Category: Madagascar
A Carnivorous Appetite
by Charlie Gough, Marine Research Coordinator, Madagascar We have now successfully completed a number of dives on the reefs of the Barren islands, on the western coast of Madagascar, and despite our wide eyes at the wonderful reefs sparkling with...
A Different Point of View
By Ryan Vickers, Independent Film Maker, USA So I have been asked to write this blog, about the expedition, without guidance or parameters. Being neither a scientist nor researcher I no doubt have a different perspective than the rest of the team....
Talking about Turtles
by Charlie Gough, Marine Research Coordinator, Madagascar As the afternoon draws near, a crowd gathers in the centre of the small market town of Maintirano in western Madagascar. Men, women and children find their perches out of the strong rays...
A gift from the ancestors
by Dr Garth Cripps, Senior Conservation Scientist, Madagascar Portuguese sailors first noted the extensive coral reefs and rocky shoals of the Barren Isles on their charts at the beginning of the sixteenth century. Five hundred years later, the marine diversity...
Studying the impact of overexploitation on coral reef fish communities
By Dr Yann Frejaville, Fisheries Scientist, Madagascar Acquiring better knowledge of the ecosystems we belong to is a clear goal for those who work towards the sustainable use of natural resources. Coral Reefs are incredibly complex ecosystems which we are...
Diving in Madagascar
by George (Bic) Manahira, Blue Ventures Dive Manager & Coral Reef Monitoring Coordinator, Madagascar Running parallel to the southwest coast of Madagascar is one of the longest reefs in the world. It starts south of Toliara, the regional capital, and...
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...
Another generation of sea cucumbers for Tampolove!
The 26th of September was an eventful day in Tampolove with the delivery of juvenile sea cucumbers for the 12 farming teams.
Malagasy celebrations: Part one
By Samuel Blyth, Independent Researcher, Madagascar Belo-sur-Mer and the surrounding communities have a lot to offer residents, tourists and the occasional independent researcher, such as myself. Having been here for over two months, it is about time I shared some...
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,...
Life as an independent researcher
By Sam Wragg, Independent researcher, Madagascar Safe in the knowledge that I have plenty of time to write up my third year project when I get back to the UK and with my data collection occurring on a week-on, week-off basis, I’ve...
Blue Ventures ‘Love-In’: A warm and hearty welcome to the Blue Ventures team
By Christi Turner, Education & Youth Outreach Coordinator, Andavadoaka, Madagascar It is quite extraordinary to be back in Madagascar. This is my adopted home, filled with my extended family, a place that has brought me tremendous personal and professional growth. Madagascar...
A Day in the Life of a Samba-Getty Scholar
By Ravelomahafaly Andriamihaja Guénolé “After I had completed my scientific option baccalaureate in 2009, I had no idea what university life had in store for me. But now, I can congratulate myself on having survived” My name is Ravelomahafaly Andriamihaja Guénolé....