Sun Aug 8: ISLAND CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISE

7:00 am: Breakfast

7:30 am: Depart Stone Town

8:00 am – 12:30 pm Seaweed farming in Paje village

Leader: Flower E. Msuya, Laboratory Scientist, Marine Biology and Resources Management, IMS

Seaweed farming was a strong initiative of Prof Keto Mshigeni of the University of Dar es Salaam started in Paje village in Zanzibar Island in 1989. The mainly women livelihood activity has grown to make Tanzania the 3^rd in combined mariculture production of Eucheuma denticulatum and Kapaphyicus alvarezii and the leading producer in E. denticulatum. Dr Msuya has been working with the Tanzanian farmers since 1989, took us on a tour and allowed us to talk to farmers and buyers. Msuya highlighted traditional seaweed farming methods, gender participation, strategies to combat seaweed die-offs and development of new techniques of seaweed farming. She also discussed innovation of the seaweed industry – using the seaweed in the country and how to increase the production and the future of the seaweed industry. 

 12:30 pm: Lunch (Paje)

At lunch Vincent (Canada) and I made rings out of plastic bottle tops and decided that we would form a captain planet club. Those who asked to join were Dana (Wisconsin), Sukuman (Thailand), and Amelie (Canada).

2:00-6:00 pm: Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park

Leaders: Park guides, WCS Zanzibar program representative (tentative)

Jozani Forest is the largest remnant of the indigenous forest that once covered the island, and is at the center of the island’s only terrestrial nature reserve. The park also contains swamp forest, evergreen thickets, mangroves and salt-tolerant grasslands, and a wide variety of wildlife including, Ader’s duiker, suni antelopes, blue monkeys and the endangered Kirk’s red colubus monkey (Zanzibar endemic). We hiked through this unique area, learnt about local conservation efforts and got the chance to see rare species like the colubus. Though we were able to get some amazing photographs of the monkeys, many of the envirovets were concerned that the group had become too habituated to humans and that there was a high risk of disease transmission.  

 On our way back to town we saw a sign for the Sea Turtle Center and since we were slightly ahead of schedule we decided to stop. It was a great lesson on how ecotourism is not always what is best for the wildlife. There were seven green seaturtles being held in a small pool fed by the mangroves. We were invited to touch the turtles (zoonotic disease alert!) and feed them. Everyone came away from the experience slightly disturbed.

 7:30 pm: Dinner 

After eating I went with some of the other students and Val to sample the local Gelato. It was fantastic! Once done we headed back to the hotel and I spent a good amount of time on the hotels roof, watching the city and the ocean.