Mnemba Atoll Marine Conservation Area

The Mnemba Island Marine Conservation Area (MIMCA) surrounds Mnemba Island, a small (roughly 500 m diameter) privately-managed island about 3 km off Unguja's north-east coast near Matemwe, encircled by an oval reef spanning roughly 7 by 4 km. The area is jointly managed through government, local community and conservation-organisation partnerships and is home to an estimated 600 species of coral reef fish, three dolphin species, seasonal whale sharks, and green sea turtles that nest between February and September; turtle monitoring has run since 1996. The island itself is privately leased with a 500 m no-landing exclusion zone for non-guests, but the surrounding reef is a well-known snorkelling and diving site.