OK CORAL - FINALIST
TANZANIA

Twenty years ago in Tanzania there were no laws for protecting valuable coral reef ecosystems and not a single marine park in the country. Dynamite fishing and overexploitation of corals were widespread. The founders of Chumbe Island Coral Park turned this small, uninhabited island into a privately managed non-profit nature reserve as a showcase for environmental protection and education.

The park is known for its genuine eco-tourism-with 100% solar power and water heating, rainwater collection and composting toilets and grey water systems. It is also recognized for the large-scale educational program and has one of the healthiest reef ecosystems in East Africa. Government officials, teachers, fishermen, and schoolchildren have developed an awareness and appreciation of their natural resources for a sustainable future.