(June 27, 2014) A new study from Wildlife Conservation Society and others evaluated perceptions of the benefits of fisheries management restrictions in coastal Madagascar to identify restrictions that are likely to be self- and community enforced. Resource users' perceptions of the benefits of restrictions were generally high and widespread. Perceptions of the benefits of gear restrictions had wide-spread support; closed areas, seasons, and minimum sizes of fish were less common; and restrictions on...

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(June 27, 2014) To assess the impact of climate change on coral reefs, WCS has been conducting, since 2010, bleaching surveys annually in March, two to three weeks after the highest temperatures during warm season, on 10 sites around Antongil Bay. Results indicate that coral reefs of Antongil Bay seem to have great potential for persistence through current climate warming

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(June 27, 2014) Interview surveys in the municipalities of Anakao and Befandefa, located in South West Madagas- car, have previously identified threats to dolphin populations from directed hunting and incidental by-catch. WCS has been working directly with communities since 2007 to educate the people and develop conservation measures to mitigate dolphin mortality. Two community associations were created in each area respectively in 2008 and in 2013 to promote the protection of marine mammals. In the Anakao...

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(June 27, 2014) A new report produced by an independent scien- tific review panel and available through the In- ternational Whaling Commission has identified the trigger of the 2008 mass stranding of melon- headed whales in Madagascar. By systematically eliminating other possible causes, the panel con- cluded that underwater sonar mapping— specifically a multi-beam echosounder system— conducted by a survey vessel contracted by Exx- onMobil Exploration and Production Limited trig- gered the event...

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(June 27, 2014) The Sectoral Innovation Facility for NGOs (FISONG) is a funding tool from Agence Française de Développement (AFD) which makes the most of NGOs’ specialist know-how and ability to inno- vate. A call for themed projects was launched in 2012 around the theme ‘Biodiversity and devel- opment: sharing the benefits of biodiversity for village communities’. Community management of natural resources can protect ecosystems better and ensure that they are used sustainably w...

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(June 27, 2014) Through collaborative efforts with Wildlife Con- servation Society and resources users, the Minis- try of Fisheries adopted in September 2013 the first seascape scale traditional, artisanal and in- dustrial fisheries co-management plan in Mada- gascar. This 5- year plan for Antongil Bay fisher- ies, established through a bottom-up approach (108 meetings, 6 workshops, 1466 participants), covers 3,746 square kilometers of marine habi- tats and officially confers fisheries management authority to l...

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(June 27, 2014) Antongil Bay is the largest semi-enclosed bay in Madagascar and is among the most productive in the Indian Ocean, also serving as a mating and nursery ground for many marine species. 150,000 subsistence farmers and fishers live in 95 villages along the Bay. In order to reverse decline in fish resources, since 2008 the Wildlife Conservation Society has worked with several coastal villages in the bay to establish Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA). Each LMMA includes at least a no-tak...

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(June 27, 2014) The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encour- age the identification, protection and preserva- tion of World Cultural and Natural Heritage around the world considered to be of Outstanding Universal Value. The first marine World Heritage site was Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, inscribed in 1981. Now there are 45 World Heritage sites listed specifically for their marine values, includ- ing many of the largest and most pristine mari...

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(June 27, 2014) The Wildlife Conservation Society publishes the first-ever field guide for Madagascar’s staggering marine biodiversity, which ranges from the larg- est expanse of coral reefs in the Western Indian Ocean to one of the world’s largest breeding grounds for humpback whales. Madagascar sup- ports greater total marine biodiversity than any other western Indian Ocean country and is among the top 15 countries hosting the largest area of coral reefs and mangroves in the world. Madagasca...

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(June 27, 2014) Reef Check is a volunteer program to monitor the health of coral reefs using a rigorous scientific approach but adapted to be used by every volunteer, whether they are informed citizens or from scientific back- grounds. In November 2012, WCS joined a team from Reef Check France during their Reef Check campaign in Mitsio archipelago, NW Madagascar, as part of the Green Campaign funded by Quiksilver Foundation Europe. During this campaign, monitoring stations have been surveye...

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(June 26, 2014) PCDDBA is a Malagasy association created on 2003. PCDDBA's mission is to "ensure the integ- rity of the biological, ecological, socioeconomic functions of Antongil Bay and promote the sus- tainable development of its surrounding areas through consistent actions and consultations.” WCS nominated PCDDBA for the UNDP Equator Prize in 2012. The Equator Prize recognizes local initiatives that demonstrate leadership in advanc- ing innovative solutions for people, nature and res...

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