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Webinar: a portrait of octopus fisheries in Indonesia

In Indonesia, World Fisheries Day was celebrated as a moment to recognise the importance of sustainable fisheries for the future of fishers, coastal communities, and the nation. 

Indonesia is among the top 10 global octopus exporters, with an export volume of around 19,000 tons/year and average value of $90 million USD/year. The increasing demand for octopus – especially Octopus cyanea – for export to Italy, the United States and China, has made octopus a high value product. This demand is putting extreme pressure on the species and their survival.

To celebrate World Fisheries Day, Blue Ventures’ partner Yapeka collaborated with the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Affair (MMAF) to host a webinar, ‘The Portrait of Octopus Fisheries in Indonesia’ on 19th November 2020. 

The webinar brought together government officials from MMAF, marine conservation organisations, and octopus fishers, giving a glimpse into what octopus fisheries in Indonesia look like – the locally led initiatives and the global fisheries trend. 

“We have 7.9 million coastal communities dependent on the coral reefs sustainability. The hope is that conservation can give not only ecological impact but also economic impact to the communities,” Hendra Yusran Siry (Secretary of the Directorate General of MMAF), opened the webinar, reminding us what President Jokowi said, that “the nation’s future is at the sea”. And that will only be achieved through multi-stakeholder collaboration and synergy.

Discussing octopus fisheries trends

Dessy Anggraeni (Indonesia FIPs [fisheries implementation plan] Director, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership) explained the global octopus fishery trend.

“Indonesia should work with supply chains upstream and downstream to improve fisheries towards sustainability. Right now, unfortunately, octopus are still not a priority species for protection – we don’t have enough data of octopus production,” she said.

Almost all octopus production in the world comes from capture fisheries (i.e. when fish is captured from the sea, rather than farmed through aquaculture). According to FAO data, global octopus production is around 420 thousand tons/year, mostly from small-scale fisheries. According to statistical data on capture fisheries from Indonesia’s Central Bureau on Statistics, Indonesian octopus production fluctuates at around 11 thousand tons per year. “We need more accurate data that reflects the octopus fishery,” she emphasised.

By collecting and monitoring octopus catch data, fishers can build upon their existing knowledge of their fisheries and begin to manage them more sustainably | Photo: Garth Cripps

According to the Seafood Watch List, Indonesia’s octopus products are under the to avoid’ or ‘red’ categories. This means that the octopus product is not yet considered sustainable. This is one of the guidelines used by consumers, especially in the United States, that contributes to a consumer’s purchase decision making.

“This doesn’t mean that Indonesia’s octopus products can’t be consumed, but there’s room for octopus fisheries sustainability improvement in the future,” added Dessy.

Locally led octopus fisheries management initiatives

“During this pandemic, octopus prices dropped significantly, even until now,” said Aswadi Sahari, an octopus collector from Bulutui Village, North Minahasa, North Sulawesi. Aswadi shared how octopus prices dropped since companies stopped exporting octopus to their destination country because of restrictions on global trade due to COVID-19.

Aswadi was one of the speakers on the panel session with Gayatri Reksodihardjo-Lilley (Director, LINI Foundation), La Beloro (Director, Forkani), Akbar Ario Digdo (CEO, Yapeka), and Pingkan Katharina Roeroe (Coordinator of Fish Species Protection and Conservation, MMAF).

The panel sessions gave the organisations the opportunity to share more about how the communities they support in Banggai, Central Sulawesi; Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi; and Minahasa Utara, North Sulawesi respectively, have started to engage in locally led management of their octopus fisheries.

Gayatri shared a story from communities in North Banggai subdistrict, where traditional Bajo fishers have started monitoring their octopus catch. This data has become an empowering tool for the community, enabling them to make more informed decisions about how to manage their octopus fishery through periodic fishery closures – periods of time when certain fishing locations are closed to fishers, agreed by the community.

