Press Releases

Industry watchdog Which? commends Blue Ventures’ Carbon Offset

Blue Ventures’ innovative non-profit carbon offsetting programme has been highly rated by companies watchdog Which? in its new report on the UK carbon offsetting industry.

The report, which looks at the rapidly-growing carbon offsetting market and regulations governing the industry, compares 13 offset providers across UK, highlighting the often bewildering confusion that consumers face when chosing a carbon offsetting option. Blue Ventures Carbon Offset (BVCO) scored 5 out of 5 for the quality of project details and information provided, and 4 out of 5 for ease of use of its website.

BVCO provides offsetting solutions through the provision of fuel-efficient and solar stoves to poor rural communities in Madagascar and South Africa. In addition to the emissions reductions made, the stoves provide environmental, economic and health benefits to partner communities. Operated as an entirely non-profit venture to support conservation and community development projects in the developing world, BVCO also offers a carbon footprint consultancy service to help businesses and individuals reduce their personal carbon dioxide emissions.

The Which? report highlights the inconsistency and uncertainty of the carbon calculators used by certain UK offsetting providers, with different companies often calculating differing carbon footprints for the same scenario. For this reason BVCO uses the UK government’s carbon calculator, ensuring total transparency in all emissions calculations.

BVCO supports a review of the UK government’s stance on aircraft emissions regulations, and uses its own calculator for air travel emissions in order to include the effect of radiative forcing; an increase in the greenhouse effect of emissions produced by the burning of fuel in the upper atmosphere.

Which? emphasises that offsetting companies need to be as explicit and transparent as possible in the information they provide to consumers, to enable customers to make more informed choices. The report’s high rating for BVCO recognises the programme’s governing ethos of clarity and accountability, and will undoubtedly strengthen BVCO’s work providing offsetting solutions that help communities and the environment.

For more information see:

• Which? Offsetting Report
• Defra Code of Best Practice for Carbon Offset Providers
• UK government carbon calculator

BVCO has recently produced an emissions review and carbon management plan for Blue Ventures. You can download the report here.

Blue Ventures wins third “Highly Commended” award in Responsible Tourism Awards - three times in four years

Blue Ventures was “Highly Commended” in the Marine Environment category, recognised for its eco-tourism trips that bring volunteers to Madagascar to protect threatened ocean resources.

The Responsible Tourism Awards are sponsored by Responsibletravel.com, Virgin Holidays, The Times, the World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine. The awards, announced during a ceremony today at the ExCeL Centre in London, recognise tourism ventures that make a positive contribution to conservation and the economies of local communities while minimising any negative impacts of tourism.

More than 1,700 tour operators from across the globe were nominated for the awards.

Press release | Magazine article | Responsible Travel

Blue Ventures staff to speak at Explore 2007 - The Annual RGS-IBG expedition and fieldwork planning seminar

Al Harris (BV's Director of Scientific Research), Richard Nimmo (BV's Managing Director) and Vik Mohan (BV's Medical Advisor) will be attending and speaking at "Explore 2007".

This is a fantastic event which takes place over the 24th-25th November at the Royal Geographical Society, London. It is THE place to gain contacts, inspiration and advice on all aspects of expeditions and fieldwork.

For details of how to attend, check out the RGS website:

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Blue Ventures is pushing ahead with its Carbon Offsetting programme – BVCO

The BVCO programme currently promotes, subsidises and expands the dissemination of energy efficient stoves in Madagascar to offset carbon emissions and improve the quality of life for the local inhabitants, who benefit from reduced fuel costs and a safer cooking environment.

To fund this project, BVCO works with clients spanning a wide range of industries. Recent partners include EasyShift, a North London removals company; Victoria Stakes, a North London ‘Gastro Pub’; the Adventure Company; and Enbada, a recruitment agency.

BVCO works with companies not only to offset their carbon emissions but also to reduce their annual energy consumption.  EasyShift and BVCO are working on a energy management plan to reduce their annual fuel use by 20%.  This 20% target has also been set for Nicky Gavron and Victoria Stakes, both of whom will address their full range of energy consumption.

Energy conservation is BVCO's priority; both in the field and with our clients.  A 20% annual reduction in energy use is considered an achievable target for those that have not considered energy conservation actions in the past. 

Blue Ventures established BVCO as a means of further expanding sustainable community development projects in Madagascar. The initial success of the project means that it is now growing into an international offsetting programme, championing both sustainable development projects and conservational offsetting.

If you or your company/ organisation are interested in working on an energy management plan then please contact ellie@blueventures.org.

