Blue Ventures

More good news from coastal East Africa 🌍   🌊 Fisher communities in Kilwa Kisiwani, Tanzania 🇹🇿 recently opened their first octopus fishery closure with incredible results 🐙     On day one, 59 gleaners harvested an impressive 396 octopus, weighing close to one tonne and valued at $1,371 - a big win for community-led fisheries management in the region. Find out more about the importance of octopus fisheries here: https://lnkd.in/dtPRHnPG #CommunityLedConservation #OctopusFisheries #SmallScaleFisheries #FoodSecurity

🐙 The Munje Beach Management Unit octopus fishery is now open! 🌊 Exciting news from the east African coastline as the Munje BMU in Kwale County, southern Kenya, celebrates its 3rd successful octopus fishery re-opening with two milestone achievements: 🌍 An innovative cross-learning experience between Munje's male octopus gleaners and women gleaners from Mkwiro BMU also engaged Munje's women members to break cultural barriers and pave the way for improved opportunity for women in sustainable marine resource management. 🚤 And a new, Blue Ventures supported patrol boat will strengthen their conservation efforts across the region. Thanks, as always, to our collaborators Coastal and Marine Resources Development (COMRED) CORDIO East Africa | Norad - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation | Maliasili #SustainableFisheries #MarineConservation #CommunityledConservation #CommunityEmpowerment #Kenya #GenderInclusion

Asia meets Africa: forging new frontiers in safeguarding marine resources 🐠 Our Indonesian team recently hosted an Annual Partners' Forum uniting 23 partners from Asia and Africa to connect grassroots organisations and rekindle the spirit of collaboration following last year's event. 💪 Participants reflected on existing partnerships, highlighted both achievements and challenges and shared experiences with a solution-oriented mindset, paving the way for coastal communities to sustain their fisheries as their main livelihood. "This forum provided a unique opportunity to unite our partners from Asia and Africa, enhancing knowledge-sharing and strengthening our collaborative efforts," said Hanifa Miranda, Head of Partnerships for Asia-Pacific at Blue Ventures. "The insights and strategies discussed here will be instrumental in guiding our collective efforts to tackle the urgent challenges facing our oceans and coastal communities." #community #sharedlearning #asia #africa #conservation

Exciting News from Mkwiro Beach Management Unit (BMU) in Kwale, Kenya! Mkwiro BMU has just taken a groundbreaking step towards sustainable fisheries with the launch of its first-ever octopus fishery closure. 🐙 Supported by Blue Ventures and REEFolution Trust, this is a significant milestone in safeguarding marine resources and boosting the local economy. This milestone brought together stakeholders from various sectors, highlighting the collaborative spirit needed for sustainable fisheries management. The closure has sparked immense excitement, particularly among the women in the community who are at the heart of octopus fishing. By involving them, we ensure they will benefit directly from the enhanced economic resilience it aims to create. The community, eagerly awaiting the reopening of the closure, is keen to see its impact on fishing dynamics and its potential to drive lasting change in local fisheries management across the region. This initiative is more than just a conservation effort; it’s a crucial step towards a sustainable future, empowering the community to play a leading role in protecting their marine resources for future generations. #SustainableFisheries #CommunityEmpowerment #MarineConservation #Innovation

🌊 Harnessing data for better returns on the East African coast 🐟 Dive into our latest photo story exploring how fishing communities in Kenya and Tanzania are transforming their fisheries through data-driven practices. During a recent peer learning visit organised in collaboration with Mwambao Coastal Community Network Tanzania, Sea Sense NGO, Coastal and Marine Resources Development (COMRED) and Maliasili, communities shared insights and learnings on how they have used data to improve catches, returns and ocean conservation, paving the way for collaboration and innovation across the region. More here: https://lnkd.in/ex89tSdt Our thanks go to Norad - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation for supporting this initiative. Photo story by Randall Mabwa

In Southwest Madagascar, the Tahiry Honko project - the country’s first community-led mangrove carbon initiative, and one of the largest mangrove carbon conservation projects in the world - has completed its five-year audit to ensure the programme is delivering benefits to both people and planet. The project underwent a rigorous audit and verification by an independent expert approved by Plan Vivo. This included detailed interviews with local community members within the Velondriake Locally Managed Marine Area, where Tahiry Honko is located. Site visits to mangrove reforestation areas, conservation zones, and beehives assessed the project's progress and community involvement. The audit report will evaluate how well the project meets Plan Vivo standards, its governance by the Velondriake Association and Blue Ventures, and the perspectives of local communities and authorities. Insights gained will drive adaptive management, support carbon credit sales, and help local communities achieve their goals including the building of schools and wells. Learn more about Tahiry Honko here: https://lnkd.in/ecWkkB5p Images by Michel Strogoff and Louise Jasper | Blue Ventures #TahiryHonko #CommunityConservation #MangroveRestoration #PlanVivo #BlueVentures #SustainableDevelopment #CarbonCredits #Madagascar #VelondriakeLMMA

For 400 years, the Kewang of Haruku, Indonesia, have protected the environment through traditional ocean stewardship methods. Blue Ventures helped share the community’s story with the world with our recently released short film Kewang: Nature’s Ancient Guardians.   We recently returned to the island of Haruku to close the storytelling loop with the Kewang and Haruku’s community members.    Throughout the film’s production, we’ve championed a free, prior and informed consent process with everyone who has shared their story. The final step in this process was to air a celebratory screening, which brought over 30 members of the community together for the film’s Harukan premiere. After the screening, the film’s protagonist Om Eli stated that the success belonged to the people of Haruku, and he expressed pride that the Sasi tradition had gained international recognition for its role in protecting and sustainably managing natural resources. Check out the film here: https://lnkd.in/e4DZBAFj 📸 Yoga Putra | Blue Ventures

🌿🌏 A win for mangrove conservation in Madagascar🌏🌿 Madagascar has unveiled its ten-year national strategy for the integrated management of mangrove ecosystems. The strategy drives the management, promotion, and restoration of mangrove ecosystems, ensuring they continue to provide vital ecological functions and ecosystem services essential for climate change mitigation and adaptation. It focuses on: 🌱 Restoration of mangrove multifunctionality 📚 Development of mangrove research and knowledge management 💡 Sustainable valorisation and use of natural resources 🤝 Partnerships and sustainable financing 🏛 Improvement of institutional and local governance Blue Ventures continues to support these efforts through our own strategy, which is centred on building the capacity of coastal communities by leveraging funding, technical knowledge, advocacy, and data.

Grounding marine conservation efforts in evidence is vital to impact. 🔬 Our conservation model is underpinned by robust data. And we provide communities and local organisations with the digital tools and actionable information they need to fully leverage its power. Data, collected and managed by fishers themselves, guides locally led conservation on the water, helping fishers develop a deep understanding of their stocks; and strengthening local governance and advocacy by empowering communities with a voice in decision-making. Data can complement traditional knowledge systems to build holistic approaches to conservation. #conservation #ocean #data #science