Reef octopus have a short life cycle (around 15-18 months) but a rapid growth rate, and are able to almost double in weight every month for the first six months of their life. This is why periodic fishery closures are so effective; the reduced fishing pressure, even just for a short period, means that the octopus are able to dramatically increase in size.

A fisher admires his catch in Uwedikan Village | Photo: Christopel Paino | Japesda

La Beloro emphasised the importance of collaboration between traditional community institutions, national park officials and the government in octopus fisheries management amongst the Darawa community who live within Wakatobi National Park – where they also have locally led octopus fisheries management in place through temporary closures.

Akbar talked about Rumah Boboca (“the home of octopus”), where Yapeka have helped the communities in Bulutui and Gangga Satu, West Likupang subdistrict, to establish a catch monitoring system and have trained octopus buyers in the village as data collectors – and later established temporary octopus fisheries closure. 

“Although octopus is not included in the endangered list, sustainability needs to be managed, because its habitat is on coral reefs. For example, the management of fishing methods that do not damage the coral reef,” said Pingkan K. Roeroe. “The community and government need to work together, each has their own roles. The participation of the community is the key for success in conservation,” she added.


Watch the webinar in Bahasa Indonesia


Photo: Garth Cripps

Potret Perikanan Gurita di Indonesia

Di Indonesia, Hari Perikanan Sedunia diperingati sebagai momen untuk mengakui pentingnya perikanan berkelanjutan bagi masa depan nelayan, masyarakat pesisir, juga bangsa Indonesia.

Indonesia termasuk di antara 10 besar pengekspor gurita di dunia, dengan volume ekspor sekitar 19.000 ton/tahun dan nilai rata-rata 90 juta USD/tahun. Meningkatnya permintaan gurita—terutama Octopus cyanea—untuk ekspor ke Italia, Amerika Serikat, dan China, menjadikan gurita sebagai produk bernilai tinggi. Permintaan ini memberikan tekanan ekstrem pada spesies gurita dan kelangsungan hidup mereka.

Dalam rangka memperingati Hari Perikanan Sedunia, mitra Blue Ventures, Yapeka, bekerja sama dengan Kementerian Kelautan dan Perikanan (KKP) dalam menyelenggarakan webinar bertajuk ‘Potret Perikanan Gurita di Indonesia’ pada 19 November 2020.

Webinar ini mempertemukan pemerintah pusat (KKP), organisasi konservasi laut, dan nelayan gurita untuk memberikan gambaran tentang perikanan gurita di Indonesia—inisiatif yang dilakukan oleh masyarakat setempat dan tren perikanan global.

“Saat ini 7,9 juta masyarakat pesisir bergantung pada kelestarian terumbu karang. Harapannya, konservasi tidak hanya memberikan dampak ekologis tetapi juga pengaruh ekonomi bagi masyarakat,” kata Hendra Yusran Siry (Sekretaris Direktorat Jenderal KKP) ketika membuka webinar. Beliau juga kembali mengingatkan apa yang pernah disampaikan Presiden Jokowi bahwa “masa depan bangsa adalah di laut” dan hal itu hanya dapat dicapai melalui kolaborasi dan sinergi berbagai pihak.

Membahas tren perikanan gurita

Dessy Anggraeni, Direktur FIP (Fisheries Implementation Plan) Indonesia – Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, menjelaskan tren perikanan gurita global.

“Indonesia harus bekerja sama dengan rantai pasokan (supply chains) yang ada di hulu dan hilir untuk memperbaiki keadaan perikanan agar lebih berkelanjutan. Sayangnya, saat ini gurita belum menjadi spesies prioritas untuk dilindungi—kami tidak memiliki cukup data produksi gurita,” ujarnya.

Hampir semua produksi gurita di dunia berasal dari perikanan tangkap (ikan yang ditangkap berasal dari laut, bukan hasil budi daya). Menurut data FAO, produksi gurita global sekitar 420 ribu ton/tahun yang sebagian besar berasal dari perikanan skala kecil. Berdasarkan data statistik perikanan tangkap dari Badan Pusat Statistik, produksi gurita Indonesia berfluktuasi sekitar 11 ribu ton/tahun. “Kami membutuhkan data yang lebih akurat untuk menggambarkan hasil perikanan gurita,” tegasnya.