To read more about BVCO, and offset your carbon, visit us here.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Meet Blue Ventures at the 2007 Madagascar Exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society

The Madagascar Embassy in London is hosting a Madagascar Exhibition on the 6th October from 2 to 9pm at the Royal Geographical Society in London (link to map)

The exhibition is free to attend and is a showcase for Madagascar and the organisations that work there. The exhibition is the perfect opportunity to find out more about Madagascar and its attractions, including its unique culture, and diverse flora and fauna. For more information please call the Malagasy Embassy on 020 3008 4550 or email embamadlon[at]yahoo.co.uk

More info: download flyer | Malagasy Embassy UK | Royal Geographic Society

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

"Gap-year students told to forget aid projects" - Blue Ventures and Coral Cay respond

This letter was sent to The Times newspaper, in response to a frontpage article published on Tuesday, August 14th, quoting Judith Brodie, the director of VSO UK, expressing her concern regarding the regulation of the gap year market, and whether some gap year projects only profit the companies they are run by:

Sir

Your prominent coverage of the views of Jean Brodie, director of VSO UK, puts into relief a critical need for greater transparency and accountability amongst organisations operating within the UK’s largely unregulated gap year and volunteer travel industry.

The proliferation of poorly-planned, spurious and increasingly profit-oriented gap-year schemes poses a growing threat to the legitimacy of reputable UK-based volunteer organisations, large and small, working throughout the sustainable development sector.

We represent two non-profit organisations, dedicated to promoting marine conservation in the world’s tropical oceans. Year-round our teams work in partnership with governments and local NGOs within resource-dependent coastal communities in Africa, southeast Asia, the Caribbean and Pacific, developing research and conservation programmes to safeguard some of the world’s most threatened and biodiverse marine environments.

Amongst other lasting achievements, our projects have trained and employed thousands of scientists, conservationists and volunteers worldwide; empowered local communities in over 10 countries to manage their own natural resources; and succeeded in developing some of the largest networks of community-run marine and coastal protected areas in the world. Projects initiated and led by our organisations have been recognised by the United Nations, the World Conservation Union, and governments worldwide for their efforts to conserve biodiversity and alleviate poverty.

Our work is heavily dependent on support from gap year students and volunteers of all ages from the UK, and we are proud to be associated with this important sphere of the development movement. In light of VSO’s remarks, we welcome and encourage closer public scrutiny of all voluntary aid and development projects; such attention is necessary in order that the reputations of truly philanthropic organisations are no longer compromised by projects that claim to benefit communities and environments, but in fact benefit no one other than the travel companies that promote them.

Alasdair Harris, Founder and Research Director, Blue Ventures Conservation

Pete Raines MBE, Founder and CEO, Coral Cay Conservation

 

To learn more please visit: BBC | The Times Online | Coral Cay | Make Travel Fair

Thursday, June 21, 2007

The Marine Bill - make sure that the UK's marine environment is protected

Defra, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, released a white paper on the 15th March 2007 outlining their proposals for how marine areas will be managed and protected (including: planning in the marine area; licensing activities in the marine area; marine nature conservation; modernising marine fisheries management; and a new marine management organisation).

However, there is still a long way to go before the Bill is formalised and put in place in our legislative system, and it needs to introduce stronger measures to protect important marine areas. Unless the Bill is included this year, the inclusions face slipping until 2008-2009. Blue Ventures is strongly in favour of the changes the Bill addresses.

To learn more please visit: Defra | The Wildlife Trusts | RSPB | MCS

Friday, June 22, 2007

Blue Ventures at London Aquarium

Check out Blue Ventures at the London Aquarium next week Monday 25th June to Sunday 2nd July.

As part of the London Aquarium and the BBC's 'Saving Planet Earth' month Blue Ventures will be running marine scientist workshops for children visiting the aquarium all week. Workshops will help children learn more about diving and marine life, as well as conservation and the work being carried out by Blue Ventures in Madagascar.

For more information on the events check out the London Aquarium website.

7th June 2007

The Village of Andavadoaka, announced as Winners of the UNDP Equator Prize

In recognition of outstanding community efforts for poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation

The Village of Andavadoaka, Madagascar, was honoured today at the United Nations Headquarters in New York by the Equator Prize, an international recognition of extraordinary work to diminish poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. 

The prestigious prize serves to further advance the understanding within the global community of the vital link between healthy, biologically diverse environments and the creation of sustainable livelihoods.

The remote community of Andavadoaka, Madagascar has been acknowledged for its work in partnership with the University of Toliara, UK-based NGO Blue Ventures Conservation and WCS-Madagascar, developing community-run marine protected areas in the remote southwest of the country. It is a fantastic achievement for Andavadoaka to have been selected from a group of 25 finalists, chosen from more than 300 nominations from 70 different countries.

Represented by community members Georges Manahira and Daniel Raberinery of Blue Ventures, the village will receive international recognition at an Awards Ceremony in Berlin, Germany on World Environment Day, 5th June 2007. 

“Over recent years, Blue Ventures Conservation has worked closely with the village of Andavadoaka in protecting some of Madagascar’s most critical and threatened marine areas,” said Dr. Iary Berthine Ravaoarimanana, Madagascar’s ambassador in London. “This unique partnership is working to ensure that Madagascar’s incredible marine resources remain healthy and productive for generations to come.”

