Call for Relocation of Mantuli Project to Protect Ngezi-Vumawimbi Ecosystem

TLDR

• A long wall has been constructed beside an old rubber plantation on the western edge of Ngezi-Vumawimbi Forest Reserve in Pemba, close to Vumawimbi beach.
• The wall, built by WIPI Group, extends for over two kilometers and was made with bricks from Makangale village.
• A proposed Mantuli eco-resort is planned to include 130 houses and swimming pools, potentially occupying nearly a quarter of the forest reserve.
• Concerns have been raised by local residents and conservationists about the wall restricting access to the reserve and affecting wildlife movement.
• The Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority stated that the Mantuli project would only be built in the rubber plantation, but did not provide a detailed map to clarify boundaries.