In Spring 2003, Blue Ventures established its new permanent field research site between the villages of Andavadoaka and Ampasilava, some 250km North of Toliara and 45km South of Morombe in Southwest Madagascar. The research team is based in a group of comfortable self-contained wooden eco-cabins situated on a coral outcrop overlooking white sandy beaches and blue lagoon beyond.
Location of Blue Ventures' research site
The small fishing villages of Andavadoaka and Ampasilava lie on the edge of a shallow lagoon, protected from the open ocean by a series of fringing reefs. In addition to the extensive fringing reefs, several banks rise up in the lagoon, and a series of uninhabited offshore islets and submerged barrier reefs also support substantial coral growth, providing a vital resource base for local traditional and artisanal fisheries.
The project was launched as a collaborative venture between Blue Ventures Conservation and the Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines (IHSM) in response to the need to develop a better understanding of the areas unique marine and coastal habitats.
Owing to their remoteness and isolation, as well as the large distance of the Andavadoaka reef systems from the nearest scientifically-studied reef habitats in south-western Madagascar (situated in the Ranobe region some 250km south of Andavadoaka) these coral reefs are thought to possess a significantly different and higher abundance and diversity of species than other reefs in Madagascar. Despite the uniqueness of this marine habitat, no data on the status of the reefs existed prior to the establishment of our research site in the area.
How would you describe your Blue Ventures Experience?
"Amazing, impossible to describe, unlike anything or anywhere I have ever been before, a great learning experience, a true experience of a lifetime" - Nicola Reeve, July 2006
The LandsatTM satellite image below shows the features of the coastline in the region. The Andavadoaka reefs are situated between 3 and 5km offshore at the northern end of the reef system that stretches continuously north from the village of Anakao, south of the regional capital Toliara, a total distance of almost 350km.
Click here to see details of our current research activities in the region.
The main objective of the Blue Ventures research programme in the area is to survey and chart the un-explored coral reefs of the region, studying their biodiversity and health, and assessing the potential threats to these unknown ecosystems.
In
addition, our research aims to identify strategies and targets
that Blue Ventures, local communities and local NGOs can work
towards to develop sustainable local environmental management
plans for these unique reef systems. These plans will focus
on improving the quality of life of the local communities
who depend on these marine resources while maintaining the
biological diversity and productivity of the reefs.
Considering potential threats
to Andavadoaka’s reefs, and as a priority within the
framework of the National Strategy for the Conservation
of Biodiversity in Madagascar, it is now critical that data
be gathered for use in local environmental management plans.
As well as having significant intrinsic and community development importance in the region, the work Blue Ventures is undertaking also fulfils one of the priorities of the International Coral Reef Initiative (UNEP & IUCN), which is to improve the amount and availability of data on coral reefs in the West Indian Ocean.
