Menai Governance Baseline
Torell, Elin /

Menai Bay Conservation Area (MBCA) is situated in the southwest of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, and covers an area of 467 km² including 6 islets, with a seaward boundary close to 61 km offshore. It is the largest marine conservation area in Zanzibar, managed locally by the community and government officials with technical assistance by the World Wild Fund (WWF). The area is extensively covered with coral reefs, sea grass beds, and mangrove forest. The average water depth is 10 meters at high tide. The area had remained relatively undisturbed until the mid-1990s, when uncontrolled fishing pressures combined with destructive fishing techniques became a serious environmental concern