Menurut Seafood Watch List, produk gurita Indonesia termasuk dalam kategori ‘untuk dihindari’ atau ‘merah’. Artinya, produk gurita belum dianggap berkelanjutan. Seafood Watch List adalah salah satu pedoman yang digunakan oleh konsumen, terutama di Amerika Serikat, yang berkontribusi pada pengambilan keputusan konsumen dalam melakukan pembelian.

“Bukan berarti produk gurita Indonesia tidak bisa dikonsumsi. Namun, masih ada ruang untuk perbaikan keberlanjutan perikanan gurita di masa mendatang,” tambah Dessy.

Inisiatif pengelolaan perikanan gurita secara lokal

“Selama pandemi ini, harga gurita turun cukup signifikan, bahkan hingga saat ini,” kata Aswadi Sahari, pengumpul gurita asal Desa Bulutui, Minahasa Utara, Sulawesi Utara. Aswadi menceritakan bagaimana harga gurita turun sejak perusahaan menghentikan ekspor gurita ke negara tujuan karena pembatasan perdagangan global akibat COVID-19.

Aswadi menjadi salah satu pembicara pada sesi panel bersama Gayatri Reksodihardjo-Lilley (Direktur, Yayasan LINI), La Beloro (Direktur, Forkani), Akbar Ario Digdo (CEO, Yapeka), dan Pingkan Katharina Roeroe (Kepala Subdirektorat Perlindungan dan Pelestarian Jenis Ikan, KKP).

Dalam sesi panel, perwakilan dari organisasi-organisasi diberikan kesempatan untuk berbagi lebih banyak tentang bagaimana komunitas yang mereka dukung di Banggai, Sulawesi Tengah; Wakatobi, Sulawesi Tenggara; dan Minahasa Utara, Sulawesi Utara telah mulai mengelola perikanan gurita mereka secara lokal.

Gayatri berbagi cerita tentang masyarakat di Kecamatan Banggai Utara, tempat nelayan tradisional Bajo mulai memantau hasil tangkapan gurita mereka. Data ini menjadi alat pemberdayaan masyarakat yang memungkinkan mereka untuk mengambil keputusan yang lebih tepat tentang bagaimana mengelola perikanan gurita mereka melalui penutupan perikanan berkala—periode ketika lokasi penangkapan ikan tertentu ditutup untuk nelayan dan telah disepakati oleh masyarakat.

Gurita karang memiliki siklus hidup yang pendek (sekitar 15-18 bulan), tetapi kecepatan pertumbuhannya cepat dan beratnya hampir dua kali lipat setiap bulannya selama enam bulan pertama kehidupannya. Inilah mengapa penutupan perikanan berkala sangat efektif; berkurangnya tekanan penangkapan, walaupun hanya dalam waktu singkat, memberikan kesempatan bagi gurita untuk berkembang lebih besar dalam ukuran.

La Beloro menekankan pentingnya kolaborasi antara lembaga masyarakat tradisional, petugas taman nasional, dan pemerintah dalam pengelolaan perikanan gurita dengan masyarakat Darawa yang tinggal di dalam Taman Nasional Wakatobi – tempat mereka telah mengelola perikanan gurita secara lokal melalui penutupan sementara.

Akbar berbagi tentang Rumah Boboca (sebutan masyarakat Bulutui untuk rumah gurita), salah satu upaya Yapeka dalam membantu masyarakat di Bulutui dan Gangga Satu, Kecamatan Likupang Barat, untuk membangun sistem pemantauan hasil tangkapan dan melatih pembeli gurita di desa sebagai pengumpul data—dan kemudian membuat penutupan perikanan gurita sementara.

“Meski gurita tidak termasuk dalam daftar terancam punah, tetapi kelestariannya perlu dijaga karena habitatnya di terumbu karang. Misalnya, dengan metode pengelolaan penangkapan ikan yang tidak merusak terumbu karang, ” kata Pingkan K. Roeroe.

