Category: Africa
Scaling affordable credit facilities for fisher communities in East Africa through collaborative learning
About the author: Joan Otengo, Blue Ventures partner support coordinator in Kenya, shares her experiences from the community learning exchange visit to Zanzibar. It has been two years since we launched the Eco-credit Project in Kwale County, Kenya, a fund...
2023: A Year of Action in West Africa
This year was the first full year of action for Blue Ventures in West Africa, putting in place our activities plan after extensive scoping and discussions with potential partners. What an exciting year it has been: we formed key partnerships,...
Learning from successful MPAs in Senegal to pave the way for Congo’s first marine protected area
The writers of this blog are part of Renatura Congo, an NGO dedicated to promoting sustainable development through biodiversity conservation. This exchange journey was made possible through co-funding by Rainforest Trust and Blue Ventures, aligning with Renatura Congo’s strategic plan...
Gambian youth group championing green initiatives for a healthier environment
In an effort to make a real difference in their community and address issues related to the environment, members of the Sanyang Youths for Environmental Protection and Development (SANYEPD) are making waves with their hands-on approach to mangrove restoration and...
The African Community Conservation Forum 2023: power, money, and partnerships
In a remarkable gathering of minds and voices organised by Blue Ventures and Maliasili, the first-ever African Community Conservation Forum brought together African Civil Society Organizations, international NGOs, and donors to harness the power of collective knowledge and experiences to...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
A song of change in Madagascar brings goosebumps and tears
As a marine ecologist and self-acclaimed nerd, I get excited when I see a graph, especially one charting fish abundance or coral cover. But there are myriad ways to share tales of change beyond data, especially where numbers don’t convey...
Improving community health to boost engagement in conservation
I sat down with Edith Ngunjiri, our Technical Advisor, Health-Environment Partnerships, to get her insights on the health-environment approach following the 15th anniversary of the Blue Ventures Safidy programme. The community health programme has integrated health activities within marine conservation...