Chumbe Island Coral Park an Eco-tourism Destination Responding to Challenges of Climate Change

Tourism can play a decisive role in addressing climate change, as it is one of the world’s largest economic sectors. Chumbe Island Coral Park in Zanzibar, Tanzania, is a leading example of a small eco-tourism enterprise with not-for-profit objectives that is managing and conserving the unique marine and terrestrial ecosystems of Chumbe Island, and both directly and indirectly responding to the challenges of climate change. This paper describes the establishment of a full “no-take” marine sanctuary and a forest reserve on Chumbe that effectively reduces the anthropogenic threats to the area and promotes reef resistance, forest resistance and resilience in the face of climate change pressures. The mission of the company – to conserve the area for conservation and education purposes – has been considered at every step of the development process – from project conceptualization to lodge design, to staff recruitment and training, to tailored education programs and the promotion of wider entrepreneurial endeavors. This paper highlights options for investment and management decisions, designs and technologies that exist for tourism developers to ensure that their investments help minimize (or at least avoid exacerbating) threats to the coastal environment and, consequently, threats to the communities dependent upon these coastal resources. Indeed, for the sake of sustainability and thus long-term profitability, tourism investments in coastal areas can no longer afford to ignore the particular challenges of climate change.