“Masyarakat dan pemerintah perlu bekerja sama dan punya peran masing-masing. Peran serta masyarakat menjadi kunci sukses dalam konservasi, ” tambahnya.


Saksikan webinar dalam bahasa Indonesia


Foto: Garth Cripps

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Cabo Verde

At least 6,000 fishers and 3,500 processors – mostly women – and sellers are active in the fisheries sector. Almost all artisanal-caught fish is sold and consumed locally, but fish from the distant-water industrial fleet accounts for 80% of exports from Cabo Verde.

BV works closely with the local NGO Fundaçao Maio Biodiversidade to support communities to use robust data to inform fisheries management and improve value chains. Our partnership has so far focussed on Maio island, but we have plans to scale this approach to at least five of the ten islands that make up the archipelago.

Unlike other countries in West Africa, there is no practice of community management in Cabo Verde, although there are a variety of community associations on the islands that represent fishers’ interests. BV is supporting partner organisations to strengthen the capacity of these groups to move towards the co-management of marine resources and the development of community-driven protected areas.

The Gambia

The Gambia’s coastline is only 80km long, but is home to a rich mangrove ecosystem that supports locally important fisheries. Sadly, much of the coastline has been devastated by sand and ilmenite mining, uncontrolled property development (including in protected areas), and a rapid ratcheting up of industrial fishing effort, largely to feed the country’s three fishmeal and fish oil factories. 

Our approach in The Gambia is to empower local actors including CETAG and Gambian Environmental Alliance to raise their voices against these drivers of environmental destruction, and find community-led solutions. BV is also working with the well-respected youth and women groups SANYEPD and Hallahin Women Oyster Farmers to help communities secure preferential access to fish and shellfish.

Senegal

Fishing and the collection of shellfish is central to the lives of most coastal dwellers in Senegal, and seafood is part of almost every meal in the country. 

But massive overfishing by both industrial and artisanal fleets, as well as increasing exports of fishmeal for aquaculture, is threatening the way of life and food security in the country. As fish stocks dwindle, the staple National dish of Senegal “Thiebou Djeun” –  “Fish and Rice” – is becoming a luxury for many. 

Blue Ventures’ work in Senegal is focused mainly in the Sine-Saloum and Casamance deltas   of the country, home to hundreds of thousands of hectares of fish-rich mangroves. We have teamed up with Kawawana, Senegal’s oldest LMMA (known locally as APAC), to support the protection of 18,000 hectares of mangroves, and to help monitor and manage the rich fisheries they contain. Through our partners Nebeday and EcoRurale, we are also working with other communities, and especially women groups, to put in place community-based fisheries management systems, focusing particularly on the oyster and shellfish collection that are major sources of income in estuaries and deltas.

We’re new to Senegal but working to scale our communities-first approach to more partners and communities. We’re also aiming to build alliances with grassroots, national, regional and other like-minded organisations to advocate for better marine protection and to strengthen national inshore exclusion zones for small-scale fishers in which industrial fishing is restricted.

Guinea-Bissau

The West African country of Guinea-Bissau is home to the unique Bijagos archipelago, a network of some ninety mangrove-fringed offshore islands and extensive mudflats supporting large amounts of migratory bird species, as well as megafauna such as manatees, dolphins, and sea turtles. The Bijagos people continue to live a very traditional lifestyle, where the collection of marine invertebrates plays an important role in food security and cultural traditions. The country is also home to extensive mangrove-fringed river systems that support rich fisheries.


Blue Ventures has been working with Tiniguena, one of the oldest conservation groups in Guinea-Bissau, to support the establishment of the country’s first community-led MPA, in the Bijagos islands. Guinea-Bissau is a new venture for us, and we envision scaling to new partners and communities in the coming years. Our focus is on data-driven community-led management of fisheries, which are of enormous importance to coastal communities, in particular women.