UNDP Administrator Kemal Derviş said of the winners, “The proliferation and scaling up of efforts such as these is critical to the achievement of our common goals to conserve biodiversity, respond to climate change and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.”

In addition to international recognition for its work and an opportunity to help shape international policy and practice in the field, the community of Andavadoaka will receive US $30,000 to support local development initiatives.

"The Equator Prize recognizes the devoted work of men and women to the cause of saving our planet from ecological disasters. Through their work, they are demonstrating that good ecology is also good business.  Thus they serve as torch bearers of the movement for sustainable human happiness,” noted Professor M.S. Swaminathan, Equator Prize jury member and former president of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences of India.

Click here to listen to an interview with M. Roger Samba (Village President)

Click here to listen to a BBC news bulletin about the award

Click here to see full BV and UNDP press releases about the award

30th May 2007

BV on BBC

BBC reporter Jonny Hogg recently visited Blue Ventures' research site in Andavadoaka. Click here to listen to his news piece for the BBC World Service looking at some of the impacts of climate change on coral reefs in the region.

26th May 2007

Inspired by Andavadoaka

2006 BV Expedition Manager Alan Jeffries has just made number one in the Canadian Campus Radio Chart. Listen here to this world class blues musician's latest single, written during his time with BV in the village of Andavadoaka.

23rd May 2007

Blue Ventures Director wins Social Entrepreneur Award

Co Founder of Blue Ventures Tom Savage was announced as winner of the Young Social Entrepreneur of the year award in the Edge Upstarts awards 2007.

The awards, started in 2001, showcase businesses that offer innovative and sustainable solutions to social issues celebrating social enterprises, such as Blue Ventures, that have a socially beneficial purpose.

Ed Miliband, Minister for the Cabinet Office, presented the awards at a ceremony at St James’s Palace on the 10th May 2007.
Tom was highly acclaimed for his drive and ambition in setting up not only Blue Ventures but also Travelroots and the website Tiptheplanet.com.

15 May 2007

Blue Ventures Carbon Offset Fund is launched to all

It is now possible to offset carbon emissions for any flight with the new Blue Ventures Carbon Offset fund. 

You can calculate your distance travelled and emissions produced by using our interactive carbon mapping tool by pressing the 'offset now' button here .  Using this tool, travellers can contribute directly to helping the local community of Andavadoaka gain environmental, health and economic benefit by investment in an efficient stove programme.

Blue Ventures has always been dedicated to reducing its environmental impact. As a large proportion of Blue Ventures’ work brings people from all over the world to Madagascar for research and conservation work, offsetting resulting transport emissions has become a major priority for the organisation.  Instead of risking uncertain investment in alternative carbon offset providers, Blue Ventures has launched the Blue Ventures Offset fund, to offset the carbon produced in flights in projects that will directly benefit the local communities where Blue Ventures’ work is focused.

For travellers visiting Madagascar with Blue Ventures, BV Offset reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere in the Andavadoaka region by at least the same amount of carbon dioxide that is generated by a return flight to Madagascar.  The current carbon mitigation project offsets by providing the training to facilitate efficient stove distribution in Andavadoaka.  Every stove reduces carbon emissions by 1.5 tonnes annually, and decreases the wood required by 70% for each stove set in place.  Along with producing considerably less carbon dioxide, the stoves provide environmental, economic and health benefits.

Environmental benefits: Stoves require less wood to generate heat and can operate on alternative fuel sources such as maize husks or other agricultural bi-products – reducing wood foraging, deforestation and associated habitat degradation.

Economic Benefits: The locally-produced stoves create local employment through manufacturing, distribution and information dissemination.  Coupled with the additional available money saved from fuel use, the stoves will provide an alternative income.

Health Benefits: With less smoke produced the incidence of cooking-related respiratory infections may decrease. Recent research indicates that cooking smoke and the resulting indoor air pollution in poorly ventilated homes is responsible for 1.6million fatalities in developing countries every year. It is a poorly documented silent killer responsible for 2.7% of the global disease burden and is the fifth most common cause of death in developing countries (for more information see the WHO report, Fuel for Life: Household Energy and Health (2006)).

This is the first of a number of carbon mitigation projects in the SW Madagascar region currently planned by Blue Ventures.  All BV Offset projects are aimed not only at reducing global carbon dioxide emissions, but also at helping alleviate poverty, educating local communities and protecting local habitats.  Additionality is key to the BV Offset programme: no project is endorsed unless it is provides an additional benefit to the local community, as well as providing a quantifiable carbon reduction.    

For further information please see the Blue Ventures Carbon Offset pages on www.blueventures.org/bvco

12th March 2007

The Village of Andavadoaka, Finalists in the UNDP Equator Prize, 2007

This week the village of Andavadoaka joins an esteemed list of 25 finalists for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Equator prize, 2007.

The prize recognises sustainable community initiatives in the tropics thathelp to reduce poverty through the conservation of biodiversity.

