An Overview Of Our Solution
Starting Small but Starting Loud
Who is this solution impacting?
Ecosystem
Oceans/Coasts
Community Type
Rural
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Africa
Problem
Describe the problem
Biologically & economically, octopus species make an attractive target for management. Octopus species in the region live only a year, and grow rapidly before producing widely- dispersed larvae. Octopus also serves as a ‘cash crop’ for the region: around 90% of extra-village seafood sales are comprised of octopus. The temporary octopus fishery closures generally last 2-3 months and cover approximately 1/4 of the area a village uses to fish octopus. This network is closely monitored and research results show sustained benefits to fisheries landings in the aftermath of seasonal reserves, as well as providing compelling evidence of the lasting economic and social benefits to communities brought to communities by local marine management.
Biodiversity Impact
An analysis of the seven years of octopus fishery data collected by Blue Ventures from 28 of these fisheries closures implemented within the Velondriake Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) indicates strong positive impacts of the closures on both octopus fisheries and local economies. Research shows that during the 2-3 months of the closure, octopuses living in the closed area grow rapidly, and due to their rapid growth rates, many of those octopuses recruiting to the reef during the closure grow to catchable sizes before the opening. When we compare the six-week period before each closure to the six-weeks following the closure, we see a mean increase of more than five-fold in octopus landings. Much of this increase is due to a near-tripling of fishing effort, but even in the face of this increase in effort, we see a substantial 50% increase in catch per unit effort (CPUE).
Solution
Throughout southwestern Madagascar, traditional fisheries are collapsing as a result of overfishing, destructive fishing, and hyper-sedimentation. The drivers of these changes include widespread poverty, and rapid population growth, and degradation of ecosystems is being exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. Communities have long recognised the threats posed to their livelihoods and food security from collapsing fisheries, yet management efforts have all too often been too little and too late to address the downward trajectory of ecosystem health. Yet against this bleak backdrop of unprecedented coral reef degradation, the tangible and quickly realised benefits produced by these fisheries closures have served as a conservation catalyst, demonstrating the power of fisheries management to reverse stock declines. Communities have since recognised that similar approaches can be applied to other species, habitats and fisheries, driving a groundswell in local community interest in more ambitious marine conservation programmes targeting other fisheries and ecosystems. These include permanent marine protected areas designed to increase stocks of other species, in particular fish, turtles and sharks, thus protecting the marine environment and improving livelihood sustainability. Crucially, however, such support for more ambitious conservation strategies did not exist prior to the octopus fishery closures. // In southwest Madagascar alone over 130 closures have been created along over 400 kilometres of coastline. The pace and scale of this ƒ??viralƒ?? expansion of community-based coastal management is globally unprecedented, having taken place in just 7 years. In each fisheries closure, around 25% of the area of villages usually uses to fish octopus is closed.
Replicability
How many years has your solution been applied? 7 years // Have others reproduced your solution elsewhere? Yes // This fisheries management solution is based around use of traditional Malagasy customary law, know as Dina, to implement fisheries closures. A Dina is created by village leaders and elders for each closure, prohibiting fishing around a clearly delimited area for a specified period. The process of Dina implementation involves a traditional ceremony in which communities receive the blessing of ancestors. Coordination of Dinas between villages and regions is ensured by local environmental management committees supported by Blue Ventures. The structure of these committees varies from village to village, depending on the nature of the broader LMMA within which the village in question is located, however most comprise committee members elected by members of their respective communities. The entire process is carried out in close collaboration with private sector fisheries buyers, who have an interest in the closures’ success as a management tool to maintain the sustainability of the fishery. Communities are responsible for policing and enforcing the closures themselves, and are able to use the Dina, which is recognized by the Malagasy state, to impose fines on poachers caught fishing in closed areas.
Human Well Being and Livelihood Impact
The fisheries impacts of this model have proven positive local economic benefits, with little associated costs. Results show that village revenue does not decline during the closure periods, and increases significantly after closures. Focusing management efforts initially on the realistic, short-term and visible target of octopus has provided a compelling demonstration of the payback that can be received from conservation, enabling Blue Ventures to prove empirically that the benefits of fisheries management outweigh the risks. To further emphasise the economic benefits of sustainable fisheries, Blue Ventures is now working with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to obtain certification of octopus exported from this region. Many of the key requirements for eco-certification are now in place. This is one of the first examples of a traditional fishery in east Africa to be considered for this labeling scheme, and it is hoped that MSC certification will provide the fishery with access to new and higher paying markets, creating an even more powerful financial stimulus for conservation at all levels of the fisheries supply chain. Along the southwest coast of Madagascar, closures have directly affected the livelihoods of over 25,000 people, and indirectly many more through higher levels of the fisheries supply chain. // Developing community-led solutions to marine conservation challenges has always been the core focus of Blue Ventures’ work. This fisheries management strategy turns the old paradigm of top-down marine resource management on its head, promoting a bottom-up approach to managing the region’s most economically important fishery. Pioneered amongst some of the world’s poorest coastal communities, this solution empowers community members to actively implement, manage and monitor their own fisheries closures. Dozens of local fishers and fisheries collectors are trained and employed by Blue Ventures to carry out surveys of landings and catches throughout the year, to ensure accurate monitoring of the impacts of closures on stocks. The management strategy is developed, designed, managed and policed by local villages served by the programme, creating a solution that is owned and led by communities. This locally-driven approach to marine conservation empowers local actors to manage their own marine resources. And by enabling communities to develop governance frameworks that draw on customary social conventions this approach benefits from strong local legitimacy. This form of grassroots coastal management is a relatively novel concept to Madagascar, but one that has since seen considerable success, and is now growing rapidly, both nationally and elsewhere in the WIO.