Thailand

Thailand’s small-scale fisheries are the cornerstone of social, economic and nutritional health for the communities living along the majority of the country’s nearly 3,000 kilometre coastline.

In the southernmost Trang province we are supporting communities reliant on nearshore fisheries − in particular for crab, shrimp and squid − in partnership with the Save Andaman Network (SAN). The region is renowned for its vibrant seagrass meadows and vast mangrove forests, which provide essential ecosystem services to coastal communities.  We’re providing training and tools to aid community- led fisheries monitoring and ecosystem management, and building community-owned social enterprises that fund and sustain local conservation efforts.

Timor-Leste

Since 2016, our work in Timor-Leste has evolved into a dynamic movement supporting community-led marine management and coastal livelihood diversification in Asia’s newest country. From our origins on Atauro Island, considered to harbour the most diverse coral reefs on earth, we’re now working with numerous communities on the island and the mainland to help improve management of critical coral reefs and seagrass ecosystems.

We’re helping communities reinvigorate traditional community governance practices − known as Tara Bandu − to support marine conservation, in particular through the use of temporary and permanent fishing closures, and community-led monitoring of marine ecosystems and fisheries.

We’re helping communities come together to exchange their experiences of conservation across their shared coastline, building a new movement of local support for systems change in the management and conservation of Timor-Leste’s coastal waters.

Alongside our community conservation efforts, we have also pioneered Timor-Leste’s first homestay association, which has provided income from visiting ecotourists on Atauro Island.

Our team in Timor-Leste’s capital Dili works closely with government, civil society organisations and NGO partners.

Tanzania

Like its neighbours within the Northern Mozambique Channel marine biodiversity hotspot, Tanzania harbours some of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the Indian Ocean. These habitats are facing unprecedented challenges from overfishing and climate change. 

The Government supports the use of co-management to improve the management of marine resources, but a community’s ability to be meaningfully involved in this partnership approach is all too often hampered by the capacity of its institutions, to organise and to acquire the skills and resources they need. 

Our Tanzanian team has worked with communities and local organisations to support locally led marine conservation since 2016. Our work has expanded from Zanzibar to the mainland regions of Tanga, Lindi and Kilwa. Our technicians work with local partners to help communities strengthen co-management systems, through Beach Management Units (BMUs), Shehia Fishing Committees (SFCs), and Village Liaison Committees.

We have three types of partners in Tanzania: NGOs, CSOs and government. Our NGO implementing partners Mwambao Coastal Community Network, Sea Sense, and Jongowe Development Fund have spearheaded a remarkable acceleration in the uptake of community-based fisheries management and conservation in recent years, notably through the use of short-term fisheries closures to catalyse broader community conservation.

Our CSO partners include Kilwa BMU Network, NYAMANJISOPOJA CFMA and Songosongo BMU, while our government partners comprise the Ministry of Fisheries in Mainland Tanzania, and the Ministry of Fisheries in Zanzibar, as well as local government authorities in Pangani and Kilwa.

Following the conclusion of the SWIOFish project in 2021, we are also working with partners on an initiative to support the establishment and functioning of a fisheries co-management forum. The forum will facilitate engagement between national and local government authorities and NGOs involved in fisheries co-management initiatives along the Tanzania mainland coast, with the aim of enhancing networking and strengthening management and governance.

Somalia

With one of Africa’s longest coastlines, Somalia’s diverse marine environment supports enormously productive coastal and offshore fisheries.  Decades of conflict have undermined the country’s capacity for fisheries management, with many foreign industrial vessels fishing with impunity, and little regard for the critical importance of Somalia’s coastal fisheries for local livelihoods and food security.

A period of relative political and social stability unprecedented in recent decades is now presenting new opportunities to address past challenges, and to realise the considerable opportunities that well-managed coastal fisheries and conservation can offer Somalia. We are forging partnerships with community organisations in Somalia to build their capacity and skills to help coastal communities manage their fisheries for food security, livelihoods and conservation.