The remote community of Andavadoaka, Madagascar has been acknowledged for its work in partnership with Blue Ventures and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), developing community run marine protected areas in the remote southwest of the country.
 
The initial closure of octopus no take zones in 2004-2005 proved so successful that neighbouring villages were keen to implement further conservation plans, and the Madagascar government used results from initial trials to develop national fisheries management legislation in 2005. Due to the success of the project local communities have now established plans for an MPA network incorporating 21 other villages in the region and covering over 700 square kilometres. 

Andavadoaka and its conservation partners understand the inextricable link between the livelihoods of the local population and the health of the marine resources, and recognised that the key to success of the initiative is community involvement. Local villagers work alongside Blue Ventures and WCS research scientists to develop alternative sustainable livelihoods, including aquaculture businesses, the construction of a community owned eco-lodge, and the development of environmental education and ecotourism programmes.

Andavadoaka hopes that the successes of its MPA programme will serve as a model for other villages, both in Madagascar and worldwide, demonstrating how local communities can protect their marine resources for the benefit of people and the marine environment.

The 5 winning initiatives are expected to be announced on World Environment Day, 5th June 2007.

For more information on the project please see our current research pages, or the Andavadoaka village website.

18 December 2006

New Study Shows Marine Protected Areas Can Increase Productivity of Fishing Industry
Survey reveals how conservation can benefit business and biodiversity

Marine protected areas may hold the key to keeping global fishing industries healthy and profitable, a new scientific study in Madagascar reveals.

The study looked at a community-run marine protected area (MPA) in southwest Madagascar that implemented seasonal fishing closures for octopus, the major economic resource for villagers in the region.  When the closed areas were reopened to fishing after seven months, the study found that the number and average weight of octopus caught was significantly higher than before the closure..

“The increase in octopus numbers and weight was far greater than we ever expected,” said Alasdair Harris, scientific director of Blue Ventures, the marine conservation group that conducted the study. “This study shows that MPAs not only serve as a powerful conservation tool helping species thrive, but can also be a powerful economic tool helping fisheries remain productive and profitable.”

Overfishing poses a major threat to the world’s oceans, causing many economically-important marine species to disappear. Various studies have estimated that between 60 to 70 percent of the world’s fisheries are depleted or nearly depleted even as more and more people depend on fish stocks for food and livelihoods.

The study, authored by Blue Ventures scientist Frances Humber, looked at an MPA that was launched in 2004 in coordination with Blue Ventures, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the village of Andavadoaka and the IHSM, Madagascar’s principle marine institute.

The groups worked together to implement the MPA after local fishermen reported drops in their octopus catch in the wake of the arrival of international fishing companies that were collecting octopus for the global market.

The study looked at the size of octopus caught by villagers following the reopening of two closed fishing periods implemented by the MPA, the first between November 2004 and June 2005, the second between December 2005 and April 2006.

The increase in octopus catch following the opening of the second closure more than quadrupled compared to the number caught immediately before the second closure.  The weight of octopus caught after the second closure was seven times greater.

The increased size and weight of octopus catch continued for one month following the opening of the first closure and for two months following the opening of the second closure, before dropping to pre-closure levels.

“While the results of the MPA were extraordinary in the initial months, local fishermen also turned out in greater numbers on the opening day of the closures, reducing the long-term benefits,” Harris said. “This shows the need for ongoing management plans in addition to MPAs in order to reap continuing benefits.”

Harris said village leaders from Andavadoaka placed tighter restrictions on the amount of fishing following the second reopening, which resulted in longer-term benefits. Andavadoaka is still developing plans to ensure long-term benefits from future closures on octopus fishing.

African nations are increasingly becoming major suppliers of octopus to the global market.  But as international demand continues to grows, many of Africa’s octopus fisheries have peaked and are beginning to decline. For example, the artisanal fishery of Mauritania exported 9,000 tonnes of octopus in 1993, but only 4,500 tonnes in 2001, despite twice as many active boats within the fishery.

Madagascar’s fishing industry is relatively undeveloped compared to other countries in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean region. But the country has seen a rapid increase in fisheries production and export over the last 20 years with a doubling in the number of fishers in Madagascar.

While there are growing threats from overfishing, Madagascar currently is one of the few African nations that are increasing its octopus fishery output. Between 2002 and 2003 there was a 35 percent increase in octopus exports to France.

“The success of Andavadoaka’s MPA shows there is hope that well-managed fishery practices, such as MPAs, can prevent Madagascar from suffering the damaging effects of overfishing that so many other African nations are dealing with today,” Harris said.

To see the entire study, visit http://www.blueventures.org/research/BV%20report%20Frans%20Octopus_web.pdf

26 November 2006

New James Bond Film Brings Blue Ventures Alum to the Big Screen
Former staff member provides background voice to Casino Royales' Madagascar fight scene

The new James Bond flick, Casino Royale, brings 007 to Madagascar for his first mission, and a former Blue Ventures staff member to the big screen.

