Paul Antion, Head of Programme Management for BV Madagascar, has lived within the small traditional fishing community of Andavadoaka in Madagascar since 2013, working alongside fishers to empower them to lead the management of their marine resources in a way that works for people and nature. He shares how far the Velondria
Paul Antion, Head of Programme Management for BV Madagascar, has lived within the small traditional fishing community of Andavadoaka in Madagascar since 2013, working alongside fishers to empower them to lead the management of their marine resources in a way that works for people and nature. He shares how far the Velondriake Association has come and how Blue Ventures supports community associations to thrive independently. In December 2023, I was excited to witness Blue Ventures Madagascar sign its first official subgrant with the Velondriake Association. It’s a small step, but it is significant and has been a long time coming. 406097511_334725532608621_610253658004655466_n406061041_334725485941959_895853084582948008_n Gildas Andriamalala, our Madagascar country director, introduced me to Andavadoaka back in 2013. Blue Ventures had already supported the Velondriake Association, Madagascar’s first Locally Managed Marine Area, for seven years. In my first month, I remember one of our donors asking about our exit plan – when did we expect Velondriake to be fully autonomous and when could we leave? With the volunteer expedition programme running in Andavadoaka back then, we didn’t really expect to leave. However, we had dreamt of seeing the Velondriake Association have its own funds to lead and deliver grassroots marine conservation and resource management. After all, like many coastal communities, the inherent foundations for good governance and resource management already existed long before the arrival of international NGOs.