by Shanta Barley, Field Scientist, Madagascar When Ryan Walker, a biologist based at the Open University, and his team crawled on their hands and knees through 60 kilometres of clothes-shredding, hair-plucking spiny forest between Toliara and the Mangoky River, racking … Continue reading
by Shanta Barley, Field Scientist, Madagascar With 57 of the world’s 131 species of chameleon, including the largest and the smallest, Madagascar has a monopoly on the family’s diversity. This unusual individual (see photo, below) was spotted clinging to a … Continue reading
by Shanta Barley, Field Scientist, Madagascar What constitutes a duvet day for a Vezo shark fisherman? Not the threat of capsizing in seven metre waves, it turns out. Yesterday, Andava bay was peppered with pirogues en route to the Mozambique … Continue reading
by Jo Hudson, Science Intern, Blue Ventures Head Office Connecting Classrooms is the joint project between UNICEF and Blue Ventures, which will enhance our community-based conservation programmes through innovative, technological teaching tools for the youth of coastal southwest Madagascar. By using … Continue reading
“A dead whale? Washed up in Antsanaranasoa bay?” Within minutes, a mob of villagers, armed with axes and buckets, was sprinting through the spiny forest, effortlessly hurdling knee-high thorny shrubs, in a race to procure enough fish bait to last … Continue reading
By Shawn Peabody, Locally Managed Marine Area Coordinator, Toliara – Madagascar I didn’t know that clown fish could be so cocky, at least not outside their protective sea anemone. If I were a clown fish, I would be cocky only … Continue reading
By Richard Nimmo, Blue Ventures Expeditions Managing Director Former Blue Ventures Field Scientist and Dive Instructor, Samantha Hewitt, has dreamt about passing on her passion for marine life and sea conservation and finally realised it with the launch of her … Continue reading
By Fran Humber, Research Coordinator, Andavadoaka, Madagascar. Over the last week in Andavadoaka there has only been one thing on our minds – turtles! A festival to raise awareness about marine turtles and their conservation in Velondriake has kicked off … Continue reading
Youth of today, although often under-represented in policy and decision making, are playing a critical role within global efforts to conserve biodiversity and mitigate the effects of climate change. Within Madagascar, a thriving network of young conservationists is already at … Continue reading
Antananarivo, Madagascar — April 13, 2011—Despite being one of the most culturally significant and iconic species in Madagascar, the Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) is being catapulted to extinction because it is a source of food for local people and a … Continue reading