Joan’s trip from Kwale to Kilwa: witnessing the benefits of octopus fishery closures and gender diversity

Joan Otengo joined Blue Ventures in March 2023 as the Partner Support Coordinator for Kenya. Joan recently participated in a learning visit to Kilwa, Tanzania with the beach management unit (BMU) members from Kwale, Kenya. Here, she shares her personal...

/ Sep 26, 2023
Learning exchanges inspire mangrove forest conservation in Indonesia

Learning exchanges inspire mangrove forest conservation in Indonesia

Yoga Putra joined Blue Ventures in August 2023 as the Global Senior Communications Officer for Asia-Pacific. Yoga recently participated in a learning visit to Surabaya, East Java in Indonesia, with community representatives from villages in Indragiri Hilir, Riau. Here, he...

/ Sep 14, 2023
Women pilot savings and loan scheme in Timor-Leste to introduce alternative livelihoods in communities

Women pilot savings and loan scheme in Timor-Leste to introduce alternative livelihoods in communities

Natercia Verdial joined Blue Ventures in March 2022 as a Fisheries and Livelihoods Senior Manager in Timor-Leste. Natercia uses her expertise to support women to identify and introduce alternative livelihoods in their communities. Here she talks about her recent work...

/ Aug 23, 2023

Empowering Ende: monitoring coral reefs for thriving fisheries

How local expertise and data-driven conservation are reviving octopus fisheries in Ende, Indonesia Arya Dhani joined Blue Ventures in November 2022 as a Fisheries and Data Technician in Indonesia. Arya uses his fisheries management expertise to provide technical support to...

/ Aug 9, 2023

Our first-ever peer-to-peer learning exchange on blue carbon ecosystems in Madagascar

Holly Elgar joined Blue Ventures in 2022 as a Senior Scoping Officer for blue carbon ecosystems. Holly uses her expertise to identify potential sites to expand our community-led mangrove management projects around the world. Here she talks about her recent...

/ Jul 19, 2023

A National Workshop Brings Hope for Senegal’s Artisanal Fisheries

As is the case with countries around the world, Senegal is facing a crisis of depleting fish stocks. Speak to any artisanal fisher in the country, and they will complain about the disappearing fish and the long, dangerous journeys they...

/ Jul 6, 2023

Traditional fishers trained as certified divers

The Barren Isles is an archipelago of nine islands in the Mozambique Channel off of Madagascar’s west coast. Its ecosystem is extraordinarily diverse, comprising vast coral reefs, offshore islands, seamounts, extensive mangrove forests, estuarine marshes, and coastal dunes backed by...

/ Jun 16, 2023

A West Africa Success Story: Communities work together to bring back mangroves

Much of the news coming out of the conservation world is pretty depressing these days: we are approaching a point of no return on climate change, with massive sea level rises and mass extinctions predicted within the next century. In...

/ May 25, 2023

What is the Fisheries Transparency Initiative and why is it so important?

In Madagascar, public authorities, fishers, and civil society organisations are working towards improving fisheries transparency and governance. Together, they want to ensure sustainable and fair management of stocks, and enhance the value of a sector that represents between five and...

/ May 24, 2023

Progress Made on Fisheries Transparency in Madagascar

In Madagascar, public authorities, fishers, and civil society organisations are working towards improving fisheries transparency and governance. Together, they want to ensure sustainable and fair management of stocks, and enhance the value of a sector that represents between five and...

/ May 17, 2023

Participatory Video Inspires Community-Led Seagrass Conservation in Timor-Leste

Despite boasting some of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems in the world, small-scale fishers in Timor-Leste are increasingly concerned about declining daily catches. Participatory video is a powerful community engagement and communications tool that can help uncover hidden challenges and...

/ May 15, 2023

Comoros to Kenya: A trip to learn from fellow fishers in Kenya

The sea around Comoros has been the source of livelihood for Bahati Anli, and many like her in Comoros. She comes from a fishing community and is part of Maecha Bora, an all-women fishers association that leads conservation efforts. When...

/ Mar 24, 2023

Meet the communities using data to transform fisheries management

Blue Ventures and partner COMRED held the first community data feedback meeting with people from Kwale County in Kenya to validate fisheries catch and landing data collected from fisheries over three months. The activity was an eye-opener on how communities...

/ Mar 14, 2023

Supporting women in Mozambique to protect their marine areas

Last night, on the eve of International Women’s Day, Mozambique organised a ministerial-level UN debate about how the security council can work together for the common good of women’s empowerment. We asked Habiba Mussa, our colleague in Mozambique, to tell...

/ Mar 8, 2023
Group shot

Celebrating fishers on the Kenyan coast

In January this year our partner Bahari Hai organised and hosted a conservation festival in Watamu, a small town on the northern coast of Kenya. They invited us to help with the planning and execution of the activities. Our fisheries...

/ Feb 24, 2023