Working Holistically Making the Connections, Sustaining Real Change

REGISTERED CHARITY 1098893

Working holistically Making the connections, sustaining real change

A model for everyone working to conserve the natural life-support systems of our troubled planet. SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

Blue Ventures, Level 2 Annex, Omnibus Business Centre, 39-41 North Road, London, N7 9DP, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)207 697 8598 Web: www.blueventures.org Beyond conservation We started incorporating reproductive health services into our fisheries management initiatives in 2007. Since Blue Ventures recognises the inextricable links between then, we have expanded this programme to serve over poor health, unmet family planning needs, food insecurity, 25,000 people across more than 60 communities along environmental degradation and vulnerability to climate Madagascar’s west coast. change. From sea cucumber aquaculture to maternal and child In response to these interconnected challenges, we have health, our interdisciplinary teams now work closely developed a holistic approach integrating reproductive health together to coordinate their activities and identify services with marine conservation and coastal livelihood opportunities for cost-sharing between all of our initiatives. programmes.

Our unconventional journey in conservation began We engage communities in a variety of environmental through listening. We learned that people in Velondriake, and health topics through small group discussions, Madagascar’s first locally managed marine area, thought that interactive theatre and school workshops. Exploring fish stocks would collapse without improved access to family the connections between different themes enables us planning. We also saw that, as a field-based organisation to broaden our reach, for example, getting men talking working in these isolated communities, we were ideally about family planning and involving women in fisheries positioned to address this critical unmet need. management. Population-Health-Environment Empowering coastal communities

Our holistic way of working is often referred to as to live with the sea “Population-Health-Environment” (PHE) because of the Blue Ventures developed a PHE programme in the way that such an integrated portfolio of programmes Velondriake area of southwest Madagascar from 2007, and reflects the relationships between people, their health and replicated this approach further north along the coast in the environment. Belo sur Mer from 2013 and in the Barren Isles from 2015.

The PHE approach empowers people to make their own In addition to supporting locally led marine conservation reproductive health choices, while equipping them with initiatives, we provide voluntary family planning services the skills they need to manage their resources sustainably. through a network of local women trained as community- PHE has been shown to produce greater impacts than based distributors of contraceptives. We uphold the single-sector interventions, and to generate additional reproductive rights of all people to freely choose the benefits such as the increased engagement of women in number and spacing of their births. alternative livelihood activities. Our fully integrated PHE approach encompasses:

zzSustainable fisheries management

zzAquaculture enterprises 60 zzLocally managed marine areas communities / zzVoluntary family planning services 25,000 people served zzCommunity health promotion zzSchool and university scholarships Our impact

Couples are empowered to plan and better provide for their families; improving food security, allowing women to play a more active role in fisheries management, and boosting the sustainability of local conservation efforts.

Coastal communities are able to live more healthily and sustainably with their marine environment, building social Family planning lets couples choose how and ecological resilience to climate change. many children they have, while marine reserves help to increase fish catches. If the population isn’t growing so rapidly and the fish catches are increasing, then we can have a better balance between fish stocks and our population. This means that people and the environment can live together, and we all benefit from this. ROGER SAMBA, PRESIDENT OF THE VELONDRIAKE Increase in the proportion of women LOCALLY MANAGED MARINE AREA ASSOCIATION in Velondriake using contraception

1,125+ unintended pregnancies averted in Velondriake and Belo sur Mer to date among a population of 20,000 Driving adoption Having experienced the immense value of integrating We are offering technical advice and mentoring to reproductive health services with local marine conservation conservation organisations starting to implement initiatives, we are now assisting other organisations to adopt PHE with health partners such as Marie Stopes this approach. Madagascar, proposing learning exchanges and training courses, convening meetings to share experiences, and We are supporting the development of a national PHE network collating impact data to communicate to a variety of in Madagascar in collaboration with Voahary Salama, bringing stakeholders. together health and conservation NGOs, donors and policy makers to facilitate cross-sector partnerships.

35 health and conservation partners are involved in the Madagascar PHE Network including the Government of Madagascar, Voahary Salama, Marie Stopes Madagascar, JSI/MAHEFA, WWF, Conservation International and WCS

We rebuild tropical fisheries with Working holistically coastal communities Blue Ventures recognises that improving fisheries Blue Ventures works with coastal communities to develop management alone is not enough to overcome transformative approaches for catalysing and sustaining the numerous and interrelated drivers of marine locally led marine conservation. environmental degradation. We work in places where the ocean is vital to local cultures Our programmes in Madagascar encompass locally led and economies, and are committed to protecting marine marine conservation, sustainable fisheries management, biodiversity in ways that benefit coastal people. Our community-based aquaculture and ecotourism conservation models are designed to demonstrate that businesses, educational scholarships and reproductive effective management improves food security and makes health services. economic sense. This integrated approach addresses the interconnected Over the past decade, our innovations have guided national challenges of poor health, unmet family planning needs, fisheries policy and been replicated by communities, environmental degradation and food insecurity in a NGOs, businesses, donors and government agencies along holistic way. It enables communities to manage their thousands of kilometres of coastline. So far our work has resources sustainably, both now and for the future. impacted the lives of more than 150,000 coastal people.

Communities first Innovation & courage Above all, we listen to community needs, We are resourceful and creative. We are prepared responding in a sensitive and pragmatic way for to take risks and challenge broken paradigms. lasting benefits. Openness & humility Passion & belief We are an open source social enterprise. Our mission is urgent and critical, we believe We work in a transparent and collaborative way that our models work, and we are determined to to pass on what we learn to others who share get the job done. our vision and passion. Valued people & effective teams Grounded in evidence We work in diverse and inclusive teams where We have high standards and are not afraid to all members have a voice and influence. We are be self-critical. If we see that something doesn’t effective because our work is integrated across work, we change tack until we’re on the right teams and projects. course. zz

For further information or to discuss partnership opportunities please contact:

Dr Vik Mohan Blue Ventures Medical Director [email protected]

Web: www.blueventures.org Tel: +44 (0)207 697 8598

Winner, Buckminster Observer Ethical Awards, Fuller Challenge, 2011 runner-up 2010. For work to protect Blue Ventures was commended marine resources and for creating the Indian Ocean’s improve the livelihoods of in association with first replicable blueprint for poor coastal communities community-centred marine and in Madagascar. coastal conservation planning.

Condé Nast Traveler Responsible Tourism Responsible Tourism Responsible Tourism Environmental Award, 2009 Responsible Tourism Responsible Tourism Awards 2004: highly Awards 2006: highly Awards 2007: highly Awards 2008: highly Awards 2009: highly For two decades, Condé commended for commended for commended for commended for commended for Nast Traveler has been “Best in a Marine “Best Volunteering “Best in a Marine “Best Volunteering “Best in a marine honouring environmental Environment” Organisation” Environment” Organisation” environment” visionaries around the world who have found innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

Responsible Ashoka & Changemakers United Nations Enterprising Skal Ecotourism Tourism Awards National & National SEED Award Young Brits 2005 Awards 2006: 2010: Winner Geographic Geographic 2005: winner, & 2006: highly Winner, “General for “Best Geotourism Geotourism “Madagascar’s commended, Countryside” volunteering Challenge 2008: Challenge 2010: first experimental “Social and organisation” finalist finalist community-run Environment” MPA” United Nations Development Programme Equator Prize 2006: the Village of Andavadoaka, winner (in partnership)