the protected area. However, the decline was not gradual. Confirming our prior assessment that Chumbe has not been a preferred fishing area, incidents were few throughout 1993, the first year of patrolling, with not more than between two and ten incidents per month. However, these incidents increased drastically between November 1993 and March 1994 (with a peak of 43 in March 1994) and again between July 1994 and February 1995 (with a peak of 19 in October 1994). After that, and up to present, the number of monthly incidents is low. (Carter et.al.1997)
Good relationships have developed over the years between the rangers and some of the local fishermen, and in some cases personal respect for the rangers has contributed to deterring attempts to fish in the protected zone. As a matter of fact, fishermen requiring assistance are never turned away, which has also contributed to the success of the protected area management. Village fishers now generally respect the park boundaries and report that catches outside the boundaries have increased since the establishment of the sanctuary. It has become obvious for them now that tourism has also provided them a better market.
What are the most immediate threats to the coral reefs surrounding Chumbe and what is your action plan to tackle them?
Coral reefs in Zanzibar and Tanzania are under serious threat generally. Overfishing, dynamite fishing and other destructive fishing practices, pollution and sedimentation have led to bio-physical deterioration of formerly pristine reefs. Fish landings that provide 90% of the food protein in Zanzibar, have been declining exponentially over the last decade.
Chumbe Island is located upstream of the most important fishing grounds opposite Zanzibar town. The sanctuary provides a protected breeding ground for fish, corals and other species, which are expected to then spread out to recolonise nearby overfished and degraded areas. As the predominant sea current in the Zanzibar channel is northerly, larvae of corals and other sea organisms as well as juvenile and adult fish are likely to migrate to the northern heavily fished reefs.
Other threats are related to climate change, such as increase in water temperature and acidification that threaten corals, and raising sea levels that threaten coasts generally. As a result of full protection, the Chumbe reef sanctuary recovered fully from the 1998 coral bleaching. I think we can claim that we already do all we can to contribute to effective conservation area management on the ground and for socially and environmentally responsible tourism!
What flora and fauna species are endemic to the island? As an island are there any species unique to it and those that are non endemic – what kind of damage have they caused and what can be done to eradicate them?
The Chumbe coral reef has at least 90% of the scleractinian coral species ever recorded in East Africa (Veron, pers.com.1997), at least one of them waiting to be described. The Chumbe Reef Sanctuary has become refuge for several resident hawksbill turtles. The forest harbours the world's largest known population of the rare Coconut Crab Birgus latro (Hartnoll, pers.com. 2000). In 1994 and 2006, the undisturbed reef flora and fauna of Chumbe Island allowed successful breeding of rare migrant birds, e.g. the Roseate tern Sterna dougalli. After a succesful translocation program in 1999, the island also offers a breeding sanctuary for the endangered Ader’s duiker Cephalophus adersi. These can later be re-introduced to Jozani forest or other conservation areas, once they are established and fully managed with the support of neighbouring communities. Particularly after the successful eradication of rats (Rattus rattus) in 1997, Chumbe Island is also a safe haven for yet unknown flora and fauna typical of intertidal reef flats and coral rag forests which are little researched and rapidly diminishing elsewhere in Zanzibar and Tanzania.
Please expand upon the Ader’s Duiker Sanctuary in the Chumbe forest which is briefly covered in the website, www.chumbeisland.com/forest%20reserve/forest%20reserve.html How was the introduction of a non native species to the island justified and what have been the results a decade after the first introduction?
The endemic Aders duiker is not exotic to Chumbe Island. There were local reports that they were hunted there until decades ago, and the coral-rag forest covering Chumbe Island is also the typical duiker habitat on mainland Zanzibar, where they continue to be hunted, and where the forest is continuously cleared for agriculture and firewood. This was the background for proposing a sanctuary on Chumbe Island, the only place where this antelope is fully protected.
From 1998, the Duiker Sanctuary was established on Chumbe Island in close co-operation with the Department of Forestry, with assistance from the Director of the Zoo Munich-Hellabrunn Prof. Henning Wiesner who came to Zanzibar to conduct the translocation exercise, and train Zanzibari Veterinary doctors and staff of the Forestry department in the technicalities. Flora and Fauna International, UK, The Chicago Zoological Society, the WWF and others also supported this project. It is essential for the survival of the critically endangered Aders Duiker (Cephalophus adersi), the rarest antelope in the World. A recent survey (2007) has established that Chumbe has a healthy population of at least 6 duikers, among them juveniles.
Much is spoken of the effects of global warming, can you predict in what ways may Chumbe Island be affected, both relating to the marine and terrestrial aspects of the park?
The effects of global warming are felt already around the globe and of massive concern to humanity. Chumbe is no exception, though, to a certain extent and for several reasons, the island is less threatened in the near future than other small low islands, e.g. in the Maldives. Chumbe sits on a fossil coral rock raised about 2-3 metres above high water level, and will thus not be flooded for a period of time. Rocky shores can also withstand beach erosion caused by raising sea levels better then sandy beaches. The vegetation on the island, the coral-rag forest, is dominated by semi-arid vegetation and can thus withstand drought conditions up to a limit. An increase in rainfall would probably facilitate a shift in the plant composition though. The coral reef is shallow and thus exposed to higher temperature variations. During the worldwide 1998 coral bleaching and later events, such shallow reefs have been found to be more resilient to increased seawater temperatures.
However, all this gives us no reason to be complacent: we contribute to the global fight to stem climate change as much as we can!
As a model for eco tourism how successful do you think it has been? What problems have been encountered that you didn’t expect and from those what lessons have been learnt? How could the experience with Chumbe be used to benefit other such similar projects?
