All posts by Blue Ventures

Blue Ventures is an award winning marine conservation charity. We rebuild tropical fisheries with coastal communities. On our Beyond Conservation blog you can hear voices from the front line of marine conservation written by our staff and volunteers.

Nantenaina: Advocating for collaboration, my journey, and hope from COP26 to COP27

Madagascar is my home, and we have just lived through Cyclone Batsirai. More cyclones came after, and there are more to come. We are all affected by climate change, but coastal communities and exposed to diseases. Capping global temperature increase...

/ Feb 25, 2022

Is HIV a hidden epidemic in Madagascar?

Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV through a Health-Environment Partnerships approach I recently joined Blue Ventures as a Technical Advisor on Health-Environment matters, and I was amazed by the strides the team had made. For nearly two decades, Blue Ventures has...

/ Nov 11, 2021

Sustainable living from the sea through community-led seaweed farming.

In Madagascar, members of the community of Belo-sur-Mer – primarily women – have taken up the challenge of village aquaculture. I had no future before seaweed farming. My sons had left the village, and I could not support myself because...

/ Oct 27, 2021

Prioritizing inclusivity and community engagement in conservation and fisheries management in Belize! 

Dangriga Town – known as the ‘culture capital’ of Belize – is a vibrant coastal community nestled amongst the hills and valleys of southern Belize. Tales of its rich heritage can be seen, heard, and felt throughout the town’s streets...

/ Oct 22, 2021

Building capacity and strengthening networks – a participatory approach to invasive species management in Belize

The Pivot I can clearly remember waking up at the crack of dawn to the view of a breathtaking sunrise and the voices of eager volunteers who couldn’t wait to gear up. The savory aroma from the kitchen lingered like...

/ Sep 29, 2021

Adopting LMMAs – selfless actions for the security of future coastal generations

As we headed out on the bumpy road to Ambolobozobe in the northeast of Madagascar, there was a sense of anticipation. We were going to meet the coastal communities who are successfully managing multiple Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) as...

/ Sep 3, 2021

When the students became the teachers: a new locally led ecological monitoring team in southwest Madagascar

In June, the local ecological monitoring team from Velondriake travelled to Manjaboake to pass on its skills to its first set of students It was an early sunny morning in June as we packed our kit into the boat on...

/ Aug 9, 2021

Five years in Timor-Leste

Birgit Hermann (country director) and Oldegar 'Ollie' Massinga (operations manager) who head up the Blue Ventures team in Timor-Leste, reflect on five years of working with communities to drive locally led marine conservation in the country

/ Jul 14, 2021

Voices of the mangroves

Stories from colleagues, friends and community members who dedicate their lives to the mangroves of Madagascar

/ Aug 6, 2020

How to reduce the environmental impact of your travels

Former Blue Ventures Field Scientist Rachel Knowles talks us through ways prospective volunteers can minimise environmental impact whilst on a Blue Ventures expedition in Madagascar

/ Dec 20, 2019

World Mangrove Day across Madagascar

Celebrate the importance of mangroves with the communities and BV teams in Ambanja, Mahajamba, Maintirano and the Velondriake LMMA.

/ Aug 13, 2018

Christmas in Andavadoaka: a focus on what’s important

Our Field Scientist Catherine Pigeon and our Madagascar volunteers find out how Christmas is celebrated in Andavadoaka.

/ Dec 21, 2016

Learning face-to-face

A learning exchange brought over twenty partners, fishers and conservationists from five different countries to Madagascar to learn about community-based fisheries management.

/ Nov 30, 2016

A cetacean migration! The whales and dolphins have arrived

Our Timor-Leste expeditions are based in Ataúro Island, which just happens to be a global hotspot for cetacean sightings. Sounds like a whale of a time!

/ Oct 5, 2016
Spinecheek anemonefish hovers above a bleached anenome in Timor-Leste

Corals in crisis: monitoring the third global bleaching event in southwest Madagascar

This summer Blue Ventures volunteers and staff in the remote fishing village of Andavadoaka in southwest Madagascar have been enjoying warm waters and calm weather. However, beneath the waves the picture is less idyllic. Where once we dived on reefs...

/ Jun 13, 2016