Eric Jaona, a Malagasy national and former translator with Blue Ventures, provided background voices to several scenes in the spy thriller.

Early in the film, Bond is sent to Madagascar to track down terrorist spies. At one point, he chases the villain through a market where locals yell and cheer as they wager on a fight between a cobra and a mongoose.

Jaona was brought in to provide an authentic Malagasy voice for the scene. Jaona, who lives in London, didn’t travel all the way to Madagascar for the film, but recorded the background voice in a London sound studio.

“We first watched all the scenes and then we recorded the voices, working from a script,” Jaona said. “My friends say they can hear my voice in the film, but there are a lot of people talking during the scene.”

The film unfortunately does not show any of Madagascar’s beautiful natural areas – instead Bond is seen running through a market and a construction site –  but Jaona said he is glad the film is bringing new attention to the island nation.

“Even in Madagascar, they have put together a marketing campaign around the film,” he said. “They say Madagascar is the island of James Bond.”

Madagascar is the world’s fourth largest island, and is home to some of the world’s most biologically diverse marine habitats.

These habitats, however, are facing growing threats as populations increase along coastal areas and more and more fishing companies discover the richness of Madagascar’s waters.

Blue Ventures is working with local communities to protect these threatened resources and develop alternative livelihoods to destructive fishing practices. It’s a mission worthy of James Bond.

15 November 2006

Blue Ventures Wins “Highly Commended” Honours in the Enterprising Young Brits Awards
Chancellor Gordon Brown leads ceremonies recognizing young entrepreneurs

London – Blue Ventures Founder and Director of Science Alasdair Harris yesterday received the “Highly Commended” award from the Enterprising Young Brits competition which recognizes young entrepreneurs who have turned their ideas into successful businesses.

Harris, who was selected from more than 1,000 entries across the UK, won the award for social and environmental ventures that combine the principles of a successful business with an emphasis on social and community benefits.

“This award is not only an honour for Blue Ventures, but more importantly it shows that environmental conservation can make for good business,” Harris said. “I hope this award will encourage more businesses to participate in the conservation of our natural resources and other socially-minded activities.”

Harris in 2003 co-founded Blue Ventures which brings paying volunteers to Madagascar and trains them in scientific research, community outreach and on-the-ground conservation. All revenue raised through the expeditions is channelled directly back into the conservation of threatened coral reefs and other marine resources that local communities rely upon for survival.

Chancellor Gordon Brown Chancellor greeted the winners and handed out the awards during yesterday’s ceremonies that were part of Enterprise Week, a national celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit.

Along with the Highly Commended award, Harris and Blue Ventures have been featured in a new film that will be shown across the UK highlighting social entrepreneurship. The film, which will debut on Downing Street on Thursday 16 November, is part of the Government’s new Social Enterprise Action Plan. That plan sets out the next chapter in the Government’s continuing support for social enterprises, helping to create the conditions to enable them to thrive.

9 November 2006

Blue Ventures Honoured by Responsible Tourism Awards for Work with Volunteers in Madagascar

Blue Ventures was honoured yesterday by the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards for its work with volunteers to protect threatened marine habitats in Madagascar.

During ceremonies at the Excel Conference Centre in London, Blue Ventures was Highly Commended in the category for Best Volunteering Organization.

“With the growing debate over tourism and its impact on the environment, the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards are an important reminder that people can enjoy their holidays in ways that benefit both people and nature,” said Richard Nimmo, managing director of Blue Ventures. “Blue Ventures believes tourism can be a powerful conservation tool, providing incentives to keep natural resources healthy and productive.”

The First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards are the largest of their kind and recognize tourism organizations that respect and benefit local people and places. Blue Ventures was chosen from among 1200 nominations.

Blue Ventures brings more than 100 paying volunteers to Madagascar each year, training them in SCUBA diving, scientific research and on-the-ground conservation. Their work protects threatened coral reefs and other marine habitats that local communities rely upon for survival.

The First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards are sponsored by responsibletravel.com, The Times and Geographical Magazine.

6 November, 2006

Blue Ventures Launches New Shark Monitoring Programme

Funding from the Project Aware Foundation and the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund will help protect threatened shark populations in southwest Madagascar

Blue Ventures today announced the launch of a new project that will monitor and protect threatened populations of shark.

The three-year project, funded in part by the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund and the Project Aware Foundation, will monitor the number and species of sharks killed each year by fishermen in southwest Madagascar and develop conservation plans to prevent destructive overfishing practices.

“Shark populations around Madagascar are in rapid decline,” said Stephanie Pédron, marine biologist for Blue Ventures. “Their disappearance would have devastating impacts on marine habitats and the local communities that rely upon those habitats for survival.”

Pédron is leading the shark monitoring project with Blue Ventures director of science Alasdair Harris and marine biologist Volanirina Ramahery.