As a result of successful management the coral reef has become one of the most pristine in the region, with 423 species of fish and over 200 species of scleractinian coral, at least 90% of all recorded in East Africa (Veron, pers.com. 1997). The coral communities in the sanctuary have survived the worldwide 1998 bleaching event better than most other reefs in the region. The Chumbe Reef Sanctuary has also become refuge for several resident hawksbill turtles.
The forest covering the island is one of the last pristine 'coral rag' forests in Zanzibar (Beentje 1990) and has now become a sanctuary for the highly endangered Ader’s duiker (Cephalophus adersi), the rarest antelope in the world, now probably facing imminent extinction from poaching and habitat destruction (Kingdon 1997). These can later be re-introduced to the Jozani forest or other conservation areas, once they are established and fully managed with the support of neighbouring communities.
Furthermore, the island has probably the world's largest population of the rare Coconut crab (Birgus latro) recorded as 'data deficient' in the IUCN Red data book (Richard Hartnoll, pers. comm.). Attracted by the abundant fish in the reef sanctuary, the rare Roseate terns (Sterna dougalli) bred on Chumbe Island in 1994 (Iles 1995). Particularly after the successful eradication of rats (Rattus rattus) in 1997, Chumbe Island is also a safe haven for yet unknown flora and fauna typical of inter tidal reef flats and coral rag forests that are little researched and rapidly diminishing elsewhere in Zanzibar and Tanzania.
As with many ambitious projects, the challenges for CHICOP turned out to be much bigger than envisaged. The advent of liberalization from the early 1990s brought rapid changes to Zanzibar. The booming tourism industry took possession of the most attractive sites (some apparently for speculative reasons) and also created an affluent market for marine products, leading to overexploitation of lobsters, kingfish and other upmarket seafood. High prices made fishing an attractive occupation for urban youths who had little respect for traditional fishing grounds and the environmentally less damaging traditional fishing practices, and could also afford modern propulsion and fishing gear.
Therefore, challenges to the management of the area increased during project implementation, particularly for a private initiative that could not count on much help in enforcement by government. Though the Government of Zanzibar had gazetted the reef sanctuary in 1994 and agreed to assist with enforcement, this was in actual practice entirely left to the CHICOP park rangers. However, the protection of the conservation area on site turned out to be a minor challenge the project management had to face compared with the demands and bureaucratic requirements posed by the different Zanzibar Government departments.
Even after approval of the project by the government, the innovative design of CHICOP has complicated project implementation to an extent that purely commercially oriented investment would not have accepted. The negotiation of the preparatory steps, such as land lease, building permits, gazettement, management agreements of the conservation area and research permits for scientists and project staff took several years to conclude. Unforeseen bureaucratic delays and obstructions more than tripled implementation time and costs.
The conservation activities and achievements of CHICOP are only beginning to receive official support and recognition within the country. Despite the fact that much of the investment funds and time was spent in the establishment of the protected area, CHICOP enjoys no favoured status or exemption from the substantial and ever increasing taxation and costs of land rent, licenses, permits and fees..
Other challenges resulted from the very innovative architectural design of the Park Headquarters & Visitor Centre and the eco-bungalows, as well as from the difficult logistics of developing an island. The eco-technologies used on Chumbe were not only unknown to local builders and craftsmen, but there is also little experience available on their functioning under tropical island conditions.
Chumbe consists of fossil coral rock and has no source of fresh water. Therefore, excavations were not possible, and sand, water and all other building materials had to be transported to the island that is surrounded by reefs and has no permanent landing site. In addition, from 1994 to 1997 Tanzania and Zanzibar suffered from a severe energy crisis that created shortages of fuel and cement on the local market. All these factors complicated the building process and contributed to enormous delays. Building operations lasted altogether over four years instead of the one-year originally planned by the architects. As a consequence, investment costs soared and the price structure had to be adjusted to aim more upmarket.
What are the future plans for Chumbe and how do hope do build upon what has already been achieved?
Sixteen years of successful operations prove that coral reef conservation can work on the ground and be sustained by ecotourism. The Chumbe experience suggests that private management of marine protected areas is technically feasible and efficient, even when State enforcement is not available or ineffective. This is probably the case for reefs that are not yet over-exploited by communities who depend on them for their survival. Effectively managed, a private protected area such as Chumbe can provide important community benefits.
With an overall investment of over 1 Mill. US$ over eight years, the cost of private management is considerably lower than would have been the case with a donor-funded project through government agencies. And, most importantly, there are better prospects for sustainability, as the incentives to struggle for commercial survival are much stronger for private operations than for donor-funded projects.
Chumbe Island combines sustainable tourism with sustainable conservation area management. While most protected areas around the world are dependent on financial support by Governments or donor agencies, the revenue generated from tourism on Chumbe Island finances the conservation and education programs run in the park.
Chumbe would not have succeeded without the Internet. From 1998, the comprehensive homepage and its high ranking on the web were decisive for attracting visitors and volunteers and for cost-effective communication. From 1998, marketing through the Internet also stresses the conservation orientation of the Chumbe Island project, with a comprehensive and fully illustrated web site www.chumbeisland.com that offers detailed information on the project activities in the Reef Sanctuary, the Forest Reserve as well as environmental activities for guests and the eco-architecture of the accommodation. This in order to target and attract the right clientele in the ‘nature’ and ecotourism market.
International environmental awards were the single most powerful promotional tool that attracted massive media coverage, travel writers and television documentaries. The British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Global Award 1999 for example helped double our bookings within a year in those early years of operations. Recently we made a rough calculations that if we had paid for all the free publicity we got through the many awards (newspaper and magazine articles, several TV and radio documentaries for German and British TV channels etc.), it would have easily cost us in the region of 10 million US$!
All images appear courtesy of © Chumbe Island Coral Park Ltd and its respective photographers.
The views expressed therein are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect those of Safaritalk.