Workshops are conducted to increase local fishermen‘s capacities. These focus on conservation, sustainable fishing techniques, biosafety measures and solid waste management. Meetings with fishermen from other protected areas in the region, NGOs and research centres facilitate knowledge transfer.

Environmental education campaigns raise awareness of issues associated with the fishing camp. Special emphasis is placed on the control of introduced species, waste management and outdoor defecation. Information is disseminated via various media.

Workshops involving representatives of government agencies, academia and local communities contribute to an increased awareness of the programme and its management practices. The feedback provided by stakeholders helps to improve adaptation measures.

Following the restoration of the hydrological flow, mangroves species able to cope with the altered hydrological conditions are planted. This increases the chances that restoration activities will be successful.

A science-based monitoring protocol for hydrological, chemical and biological parameters enables the detection of changes over time, thereby increasing the effectiveness of restoration actions.

Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) are zones managed by coastal communities to help protect fisheries and safeguard biodiversity. Through the use of Dina – customary laws that are recognised by the Government of Madagascar –partner communities have designed effective rules that can be enforced locally to ban destructive fishing practices, protect endangered species and designate priority marine areas for protection. To ensure the long-term financial sustainability of LMMAs, a variety of mechanisms including marine ecotourism programmes, seafood supply chain incentive schemes, eco-certifications for sustainable fisheries, and payment for ecosystem services are developed. Velondriake is Madagascar’s first LMMA where elected representatives from 25 villages have put in place a management plan that includes permanent reserves, temporary octopus fishery closures, community-based aquaculture of seaweed and sea cucumbers, all regulated through a series of locally developed and enforced rules (Dina). Preliminary protected status was granted by the Government of Madagascar in 2010 and definitive protected status was successfully acquired in 2015.

The purpose of this building block is to provide Blue Ventures’ partner community members with positive experiences of marine management, demonstrating that it can yield tangible economic benefits in reasonable timeframes. The short-term octopus fishery closure model involves periodic closures of a portion of a village’s octopus gleaning grounds. At any communally agreed time, up to a quarter of a community’s fishing area may be closed for around three months. This approach has been shown to result in dramatic increases in octopus landings and improved fisher incomes when closed areas are reopened to fishing (Oliver et al., 2015), thereby sparking and building enduring support for more ambitious marine management efforts (including the creation of permanent marine reserves within locally managed marine areas) that are led by communities, for communities. By returning meaningful economic benefits in timeframes that work for traditional fishers, these temporary octopus fishery closures inspire local leadership in marine conservation. The approach depends on and benefits from broad support from the entire seafood supply chain, with fishers and buyers now contributing to the modest costs of establishing and managing the closures.

The purpose of this building block is to provide all of Blue Ventures’ partner community members with access to voluntary family planning and other basic health services. In collaboration with Population Services International we have trained and are currently supporting networks of local women to offer family planning information and short-term contraceptives (condoms, hormonal pills and injections) in their villages. We also partner with Marie Stopes Madagascar to offer long-acting reversible contraceptives (hormonal implants and intra-uterine devices) on a regular basis. Our community-based distributors of contraceptives are also trained and supported to provide antenatal and postnatal education, mosquito nets, water purifying solution, oral rehydration salts and antenatal medication.

The small-scale processing factory produces fish and shrimp meal. The product is used as animal feed for poultry, pigs, cattle or farmed fish or shrimp, and as organic fertilizer. It is sold in local and regional markets.

The results of economic valuation studies make a great argument for the establishment of protected areas and the management of endangered ecosystems. Taking the results to the community, presenting them at community meetings, discussing them with fishers or other stakeholders can gain their support in the planned management. Especially when presenting the (economic) importance of healthy marine ecosystems to decision makers, this can be a powerful tool to reach and eventually influence political agendas to integrate and focus on marine conservation and the sustainable management of resources.