Category: Barren Isles and Maintirano
Located off Madagascar’s west coast near Maintirano, the remote Barren Isles archipelago harbours vast fringing reefs and staggering levels of fish biomass. We’ve been working with the regional government and local communities since 2010 to develop a new marine protected area, set to be the largest in the western Indian Ocean region.
A simple yet difficult life
by Thomas, Blue Ventures Research Assistant, Madagascar Vezo history – Who are the Vezo? The indigenous coastal people of western Madagascar are known as the Vezo. The word Vezo originates from the Malagasy verb “to paddle” and is indicative of a...
Fishing for information
By Charlie Gough, Marine Research Coordinator, Madagascar Fishing affects all levels of biological organisation, from the individual to populations, affecting their demographic and genetic characteristics as well as communities and ecosystems. Among the many effects of fishing, those referring to...
Diving into the unknown
By Alasdair Harris, BV’s Founder & Research Director, Madagascar The vast reef systems that lie off western Madagascar are some of the least known coral reefs in the western part of the Indian Ocean. Shimmering mountains of calcium carbonate trace the...
Embarking to the Barren Isles: Blue Ventures begins in a third site of intervention
By Tanguy Nicolas, Blue Ventures Maintirano project coordinator, Madagascar I’ve had my feet back on the red island for nearly 6 weeks now, but have only really begun to settle in recently. My first time in Madagascar was back in 2007,...