Because fishing is the primary source of income for communities in the region, Blue Ventures will collaborate closely with village leaders to develop management plans for shark conservation and sustainable fishing practices.

Thousands of sharks are caught each year in Madagascar, and local fishermen are beginning to report declines in shark populations. A collapse of the shark industry would threaten the economic stability of the region and pose a critical threat to the broader marine ecosystem.

There is growing concern that shark stocks are being depleted around the world and numerous international resolutions have been enacted calling for greater research into the status and threats of sharks globally.

Little research has ever been conducted to determine the full extent of shark fishing in southwest Madagascar and the rate at which populations are declining. This project will gather the data needed to determine what type of management plans are needed to keep shark populations healthy and local fisheries productive for generations to come.

3rd October 2006

Marine Expedition in Madagascar Discovers Severe Damage to Coral Reefs from Rising Sea Temperatures
Scientists urge protection of surviving corals to reseed damaged reefs and provide clues for preventing destruction of corals around the world from climate change

A new survey of reefs along Madagascar’s southwestern coast found massive damage from coral bleaching, including some reefs that lost up to 99 percent of their coral cover.

But the survey team, led by the conservation groups Blue Ventures and the Wildlife Conservation Society and funded by Conservation International, also found some signs of hope. Scientists discovered several small reefs with corals that appeared to be resilient to rising sea temperatures and could ultimately be used to reseed damaged reefs. These resilient reefs may also provide valuable information about how to protect corals from future damage.

“This survey shows how important it is to locate and protect areas of resilient corals,” said Alasdair Harris, research director of Blue Ventures. “As climate change poses an increasing threat to our marine habitats, these resilient areas could hold the key to ensuring the continued existence of coral reefs around the world and the marine species that rely upon them for survival.”

Blue Ventures and the Wildlife Conservation Society will hold a community workshop in Madagascar in October to discuss the urgent need to protect Madagascar’s southwestern reefs from further damage. The meeting will look into the creation of a network of marine protected areas to promote the long-term survival of the region’s coral reefs. Through a system of connected protected areas, corals will have a better opportunity to grow and spread larvae to reseed damaged reefs in the region.

A number of coral bleaching events – where rising sea temperatures cause corals to turn white and ultimately die – have struck Madagascar’s southwest coast over the years, the worst being in 1998 and 2000.

Previous surveys have found that Madagascar’s northern coasts escaped damage from these global bleaching events, thanks to cool water currents from nearby deep ocean areas.

Madagascar’s southwestern coasts, however, have not been so lucky.
In areas where scientists found damaged coral reefs, algae had started to take over the dead reefs, and fish diversity was lower than in areas with healthy corals.

Madagascar’s coastal waters are believed to have some of the highest diversity of marine species in the Indian Ocean.

During the survey, scientists recorded 386 species of fish along the southwestern reefs of the Andavadoaka region. Of these, 20 species had never before been recorded for Madagascar and one may be a new discovery to science. The survey team believes that further research may reveal as many as 529 fish species living among these reefs.

The survey team also recorded 164 species of hard coral, including 19 that were previously unknown to inhabit Madagascar’s waters. Another four coral species could not be identified and may be new to science.

The total number of coral species recorded was significantly lower than those previously found along Madagascar’s northwestern coasts. These lower numbers are believed to be a direct result of the mass bleaching events of 1998 and 2000.

“Global warming is a major threat to the world’s coral reefs, but there are other more direct threats as well that can be more immediately addressed,” said Harris. “Destructive fishing practices and nutrient runoff from villages and resorts are also killing these incredible underwater systems that provide vital resources for the people of Madagascar.”

Overfishing and nutrient runoff have decreased the number of plant-eating species living within the coral reefs, allowing damaging algae to grow on corals already stressed by rising sea temperatures. By increasing the number of herbivores, damaging algae can be controlled and coral settlement and growth can increase.

Harris said it is urgent that government agencies, NGOs and local villages work together to create marine protected areas to prevent overfishing and other activities that are damaging coral reefs and the many marine resources they provide. The development of alternative and sustainable incomes – such as ecotourism – will also assist local villages that are currently dependent on these dwindling marine resources.

Scientists will present the findings of their survey at the October meeting in Madagascar, and hope it will be used by the government in its plan to expand the amount of protected areas in Madagascar, including increasing the total size of the country’s protected marine habitats from 2,000 square kilometres to 10,000 square kilometres.

The entire report can be found at http://www.blueventures.org/research/Andavadoaka_Report_Harding_et_al_2006.pdf

29th September 2006

Blue Ventures Turns Three!
In just three years, Blue Ventures has won numerous awards for its work with local communities to create marine protected areas across Madagascar

Blue Ventures will celebrate its third anniversary this month, capping off its most successful year since its founding in 2003. As a special birthday gift, Blue Ventures just learned it has won the Skal International Ecotourism Award. Skal, the world’s largest organisation of travel and tourism professionals, commended Blue Ventures for its mission to use sustainable ecotourism to improve the environment.

