The island of Zanzibar, located just off the coast of Tanzania, is set to get its first national park. The island, which is independently governed, plans to convert the 12,355-acre Jozani Forest Reserve into a national park to promote better conservation, management, and natural-resource use, according to Mussa Ame Silima, Zanzibar’s minister of agriculture, natural resources, and the environment. The region is home to mangrove forests and the red colobus monkey, which has all but succumbed to extinction due to increased farming and logging. Some human rights and environmental organizations question how the government will ensure that local villagers benefit adequately from the national park if it is established.
