The purpose of this building block is to provide Blue Ventures’ partner community members with new sources of income, allowing improved access to food and education, while alleviating pressure on fisheries and marine biodiversity. Working with the University of Toliara’s marine science institute (IHSM), local seafood exporter Copefrito and aquaculture company Indian Ocean Trepang (IOT), Blue Ventures is connecting isolated coastal communities in the Velondriake LMMA with lucrative international markets for seaweed and sea cucumbers, enabling families to develop their own aquaculture businesses. Blue Ventures’ aquaculture specialists have trained over 700 people to become farmers of sea cucumbers (Holothuria scabra) and red "cottonii" seaweed (Kappaphycus alvarezii). In partnership with CITE, a Malagasy NGO supporting local socio-economic and entrepreneurial development, they also help to nurture small business development with training programmes that build the technical, financial, managerial and organisational skills needed by fishermen and women to manage their own aquaculture businesses.

Shrimp farmers are obligated to develop and implement a mangrove reforestation plan within their production area; they pay community members, often women, to garden the mangroves, including re-planting.

Strong communication efforts (exchanges, meetings, popular debates, interactive radio in local languages) throughout the process of establishing and operating Kawawana. This has given fruits, as today other community conserved areas have been created close to Kawawana and more are in progress. .

The community group identified in building block 2 together with a selection of village leaders is trained in bylaw formulation and implementation. Topics covered in the training include government structures in Tanzania and types of laws and regulations; concept and fundamentals of local government; management of natural resources at village level; Tanzania legislation related to waste management; meaning of bylaws; regulations that guide formulation of bylaws; process of local bylaw formulation; approval of formulated bylaws at district level; and implementation of approved bylaws (including opportunities and challenges). The training process enables the group to conduct a detailed analysis of the current status of waste management in their communities and understand the expected impact of poor waste management if it is not well considered in the bylaws. Understanding the process of bylaw formulation and approval also helps participants to recognize the existing management and administrative gaps between the district council, village council and community members so that an effective strategy can be put together to address the gaps and build a strong co-management approach.

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are vital components of every Pride campaign, without which assessment of the effectiveness of the intervention cannot be conducted. M&E takes place in every component of the Theory of Change (please refer to the building block 'Theory of Change' for a brief description of each component). Monitoring keeps score on how effectively capacities are built, how effectively social marketing efforts lead to changes in behavior, and if those behavior changes lead to desired conservation outcomes. Monitoring basically tracks every component of the ToC. M&E of knowledge, attitude, interpersonal communications and behavior change is based on pre and post campaign surveys of the fishers, while threat reduction and conservation results use specific protocols validated by experts.

Assertion of community collective rights and capacity to govern (decide and implement decisions) and manage (provide surveillance, monitor) its heritage territory Re-establishment of ancient rules (for instance, no entry in the zones where the spirits live).

Based on official fishing and environmental regulations such as periodic closures, bans and minimum sizes, the management plan contains a detailed programme for resource use, control and surveillance and monitoring and evaluation. Every illegal activity is reported to the overseeing government body.

Accurate and updated information is crucial for resource management. Forming Technical Groups enables collaborative science for decision making. These groups consist of participants from public and academic institutions who meet regularly to share information relevant to the fishery’s management.

Catch data from the last centuries collected from research institutes, libraries and maritime museums, and through surveys.

Legalize locally managed marine areas (LMMA) at district and provincial levels. Implement an initial 2-year management plan to be regularly revised. Regular monitoring and reporting includes annual meetings of all members involved in co-management. Consider climate change adaptation of livelihoods in ongoing interventions and the management plan, as well as changes of state mechanism (staff and capacity) and emerging local needs. Mobilize funding from institutions and organizations.