Additionally, residents participate in livestock farming and gather resources from the forest, including non-timber products such as honey from beekeeping and locally crafted handicrafts.

For instance, the Mapopwe preserve is home to significant shrines, while various parts of the reserve engage in celebrations marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammad during the third month of the Islamic calendar (Hijra).

These traditions not only highlight the rich cultural heritage of the surrounding communities but also foster a strong sense of identity and connection to the land they inhabit.

Recognized as a biodiversity hotspot, the reserve is home to an array of reef fish, dolphins, and 168 bird species, including 30 that hold global and regional significance.

It was last reported in 1999 and officials, and men working on the "coral rag" lands of the southern and eastern Ungula Island are assertive that the species is not extinct, though it has not been sighted since 2003.

Trail camera footage from a 2018 American documentary television series does appear to have captured proof of the leopard's existence and will undoubtedly spark renewed interest and further protective enforcements.

Jozani Forest supports populations of Fischer's turacos, mangrove kingfishers, brown-headed parrots, black-bellied starlings, east coast akalats, mouse-coloured sunbirds and Zanzibar red bishops.

[18] Chiwaka Bay and its surrounds on the east coast, including extensive stands of mangroves along its southern shore, support populations of greater sandplovers, crab plovers and Saunders's terns.