Philippines

The Philippines forms part of the ‘coral triangle’ epicentre of global marine biodiversity, with unparalleled diversity of marine species.  Over half of the country’s 107 million people live in rural areas, and approximately three quarters depend on agriculture or fisheries as their primary source of livelihoods.

Through our partnership with People and the Sea, we are supporting communities in the eastern Visayas to set up and utilise participatory data systems to monitor and understand the status of their fisheries, in a way that is meaningful for them. Through provision of access to strong data systems and training in data collection this year, these communities will soon have access to real time fisheries data and visualisations that will enable them to make informed decisions around the management of their fisheries.

Indonesia

Indonesia comprises almost 17,500 islands stretching across three time zones. This archipelagic nation has the 2nd longest coastline in the world − and the largest coastal fisheries resource − of any country on Earth. More than ninety per cent of Indonesia’s seafood production comes from small-scale fisheries, which are underpinned by the planet’s most biodiverse marine ecosystem, known as the Coral Triangle.

We have supported community-led marine conservation in Indonesia since 2016. Our team works in close partnership with 17 Indonesian organisations supporting community-based approaches to coral reef and mangrove conservation across 81 communities in fourteen provinces, collectively reaching over 80,000 people. 

Since 2019 we have brought these partners together within a peer learning network of Indonesian organisations specialised in supporting community-based marine conservation. The network is based on the shared values of the organisations, including a commitment to promote the rights of traditional fishing communities in conservation. Our support across these communities is customised to each context − the local fisheries, community stakeholders, seafood supply chains, legal frameworks and customary traditions governing fisheries management and conservation.

In Sumatra and Kalimantan we are strengthening our work in community conservation of globally important mangrove forests. We are supporting and strengthening community-forest management and supporting local partners who are adapting our catalytic model for temporary fishery closures to mangrove-dependent fisheries like mud crab.

We are working closely with our local partners Forkani, Yayasan LINI, Yapeka, Yayasan Planet Indonesia, Foneb, Komanangi, JARI, Ecosystem Impact, Yayasan Tananua Flores, Yayasan Baileo Maluku, AKAR, Japesda, Yayasan Citra Mandiri Mentawai, Yayasan Mitra Insani and Yayasan Hutan Biru, Yayasan Pesisir Lestari and Lembaga Partisipasi Pembangunan Masyarakat (LPPM) Ambon.

India

We continue to work in India with our long term partner the Dakshin Foundation. We are collaborating in three distinct locations; the archipelago of Lakshadweep, coastal regions of Odisha and the Andaman Islands. 

Overfishing has led to a reduction in fish catches, challenging the future of many traditional fishing communities.

Our partnership is working to build the capacity of communities to manage coastal fisheries,  and improve the health of fishing communities, for the long-term wellbeing of both the communities and their fishing grounds.

Kenya

Kenya’s coast supports an extraordinary diversity of tropical marine and coastal habitats.  These waters are threatened by a proliferation of destructive fishing practices and over-harvesting within the artisanal and commercial fishing sectors.

Our approach in Kenya focuses on strengthening Beach Management Units (BMUs) to improve fisheries management. Since 2016 our Mombasa-based technical team has provided support, mentoring and assistance to local partners including Coastal and Marine Resource Development (COMRED), the Lamu Marine Conservation Trust (LAMCOT), Bahari Hai, and Kwale Beach Management Unit Network (KCBN), a network of 23 BMUs in Kwale County

These partnerships have seen notable achievements in community-led fisheries management and conservation, including training and mentoring BMU leaders in eighteen communities in Kwale and Lamu Counties.

Comoros

The Comoros islands are located in the northern Mozambique Channel, a region home to the world’s second highest marine biodiversity after the Coral Triangle. This globally important biodiversity underpins coastal livelihoods and food security, but is at risk from climate change and overexploitation of inshore fisheries.

We have maintained a presence supporting locally led marine conservation and fisheries management in Comoros since 2015, providing support to local partners, governmental institutions and communities.

