Tag: sharing learning

Talking ‘pweza’ (octopus) on Pemba Island, Zanzibar

By Brian Jones, Conservation Coordinator, Toliara, Madagascar   (Photos by Brian Jones and Jo Hudson) As far as reccie trips go, there are worse places to be sent than Pemba Island, Zanzibar. Though the coast of southwest Madagascar holds a special place in...

/ Mar 25, 2014

Women octopus gleaners and loan sharks in Mozambique

The second update from my time in northern Mozambique, advising local NGO AMA and their Edinburgh-based partner Bioclimate on community-led octopus fishery management… Walking around the small and quiet village of Quiwia with a group of fisherwomen, we see racks of drying octopus lying in...

/ Mar 19, 2014

Celebrating reef week in Belize

Every year, organisations from across Belize come together to organise “reef week”, with a range of activities highlighting the crucial role of coral reefs in the country’s economy, food security and cultural heritage. In Sarteneja, Blue Ventures celebrated the event...

/ Mar 17, 2014

‘Polvo’ and participatory mapping in Mozambique

It’s a good job I don’t mind getting my hands dirty! I’m standing on an island in the bay of Mocimboa da Praia in northern Mozambique with the sun beating down, and a group of about ten fishermen crowded around...

/ Mar 13, 2014

What is biodiversity?

by Winnie Courtene-Jones, Field Scientist, Belize What is biodiversity? That was the question for grade 5 of the Sarteneja Roman Catholic school. We started the day with a trip to Shipstern Nature Reserve, home to a hugely diverse array of...

/ Mar 3, 2014

Sustainable tuna fisheries management in the southwest Indian Ocean

by Charlie Gough, Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, UK Flying into Maputo, Mozambique in November 2013 I was excited and a little apprehensive. I was representing Blue Ventures at the 4th annual forum of civil society organisations (CSO)/private sector (PS) for...

/ Feb 26, 2014

Spicing up aquaculture: experiences from our regional workshop in Zanzibar

by Jo Hudson, Conservation & Communications Officer, London As I stepped off the plane in Stone Town, Zanzibar, the heat hit me like a slap the face and I was dazzled by the sunlight – I thought to myself “Toto...

/ Jan 16, 2014

Making an IMPAC at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress

by Olivier Raynaud, Maintirano & Barren Isles Project Coordinator, Madagascar Following Geeling, Australia in 2005 and Washington DC, USA in 2009, the third International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC3) was held in Marseilles, France in October 2013. Jointly organised by the...

/ Jan 7, 2014

Staff Q&A with Lalao Aigrette, Senior Blue Carbon Scientist

In the sixteenth instalment in our series of Q&As with Blue Ventures staff, we ask Lalao Aigrette, our Senior Blue Carbon Scientist, some searching questions about science, conservation and superpowers… What is your scientific background? I have a degree from...

/ Dec 13, 2013

A meeting of minds at GCFI’s lionfish sessions

After attending the recent launch of the Regional Lionfish Strategy at the International Coral Reef Initiative general meeting one month earlier, I was excited about taking the next step in collaborative efforts to control invasive lionfish. This time, it involved...

/ Dec 12, 2013

PHE is alive and kicking: inspiration and endorsement from Addis Ababa

By Laura Robson and Caroline Savitzky The excitement was palpable as we gathered with almost 200 of the world’s finest Population-Health-Environment (PHE) practitioners, researchers and advocates in Addis Ababa for the International PHE Conference earlier this month! With all of...

/ Nov 28, 2013

Mapping resources with the communities in the Bay of Assassins

by Katrina Dewar, Field Scientist, Madagascar This was my first introduction to the lives of the Blue Forests team – finally I got to go on an adventure with them! For a whole week we worked on developing resource use...

/ Nov 25, 2013

A summer of youth-led activities in Velondriake

By Paul Antion, Velondriake Education Coordinator, Madagascar    Our education team has been busy facilitating an expanded range of extracurricular activities during the long summer break in Velondriake, as this is a vital time to continue engaging our scholars in...

/ Sep 30, 2013

Coast-to-coast fisher exchange: from reef octopus to spiny lobster

Lobster fishers from Sainte Luce travelled almost 1,000 kilometres across southern Madagascar to learn from Velondriake’s experience of temporary octopus closures Blue Ventures is working to support some of Madagascar’s most isolated coastal communities to manage their fisheries and marine resources. Starting with a...

/ Sep 25, 2013

My village outreach tour experience with the Safidy team in Velondriake

By Lison Garrel, Safidy (Community Health) Programme Coordinator, Belo sur Mer Last month the Belo sur Mer team travelled to Andavadoaka to attend the annual Blue Ventures conference. We spent four productive days catching up with colleagues from all over Madagascar,...

/ Sep 16, 2013