11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

23-29
“To Live With The Sea”; Development Of The Velondriake Community-Managed
Protected Area Network, South West Madagascar
Alasdair HARRIS 1 , Raj ROY* 1
1 Blue Ventures Conservation, London, United Kingdom
Madagascar’s south-west coast supports some of the largest coral reef systems in the
western Indian Ocean. These reefs are essential to the survival of the indigenous Vezo
people who rely on healthy marine resources for food, transport, cultural identity and
income. However coastal populations are growing rapidly and international fisheries
companies have begun exploiting the region’s waters through a sophisticated collection
network to supply an expanding export market. In recent years local fishers have begun
reporting declines in the size and number of their catches.
Following a pilot marine no take zone launched three years ago in the remote fishing
village of Andavadoaka, project partners are now working with 23 neighbouring villages,
and fisheries collection companies to develop a network of community-run marine and
coastal protected areas that will span more than 800-square kilometres and protect coral
reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds along Madagascar’s south-west coast. The villages,
grouped into three constituent geographic regions, have established a management
committee which serves as a liaison between conservation scientists and community
members, providing input and insight into all phases of conservation planning, from
research activities to implementation of management plans.
Along with protecting biodiversity and livelihoods, the network aims to increase
environmental awareness among communities, expand local and national capacity for
biodiversity conservation and serve as a model for other community conservation and
governance initiatives across Madagascar and elsewhere. Velondriake aims to benefit
villages within the network by empowering members of the local communities as
managers of their own natural resources, enabling communities to contribute directly to
the development of sustainable resource management systems to support local culture
and livelihoods. Additional benefits are being brought to partner organisations through
the capacity building resulting from involvement of personnel in the project and the
improved availability of data, lessons learned and best practice guidelines.
23-30
Assessment Of Trochus Niloticus From Shallow Reef Habitats Off The Hienghène
And Pweevo Communes Of New Caledonia: Government And Tribal Management.
Sheila MCKENNA* 1 , Stephen LINDSAY 2 , Nathalie BAILLON 3 , Henri BLAFFART 4 ,
Edmond OUILLATE 5
1 Independent, Tuckers Town, Bermuda, 2 Consultant, Edgehill, Australia, 3 Direction de
Developpement Economique et de Development et de l'Environnement, Province Nord,
Kone, New Caledonia, 4 Dayu Biik Association and Conservation International,
Hieghene, New Caledonia, 5 Tribu Panie, Hienghene, New Caledonia
Kanak tribes of the Hienghène and Pweevo communes of New Caledonia collect Trochus
niloticus by hand or by free diving for subsistence and commercial purposes. Here,
government and tribal laws regulate marine resource use and an official community based
management plan is in development. For each commune, data on the amount of trochus
extracted are recorded by year and no data exist for the populations in situ. To better
understand their status, an assessment of the size (basal shell diameter) and density of
trochus populations on 42 shallow (depth