Category: Programmes
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!...
Increasing choice for women in Belo
Community health agents in and around Belo sur Mer are trained to offer contraceptive injections to women in their villages.
Octopus opening day: ten years on
by Olivia Kemp, Fisheries Programme Manager, Madagascar In August this year, coastal communities in the southwest region of Madagascar celebrated their 10th periodic octopus fishery closure season. Since 2004, villages along this coastline have been annually closing off parts of their fishing sites,...
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...
Project integration: expeditions meet aquaculture
By Madison Kane, Expedition Manager, Madagascar On a Friday afternoon, after some beautiful morning dives, the expedition volunteers eagerly await their ride to Tampolove; a trip I have always said is one of my favourites. Jaws drop and gasps of...
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...
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....
From salsa to merengue: Cross-border collaboration for a cross-border problem
by Jen Chapman, Country Coordinator, Belize One of the main focuses of Blue Ventures’ work in Belize is the monitoring and management of invasive lionfish, Pterois volitans. This Indo-Pacific fish was first spotted off the coast of Florida in the...