Research undertaken by Blue Ventures’ social scientist, Josephine Langley, between 2004 and 2005 used guidelines developed for coral reef managers to document the knowledge of the local Vezo of Andavadoaka. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and the process of documenting TEK provide local communities with information on local resources and resource users. A new report available online presents the first compilation of the various forms of TEK documented by Blue Ventures, and reviews available information relating to TEK of the Vezo.

Many fisheries and marine conservation management projects throughout the world have failed as a result of a lack of acceptance of management interventions by local communities. Community engagement, participatory research and promoting the use of local knowledge have repeatedly emerged as steps necessary to address the problem of managing the development of people and their economies while simultaneously protecting the environment.

To make coral reef protection effective in an underdeveloped community such as Andavadoaka it is necessary to understand the relationships between marine resources and their users. Identifying ways to avoid the potentially conflicting needs of economic development and conservation is essential.

The report can be downloaded here.