Help to preserve the Chumbe Island Coral Park!
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only caused the tourism sector to collapse worldwide, but unfortunately has also deprived the most important and often only source of funding for nature and species protection in many places.
The Chumbe Island Coral Park in Zanzibar/Tanzania is also affected! 30 years ago, this non-profit project was founded as the world's first privately managed marine protection area with a very species-rich coral reef and one of the few remaining semi-arid coastal primeval forests on the uninhabited Chumbe Island.
The Chumbe Island office was the first NGO in the world to finance park management and extensive environmental education programmes for fishermen, schools, civil servants and the population entirely from the income of the island's small eco-lodge.
Now all bookings have suddenly been cancelled, all flights to Tanzania have been suspended and it is not yet clear what COVID-19 will mean for the country's population and economy. The Chumbe team is also directly affected. There are 43 local employees, many of whom have been involved since the start of the project. On average, each team member supports 12 other people, including family members and associated community members. Like a family, the team has overcome many challenges in the past, but COVID-19 hits them particularly hard. Most have to be sent on unpaid leave from May until further notice. Chumbe is committed to continuing to pay for the health insurance of the team and their families for the next 6 months, and the goal is to try to support as many team members as possible through this crisis and secure their jobs.
Because especially right now, the Chumbe Island Coral Park can't be left to its own devices. The highly productive and species-rich coral reef needs to be safeguarded more than ever to support local fishing and meet the food needs of the villages.
The Chumbe Rangers, themselves former fishermen, have successfully protected the marine reserve and the forest reserve around the clock since the project began almost 30 years ago. As a result, the Chumbe Reef is reportedly one of the best preserved in the region. With 59 coral genera, Chumbe has one of the most species-rich reefs in all of East Africa, and the more than 500 documented species of fish also bring rich yields to neighbouring fishing grounds. The island jungle is home to an endangered antelope species, the Duikers vein, and is an important conservation area for the largest living land crab in the world, the palm thief, which is the focus of a current research project.
Here´s a 3 minute video about Chumbe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-protect-chumbe-reef?fbclid=IwAR1kA052hKpgHdEgHc2Uhq2uSQWTLCUu6Nf2TN0wnduIX_xBfZKeIDX9hNY
We want to preserve the jobs of the Chumbe Rangers and the biodiversity of the island for future generations beyond this critical period.
Therefore, we ask for your support. More than ever, rangers must now continue patrolling to ensure that the reef and forest are protected from poaching and overexploitation during these times.
Please help us to:
• To be able to guarantee ranger patrols by day and by night.
The petrol costs for a “patrol day” are: 5 EUR
The hardship surcharge per ranger and month is: EUR 30
• To be able to secure the jobs of a core team of 10 employees.
Wage costs (reduced) per employee and month: 120 EUR
• receive full health insurance for all team members and their families,
(as long as the crisis continues).
Health insurance costs per employee per month: EUR 20
Cost of a reusable protective mask: EUR 1.50
Every single donation counts and will help Chumbe Island and the team to weather this crisis together.
How can you transfer your donation to us?
The German-Tanzanian Partnership (www.dtpev.de) supports our fundraising campaign in Germany. Please transfer your donation to the account:
DTP e.V., Hamburg
IBAN: DE29 4306 0967 2026 3043 00
BIC: GENODEM1GLS
Password: Chumbe Island
Please indicate your name and address next to the password in the purpose of your transfer so that DTP eV can issue and send you a donation receipt for all incoming donations over EUR 50 at the beginning of 2021 so that you can claim your donation for tax purposes .
Every donation counts and will help Chumbe Island and the team to weather this crisis together.
• Visit our project website: www.chumbeisland.com
• Chumbe up-dates and news can be found here: facebook.com/chumbeisland
• Article on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on nature
Thanks for your support!