Velondriake makes first permanent reserve closures

Monday, 14 September 2009 09:46

Over the 14th and 15th of September, the Velondriake community will formally announce the first permanent No Take Zone (NTZ) closures in the Velondriake MPA. The permanent closures of these reserve will prevent any and all extractive activity from taking place within their boundaries and represents another large step made by the communities within Velondriake to sustainable management of their marine resources. These reserves will complement the temporary NTZ closures employed so successfully in Velondriake since 2004.

With these closures, the Velondriake management committee have brought back the regional octopus fishery, of critical economic importance to the regional population of 20,000, from the brink of collapse and made gains in restoring the wholesale biodiversity of the reefs within the area. The three reserve closures on the 14th and 15th will be followed, later this year, by a further 6 closures, further cementing the commitment of those within this isolated coastal community to the cause of marine conservation.

In 2005, Velondriake and Blue Ventures, a UK-based NGO and partner organisation to the Velondriake community won the SEED Award (UNEP, UNDP, IUCN), in recognition of the establishement of the first comunity run Marine Protected Area in Madagascar. Velondriake is also awinner of the UNDP Equator Prize for biodiversity conservation and the WWF J. Paul Getty Award for conservation leadership. This year, Velondriake will build on it's reputation for excellence in the field of marine conservation by creating ten scholarships for promising Malagasy students of marine science. See http://livewiththsea.org/velondriake/getty.htm for details.