Chumbe Island receives prestigious international award for its eco architecture and low-carbon ecotourism and conservation management.
The Global Forum on Human Settlements, in consultation with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, has recognized Chumbe Island as globally significant under the category of “Tourism (Scenic Spot) & Ecological Restoration.”
In a statement from the Global Forum, Chumbe was described as setting an “inspiring example” for the world, with “two and a half decades of contributing to nature and marine conservation”. According to this prestigious forum, Chumbe has “put conservation, education and sustainability at the core of its management and operations” and has achieved “remarkable progress by proactively scaling up a range of low-carbon and green initiatives, such as 100% solar energy, rain water reuse, waste composting, and community engagement”.
In a virtual award ceremony, which took place on Friday 16th December during the 17th Annual Session of Global Forum on Human Settlements, Chumbe team members proudly received the award. Chumbe Island’s Assistant Conservation and Education Manager addressed the international audience with a thank you speech on behalf of the team, in which he highlighted how significant the award is, not only to Chumbe and its team, but to Zanzibar as a destination, showcasing that a world class holistic, low-impact tourism example like Chumbe leads the way towards achieving a tourism model that does not only minimize its impact, but actively contributes to regenerating natural spaces, thereby exemplifying the core principles of the Blue Economy.
The Global Forum stated that the Chumbe Island Ecolodge has provided “a successful and effective model of integrating environment and biodiversity conservation with sustainable eco-tourism”, and noted that it was particularly “encouraging to see that Chumbe Island has been carrying out monitoring programs for the biodiversity on the island, which is essential in guiding responsible tourism practices and maintaining ecological integrity and diversity”.
