Category: Blue Forests
We’re supporting coastal communities to link the conservation of mangrove, seagrass and coastal wetland habitats with international carbon markets and other payments for ecosystem services.
Women in Lamboara: Preparing for the future
by Cicelin Cicelin RAKOTOMAHAZO and Dolce RANDRIANANDRASAZIKY, Blue Forests southwest team, Madagascar “Planting mangroves is not a question of money, but a question of our future”, said a group of women from the island fishing village of Lamboara, situated in the...
Update from the Pacific Northwest: Greetings from the Blue Ventures outpost in Oregon
[avatar user=”trevor” size=”thumbnail” align=”left” link=”http://blog.blueventures.org/author/trevor/” target=”_blank” /] by Trevor Jones, Geospatial Analyst; Manager Blue Carbon Science, USA Like the extensive channels of a mangrove ecosystem, it’s been a long and meandering route since I moved to Madagascar in July, 2011 to help establish...
A Muddy Mangrove Experience for Expeditions!
Mere hours after the annual conference for Blue Ventures had ended in Andavadoaka, our eighth, and final, expedition of 2014 began! Typically, when the cars arrive on-site, volunteers have the chance to unpack, shower and get acquainted with their new...
Student Conference on Conservation Science in Bangalore, India
by Cicelin RAKOTOMAHAZO, Socioeconomic Scientist – Blue Forests, Madagascar This was not only my first time on a flight but also my first time travelling outside of Madagascar. I was heading to Bangalore, the third largest city in India, to...
Putting Madagascar on the (Google) Map
by Leah Glass, Blue Carbon Project Manager, Madagascar I’m writing this blog whilst drifting down the Sambirano River in northwest Madagascar on a traditional pirogue. On a ‘normal’ work day I’d be on my way to visit one of mangrove...
Staff Q&A with Trevor Jones, Geospatial Analyst; Manager, Blue Carbon Science
In the latest instalment in our series of staff Q&As, we ask Trevor Jones, Geospatial Analyst; Manager, Blue Carbon Science, some searching questions about science, conservation and superpowers… What did you want to be when you were growing up? Outside....
Making a living from the forests between land and sea
by Kitty Brayne, Country Coordinator, Madagascar I’m in a fishing village, but I can’t see the sea. Ankazomborona is perched on the edge of a muddy channel separating land from a forbidding forest of twisted mangrove trees, their roots veering...
A victory for PHE: Blue Ventures wins the 2014 St Andrews Prize for the Environment
Against the elegant backdrop of the University of St Andrews, I spent an inspiring, exhausting, and at times terrifying three days, competing against two other finalists for the 2014 St Andrews Prize for the Environment.
Blue Ventures in India
By Dr Trevor Jones, Geospatial Analyst & Manager, Blue Carbon Science, Vancouver, Canada Greetings from Vancouver where I write to you in the midst of recovering from my recent travels to the other side of the globe. I’ve just returned...
Experiencing Europe: Attending the Student Conference on Conservation Science
by Lalao Aigrette, Senior Blue Carbon Scientist, Toliara – Madagascar The purpose of my first ever visit to Europe was to attend the fifteenth Student Conference on Conservation Science (SCCS) in Cambridge, UK from March 25th to April 2nd. The...
Staff Q&A with Zo Andriamahenina, Blue Forests Research Technician
In the latest instalment in our series of staff Q&As, we ask Zo Andriamahenina, Blue Forests Research Technician, some searching questions about science, conservation and superpowers… What is your scientific background? I studied Sociology at the University of Antananarivo, during which time I did...
A theory of change: communities think critically about pathways to sustainable management
By Cicelin Rakotomahazo, blue forests socioeconomic scientist, Madagascar A few months ago, the blue forests team set out to facilitate a “Theory of Change” exercise with communities from nine villages in the Bay of Assassins, in the Velondriake locally managed marine area in southwest Madagascar. The Bay of...
Using the right tools for the job: my experiences with TESSA
by Lalao Aigrette, Senior Blue Carbon Scientist, Toliara, Madagascar According to my colleagues, Kenya is my second home, as this trip marks my sixth visit to the east African country. I recently attended a follow-up workshop about the uses of the Toolkit...
Mangrove reserve openings in Belo sur Mer: a photo diary
By Jeremie Bossert, Belo sur Mer Conservation Coordinator, Madagascar Mangrove forests provide rich fishing grounds for many coastal people in western Madagascar. Blue Ventures first trialled mangrove reserves – temporary areas closed to all fishing – with the community of...
Entering the third dimension in Belo sur Mer
By Jérémie Bossert, Belo Sur Mer Coordinator, Madagascar Finally Madagascar has a democratically elected president! Things here have a tendency to move slowly, be it getting an authorisation signed, ordering a new generator part, or even electing a president. However,...