Among the highlights for Blue Ventures over the past three years:

This past year also brought about a new partnership with the Embassy of Madagascar in London. Together, the Embassy and Blue Ventures plans to highlight the needs for marine protection and well-managed tourism across the African island-nation.

“In just three short years, Blue Ventures has achieved great success in protecting some of the nation’s most critical and threatened marine areas,” said Dr. Iary Berthine Ravaoarimanana, the Chargé d'Affaires with the Embassy of Madagascar in London. “I look forward to working with Blue Ventures to ensure that Madagascar’s incredible marine resources remain healthy and productive for generations to come.”

During the past three years, Blue Ventures has brought to Madagascar more than 300 paying volunteers from across the globe. Blue Ventures trains these volunteers to conduct scientific research, community outreach and on-the-ground conservation.

Partnering with the local village of Andavadoaka, Blue Ventures staff and volunteers in 2004 helped create the world’s first community-run marine protected area for octopus. The success of the project – which placed seasonal bans on octopus fishing – has helped improve the local fishing economy and in 2005 led to national legislation that created similar protected areas across all of Madagascar. These protected areas, also called no-take-zones, allow octopus to grow larger and reproduce in greater numbers, giving fishermen greater yields. No-take-zones also protect against over-fishing that could permanently destroy the octopus industry in Madagascar.   

Local villages are now creating their own no-take-zones that go beyond the national restrictions. In all, eight communities along the country’s south western coast have launched their own locally-managed no-take-zones with the help of Blue Ventures. These communities are also partnering with Blue Ventures to expand marine protected areas to other regions to prevent over-fishing and destructive fishing practices that threaten a wide variety of marine species.

“Madagascar is home to some of the most diverse marine species and habitats on earth,” said Alasdair Harris, founder and executive director of Blue Ventures. “It is critical that we conserve these areas, not just for the overall health of the world’s environment, but also to ensure these resources can continue to support the livelihoods of local communities.” He added: “The success of Blue Ventures and its volunteer expeditions shows that tourism can be a powerful conservation tool. Our mission is to show that economic development and environmental protection can – and must – go hand in hand.”

Blue Ventures this year launched its latest project to create a community-run ecolodge in Andavadoaka. Land on which to build the lodge has been located, and Blue Ventures is now raising funds to begin construction. The lodge, which will be fully managed by the community and will employ local villagers, will provide an alternative and sustainable income for the community that currently relies on dwindling marine resources.

12th September 2006

Blue Ventures Placed on Shortlist for Two Social Responsibility Awards

The Social Enterprise Coalition and the First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards have shortlisted Blue Ventures for awards recognising their work to protect marine resources and improve the lives of communities in Madagascar.

The First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards – sponsored by Responsibletravel.com, The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine – celebrate tourism ventures that make a positive contribution to conservation and the economies of local communities. They are the largest awards of their kind in the world.

Blue Ventures is under consideration for the category of “Best Volunteering Organisation". Blue Ventures was also named a finalist by the Social Enterprise Coalition for the “New Social Enterprise Award". Those awards – which recognise the best in community and social business – are run by the Social Enterprise Coalition on behalf of the Social Enterprise Unit, RBS and NatWest, in association with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Home Office, Social Enterprise Magazine and The Observer.

Winners of both awards will be announced later this autumn.

Blue Ventures is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to working with local communities to protect marine resources for the betterment of human well-being and nature. In 2003, Blue Ventures launched an innovative partnership with the Andavadoaka village in southwestern Madagascar to create the country’s first community-run marine protected area for octopus. The project has led to national legislation to conserve marine habitats across Madagascar.

Funded almost entirely through ecotourism revenue, Blue Ventures has brought more than 300 paying volunteers to project sites and trained them in research, community outreach and on-the-ground conservation.

28th July 2006

First Blue Ventures TEK report online

Many fisheries and marine conservation management projects throughout the world have failed as a result of a lack of acceptance of management interventions by local communities. Community engagement, participatory research and promoting the use of local knowledge have repeatedly emerged as steps necessary to address the problem of managing the development of people and their economies while simultaneously protecting the environment.

To make coral reef protection effective in an underdeveloped community such as Andavadoaka it is necessary to understand the relationships between marine resources and their users. Identifying ways to avoid the potentially conflicting needs of economic development and conservation is essential. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and the process of documenting TEK provide local communities with information on local resources and resource users. Research undertaken by Blue Ventures' social scientist, Josephine Langley, between 2004 and 2005 used guidelines developed for coral reef managers to document the knowledge of the local Vezo of Andavadoaka. A new report available online presents the first compilation of the various forms of TEK documented by Blue Ventures, and reviews available information relating to TEK of the Vezo. This report can be downloaded from our Research page.

