Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park
Encyclopedia
The Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park is a 50 square kilometre national park of Tanzania
located on the island of Zanzibar
. It is the only national park in Zanzibar.
The red colobus (its population count is about 1000) found in the park, a rain forest species (unlike the black and white colobus found in other regions of Africa), is also known as Kirk's red colobus, named after Sir John Kirk
(1832–1922), the British Resident
of Zanzibar who had first brought it to the attention of zoological
science. It is now adopted as the flagship species
for conservation
in Zanzibar, from the mid-1990s. Other species of fauna found in the park are the Sykes monkey, bush babies, more than 50 species of butterfly
and 40 species of birds. The nocturnal Zanzibar tree hyrax
, which has four ‘toes’ on its front feet and three on its back, is said to be the first hyrax species that has acclimatized to the forest. As part of the tourism circuit, the park attracts 10% of the over 100,000 visitors to Zanzibar every year. Wild life attractions of Zanzibar also include dolphins apart from deep sea fishing for tuna
, marlin
, and shark
.
However, the most unique animal in the forests of the Unguja Island is the Zanzibar Leopard (Panthera pardus adersi). In the local legend, this reportedly extinct species, has been given a mythical status and is called 'Chui' and is part of the superstitious beliefs of the people. People believe that sorcerers keep this animal as their pet and scare people by spinning stories that the animal appears like spirits and disappears into thin air. It was last reported in 1999 and officials, and men working on the “coral rag” lands of the southern and eastern Ungula Island are assertive that the species is not extinct, though not sighted in recent years, since 2003. The last sighting reported in 2002-2003 was of two leopards. The photographic proof of this species is at present only in the form of a stuffed museum display in Zanzibar Museum and a few skins in museums in London
and Massachusetts
in USA. A smaller leopard with spots, which is a biological product of the larger animal, is seen now in the island.
The sea grass beds of the Chwaka Bay, fringed with mangrove forests, are important breeding grounds for marine organisms, including open sea fish species. The mangroves are also good breeding grounds for birds. An Integrated Conservation and Development (ICD) planning for the area is under consideration. The bay is also proposed to be declared a Ramsar Site and is placed on the Tanzanian Tentative List for World Heritage Sites to recognize its unique natural and cultural assets with due consideration of proposed conservation efforts.
limestone
marine terrace
. Habitats within the park and associated protected lands include a groundwater forest, coastal forest, and grassland, with mangrove
s and salt marsh
at the coast. The vegetation types found within the park once existed throughout Zanzibar.
Endangered animals that reside within the park include:
sponsored a development project for the wilderness area and surrounding communities from 1995 until 2003.
A revenue sharing program from park entrance fees has been used to construct schools and health clinics for local villages.
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
located on the island of Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
. It is the only national park in Zanzibar.
The red colobus (its population count is about 1000) found in the park, a rain forest species (unlike the black and white colobus found in other regions of Africa), is also known as Kirk's red colobus, named after Sir John Kirk
John Kirk (explorer)
Sir John Kirk was a Scottish physician, naturalist, companion to explorer David Livingstone, and British administrator in Zanzibar. He was born in Barry, near Arbroath, Scotland and is buried in St. Nicholas's churchyard in Sevenoaks, Kent, England. He earned his medical degree from the...
(1832–1922), the British Resident
Resident (title)
A Resident, or in full Resident Minister, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indirect rule....
of Zanzibar who had first brought it to the attention of zoological
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
science. It is now adopted as the flagship species
Flagship species
The concept of flagship species is a surrogate species concept with its genesis in the field of conservation biology. The flagship species concept holds that by raising the profile of a particular species, it can successfully leverage more support for biodiversity conservation at large in a...
for conservation
Conservation biology
Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
in Zanzibar, from the mid-1990s. Other species of fauna found in the park are the Sykes monkey, bush babies, more than 50 species of butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
and 40 species of birds. The nocturnal Zanzibar tree hyrax
Tree hyrax
The tree hyraxes or tree dassies are the two species in the genus Dendrohyrax. They are mammals in the Procaviidae family...
, which has four ‘toes’ on its front feet and three on its back, is said to be the first hyrax species that has acclimatized to the forest. As part of the tourism circuit, the park attracts 10% of the over 100,000 visitors to Zanzibar every year. Wild life attractions of Zanzibar also include dolphins apart from deep sea fishing for tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
, marlin
Marlin
Marlin, family Istiophoridae, are fish with an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long rigid dorsal fin, which extends forward to form a crest. Its common name is thought to derive from its resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike...
, and shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
.
However, the most unique animal in the forests of the Unguja Island is the Zanzibar Leopard (Panthera pardus adersi). In the local legend, this reportedly extinct species, has been given a mythical status and is called 'Chui' and is part of the superstitious beliefs of the people. People believe that sorcerers keep this animal as their pet and scare people by spinning stories that the animal appears like spirits and disappears into thin air. It was last reported in 1999 and officials, and men working on the “coral rag” lands of the southern and eastern Ungula Island are assertive that the species is not extinct, though not sighted in recent years, since 2003. The last sighting reported in 2002-2003 was of two leopards. The photographic proof of this species is at present only in the form of a stuffed museum display in Zanzibar Museum and a few skins in museums in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in USA. A smaller leopard with spots, which is a biological product of the larger animal, is seen now in the island.
The sea grass beds of the Chwaka Bay, fringed with mangrove forests, are important breeding grounds for marine organisms, including open sea fish species. The mangroves are also good breeding grounds for birds. An Integrated Conservation and Development (ICD) planning for the area is under consideration. The bay is also proposed to be declared a Ramsar Site and is placed on the Tanzanian Tentative List for World Heritage Sites to recognize its unique natural and cultural assets with due consideration of proposed conservation efforts.
Ecology
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the park site occupies "the largest remaining stand of near-natural forest on Zanzibar." The forest rests upon a reefReef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
marine terrace
Marine terrace
A marine terrace, coastal terrace, raised beach or perched coastline is a relatively flat, horizontal or gently inclined surface of marine origin, mostly an old abrasion platform which has been lifted out of the sphere of wave activity . Thus it lies above or under the current sea level, depending...
. Habitats within the park and associated protected lands include a groundwater forest, coastal forest, and grassland, with mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
s and salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
at the coast. The vegetation types found within the park once existed throughout Zanzibar.
Endangered animals that reside within the park include:
- the Zanzibar Red ColobusZanzibar Red ColobusThe Zanzibar red colobus is a species of red colobus monkey endemic to Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago, off the coast of Tanzania. It is also known as Kirk's red colobus after Sir John Kirk , the British Resident of Zanzibar who first brought it to the attention of zoological...
(Piliocolobus kirkii), an endemic monkeyMonkeyA monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
species that exists only in Zanzibar. - the Aders' Duiker (Cephalophus adersi)
- the Zanzibar Servaline GenetZanzibar Servaline GenetThe Zanzibar Servaline Genet is a recently discovered subspecies of Servaline Genet endemic to Unguja Island in the Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar. Its conservation status is uncertain.- Evolutionary history :...
(Genetta servalina archeri)
Ecotourism
CARE InternationalCARE (relief)
CARE is a broad-spectrum secular relief, humanitarian, and development non-governmental organization fighting global poverty. It is non-political, non-sectarian and operates annually in more than 70 countries across the globe.One of the organization’s primary focuses in its fight to eradicate...
sponsored a development project for the wilderness area and surrounding communities from 1995 until 2003.
A revenue sharing program from park entrance fees has been used to construct schools and health clinics for local villages.