Tag: marine conservation
Turning the tide on marine plastics
Let’s set the scene, we’re on a beautiful white sand beach, dotted with palm trees; a remote tropical paradise, miles away from human habitation. As the tide retreats what’s that left behind in the strandline? Intermixed with the usual bits...
A little step for me…. One giant leap for octopus fisheries management
Not only was it my first time in the “Old Town”, the beautiful heart of Zanzibar’s Stone Town, where the labyrinth of alleyways transport you to another time, and the historical monuments and museums bear witness to the cultural and artistic...
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...
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....
Mandeha magnarato: a weekend fishing in Nosy Marify, Barren Isles
by Cecile Fattebert, Barren Isles Conservation Officer, Madagascar This summer I set foot in Madagascar for the first time in order to work with Blue Ventures, where we’re moving towards creating Madagascar’s largest protected area and the Indian Ocean’s largest community-run marine...
Spreading the word about lionfish!
By Winnie Courtene-Jones, Field Scientist, Belize Since their arrival in Belize in 2008, lionfish have dramatically increased in numbers and spread throughout the country’s waters, devastating the World Heritage listed Belize Barrier Reef. What better way than to help tackle...
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...
Innovative Tools and Inspired Leaders: My Experience as a Kinship Fellow
By Jen Chapman, Country Coordinator, Belize [quote_left]If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. – John Shores, Kinship Faculty, 2014[/quote_left] It was a busy morning, and I was mildly irritated to hear my phone ring… again!...
Lobster with a side of lionfish
by Silvia Parmeggiani, Community Officer, Belize Despite the early start, the full sun was already beating down on us as we drive down the dusty road from Sarteneja, on our way to Belize City. Belize is a country of many cultures,...
In the making: the future biologists of Belize
by Winnie Courtene-Jones and Meira Mizrahi, Field Scientists, Belize Throughout this academic year, Blue Ventures’ staff team has again been working closely with the natural resource management classes at the Centro Escolar Mexico Junior College (CEMJC). This enthusiastic group of students...
Using the beast to create some beauty: A photo diary
by Silvia Parmeggiani, Community Officer, Belize Lionfish are beautiful but because of their exotic looks they are prized specimens within the aquarium trade, and are exported all over the world. But just like their name certainly suggests, they are also aggressive predators...
Catching up with shark data collectors in Madagascar
by Fran Humber, Conservation Programmes Manager, UK Managing a project from afar can have its pros and cons.Whilst I have access to fast internet and 24 hour electricity and can help to move the technical of the project forward; emails,...
Staff Q&A with Meira Mizrahi, Field Scientist, Belize
In the latest instalment in our series of staff Q&As, we ask Meira Mizrahi, Field Scientist, Belize, some searching questions about science, conservation and superpowers… What is your scientific background? I gained a BSc in Ecology & Conservation at James Cook University, Cairns....