19th July 2006

Blue Ventures Director, Richard Nimmo, featured on Excess Baggage, the BBC Radio 4 Travel programme on Saturday 15th July. The programme focused on Madagascar and Volunteering, making Blue Ventures' experience perfectly relevant. Madagascar has enjoyed a rise in tourist numbers over the last few years. The Dreamworks film, Madagascar, put the country's name on posters all over the world doing much to raise awareness, and the last two years have seen an increase in responsible/ethical travel and eco-tourism. Madagascar is ideally placed to take advantage of this new development in tourism as the industry is still in its infancy and can easily adapt to new trends, and Madagascar offers such diverse natural beauty and extraordinary and unique flora and fauna.

Click here to hear the interview.

12th June 2006

Newly qualified marine guides of Andavadoaka introduce themselves

Meet the recently qualified marine guides of Andavadoaka. This leaflet is being distributed to visitors of the Andavadoaka region to introduce some of the eco-excursions that are available to tourists locally. The marine guide training course has been run by BV research teams in Andavadoaka since April 2005, and was implemented as a means of supporting tourism development in the region.

17th May 2006

Latest research update for the Andavadoaka project now online

News about the February cyclone, first national opening of the octopus reserve and more.

2nd May 2006

'Birds of Andavadoaka' guide now available

Ornithologists from the University of Bath visited the Andavadoaka region in November 2005 to carry out the first detailed surveys of the region's birdlife. Listen to MP3 Audio Files of Peter Long's birdsong recordings.

15th April 2006

A new round of applications is open for the Blue Ventures Malagasy studentship

The studentship gives a new Malagasy national every six weeks the opportunity to take part in a Blue Ventures expedition.

22nd March 2006

Blue Ventures assists research expedition to Chagos Archipelago

Over the last two months, BV biologist Alasdair Harris has been working as part of a international team of scientists studying the coral reefs of the Chagos Archipelago, the remotest and most isolated group of islands in the Indian Ocean.

1st january 2006

PADI Tightens Requirements related to Diving Course Quality

Volunteers taking part in dive training are now required to buy a compulsory manual.

1st December 2005

Montreal climate talks hold key to saving the world’s coral reefs

Blue Ventures was represented in Canada during the writing of the United Nations’ Youth Declaration on Climate Change.

Tuesday 15 November 2005

Chancellor Gordon Brown Announces Winners of the Enterprising Young Brits competition 2005

Exciting news for Blue Ventures as its founders Tom Savage and Alasdair Harris received Special Commendation in Social and Community category.

November 2005

Our first Malagasy Scholar

We were excited to read about the experiences of our first Malagasy scholar, who joined us on the September expedition

1st August 2005

Community Centred Conservation workshop at World Youth Congress, Scotland

Blue Ventures team members worked with international delegates discussing BV’s work in Madagascar at the international conference in Stirling.

August 2005

Education and outreach: forging international friendships

Past volunteer Gabrielle Johnson has initiated a letter exchange programme with her students at Laguna Blanca School in Santa Barbara, California, and the students at Ecole Sainte Famille school in Andavadaoaka. 

6th June 2005

The reopening of the community-run octopus no take zone in Andavadoaka, Madagascar, June 2005

Hundreds of people and fleets of pirogue fisherman gathered in Nosy Fasy for the first reopening of the Andavadoaka MPA.

April 21st 2005

Blue Ventures’ Madagascar MPA project announced as winner of prestigious SEED Award, New York

The winners of the Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development (Seed) Initiative Awards 2005 were announced and celebrated last night at a Gala Awards ceremony in New York.

Launch of Blue Ventures Malagasy scholarship programme

Blue Ventures is proud to announce the formation of a scholarship to support Malagasy nationals with an interest in marine conservation. The scholarship will fund a Malagasy national each six weeks to join a marine research expedition at our coastal site in Andavadoaka, 45 km south of Morombe.

Every six weeks our field site in Andavadoaka hosts approximately 12 international volunteers who come to learn about the marine environment and participate in active research projects.  These projects are led by a staff that includes international ecologists, Malagasy biologists and social scientists.  Over the six weeks, volunteers gain valuable biological and social research experiences.  In addition, the living environment promotes exchange between people from many different cultures.

Blue Ventures interactive research map. 

Blue Ventures DAN Intern

Rob Conway, Blue Ventures project manager, has just completed an internship for Diver’s Alert Network (DAN) in the Cayman Island’s, British West Indies.  Rob was working on gathering data for Project Dive Exploration to find out the occurrence of decompression illnesses in the recreational diving community.  He was also overseeing the Professional Study set up to see the occurrence of injuries in the professional divers and help set up the database at the local hyperbaric chamber.  In true conservation style, Rob was also a key figure in the rescue of a 400lb Loggerhead turtle that had got lost when heading to her nesting site on the East End of the Island.  At Blue Ventures we are extremely serious about safety and working alongside DAN and our colleagues in the recreational diving industry in Madagascar are pushing towards the administration of the first hyperbaric facilities on the island.  For more information on the internship program please click here.