ICRI News

"Community conservation means more fish in the sea" new research from Blue Ventures

New research published in the journal Ocean and Coastal Management, analysed data collected from five community-managed reserves (areas permanently protected from fishing) within the Velondriake Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) in southwest Madagascar.

The reserves were studied over seven years by marine scientists and volunteers from Blue Ventures, and compared with five nearby fished ‘control’ sites. The study aimed to understand whether these reserves could have a positive effect on fish populations on local coral reefs.

The French Tropical Wetlands Network has produced a technical guide on mangrove restoration. The report provides a summary of key elements that should be considered in any mangrove restoration project, based on a review of available literature and practices around the world.

"Mangroves are currently threatened by a host of anthropogenic pressures, including pollution, land take, infilling, aquaculture and urbanisation. A significant proportion of the world’s mangroves have already been lost, including within the French Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific regions." said Gaelle Vandersarren, who coordinates the network from Guadeloupe.

The Ocean Finance Handbook is a guide to support an increase in finance flowing towards the sustainable blue economy, published recently by Friends of Ocean Action. The Handbook provides a key resource to enhance understanding of finance for a healthy ocean and generate conversations between financial institutions and marine-based businesses, conservation professionals and ocean project managers.

A global online conference for ocean action, the Virtual Ocean Dialogues, has been announced to take place on 1-5 June 2020. The Virtual Ocean Dialogues will connect communities across the world that are seeking innovation and taking bold action for a healthy, resilient, thriving ocean.

Close to a third of Seychelles’ ocean, an area larger than Germany, will be guarded from climate change and unregulated economic exploitation with new Marine Protection Areas to be announced.

Danny Faure, President of the Republic of Seychelles, confirmed final details of the 13 new Marine Protection Areas covering more than 410,000 sq km (158,000 sq miles). This significant milestone delivers on the world’s first debt refinancing for ocean conservation co-designed by The Nature Conservancy and the Government of Seychelles.

The Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility (BNCFF) supports the development of sound, investable projects that support coastal habitats and have clear ecosystem service benefits. BNCFF aims, in particular, at demonstrating the feasibility of tapping into the wealth of coastal ecosystems – ‘blue natural capital’ – to create appropriate risk-return profiles for funding providers and to protect and enhance the underlying habitat at the same time.

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