On Anjouan, the second largest and most densely populated island in the Comoros archipelago, we work closely with national NGO Dahari. Our partnership has developed a replicable blueprint for community-based marine management, which has included a number of temporary and permanent marine closures − designed to safeguard the coral reef ecosystems underpinning the archipelago’s coastal economy.

This approach, which is expanding rapidly across the Comoros, is also demonstrating the importance of inclusive conservation in empowering women − through local women’s fisheries associations − to play a leading role in fisheries monitoring and decision making.

Belize

Belize’s marine environment encompasses some of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the Caribbean Sea, including vast coral reefs, mangrove forests and seagrass beds. We have maintained a permanent presence in Belize since 2010, supporting diverse fisheries and conservation efforts.

We work in close partnership with the Belize Fisheries Department, MPA managers, fishing cooperatives and fishers’ associations, and championed the establishment of a national scale domestic fishery targeting the invasive lionfish.  We are actively promoting community led fisheries management, building on the success of our pioneering work with management of invasive lionfish.

We’ve led a decade-long MPA monitoring and evaluation programme in Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve, and provide regular training in coral reef monitoring methods to MPA authorities across Belize, including helping establish management targets for Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve, Belize’s largest MPA.

Our team supports and strengthens  fishing associations that advocate for the rights of their communities to be involved in decision making around access and use of coastal fisheries and to be key members of MPA management groups. Across the country we are working to ensure that fishers interests are mainstreamed in the design and implementation of marine conservation and fisheries management, improving the effectiveness of co-management of coral reef, mangrove and seagrass areas.

Mozambique

Extending for some 2,700km, Mozambique’s coastline is the third longest in the Indian ocean and supports millions of people with food and income. 

Our Mozambican team has worked with communities to develop locally led approaches to fisheries management and marine conservation since 2015. Our approach is focused on supporting and strengthening local organisations and Community Fisheries Councils (CCPs) to better understand their local fisheries, make informed management decisions to rebuild fisheries, and assess the impact of management actions. This work is developed in close collaboration with our partners Oikos- Cooperação e Desenvolvimento in Nampula province and Love the Ocean in Inhambane province.

Ongoing security challenges have afflicted coastal communities and emerging marine conservation efforts in several areas of Cabo Delgado, where our work is regrettably now on hold.

Madagascar

Blue Ventures’ journey began in Madagascar in 2003, and we’ve been supporting communities in marine conservation across the country ever since. We have five regional field programmes along Madagascar’s west coast, as well as regional offices in the towns of Ambanja, Mahajanga, Morondava and Toliara. Our national headquarters is located in the capital Antananarivo.

Across all these sites we support communities with the establishment of locally managed marine areas (LMMAs), and work with government partners to secure national recognition for community conservation initiatives. First developed in Madagascar by Blue Ventures in 2006, the LMMA concept has since been replicated by communities at hundreds of sites over thousands of kilometres of coastline, now covering almost one fifth of Madagascar’s inshore seabed. Our research in Madagascar has demonstrated globally important evidence of the benefits of LMMAs to fisheries and conservation.

Our work focuses on strengthening community institutions in marine management and governance, and pioneering new approaches to catalyse community engagement in ocean conservation. These innovations have included establishing community led ecological monitoring and the country’s first mangrove blue carbon project.

At the national level, we partner with the LMMA network MIHARI, which brings together 25 partner conservation organisations supporting 219 LMMA sites across the country. Our policy team is also actively involved in advocating for more robust legislation to safeguard the rights and interests of fishing communities, and to remove destructive industrial fishing from coastal waters. In 2022 we supported the launch of Fitsinjo, an industrial fisheries watchdog organisation. The network highlights industrial fishing and IUU activities in Madagascar and the broader Western Indian Ocean region.

Given the lack of basic services in remote coastal regions in Madagascar, we also help communities access basic healthcare through training and supporting women to serve as community health workers. We do not replace government health systems, but work to strengthen existing structures in close collaboration with government health actors and specialist NGOs. We also incubate Madagascar’s national health-environment network, which brings together 40 partner organisations to address the health needs of communities living in areas of conservation importance across the country.