Zanzibar has a reputation as an island paradise in the Indian Ocean. Lying 20 kilometers (12 miles) off the East African mainland, it is governed as a semiautonomous zone of the United Republic of Tanzania and consists of two large islands — Unguja (1,666 square kilometers, or 643 square miles) to the south, and Pemba (988 km2, or 381 mi2) to the north, each with several small outlying islets mostly on their western sides. The archipelago is one of the most densely populated areas of Africa, with a total population of 1.9 million, according to the 2022 census. With a 3.8% annual population growth rate and mean household size of five people, there is immense pressure on natural resources. Nonetheless, the archipelago still has unique tropical broadleaf coastal forests, old-growth trees, and mangroves with rare and endemic species. Moreover, communities are still largely forest-dependent. A decision fork has emerged between development and conservation on these islands: over the last 30 years, a huge tourism industry has developed on Unguja with its sandy beaches (more than 500 hotels), although not on Pemba with its mainly rocky coastline (with approximately 20 hotels). The archipelago now receives more than 100,000 visitors a month in the holiday season, and the 106,108 visitors in July 2025 represented a 31% increase from 2024. Most of these visitors go to Unguja, where much of the tourist development has occurred with little consideration for the environment. Examples include new tarmac roads running through the protected Masingini Forest Reserve,…This article was originally published on Mongabay
Zanzibar must act to conserve its natural & cultural heritage for the future (commentary)
