If you want to go far, go together: Community based conservation in Vamizi Island, Mozambique
The Northern Mozambican Channel, an area that lies between northwest Madagascar, northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania, is the 2nd richest in the world in terms of coral reef biodiversity (Northern Mozambique Channel initiative). The Quirimbas Archipelago, found in the Northern part of the Channel, and situated in the Cabo Delgado Province is a group of over 30 islands scattered along 200km of coast. One of these is Vamizi, approximately 12km long and 2km wide covering 1,180h hectares.
The Vamizi Community Sanctuary (CS) is located on the western side of the Vamizi Island, covering an area of about 10,000 hectares of reefs, mangroves, sand flats and deeper waters, and extending 3 miles out to sea. Is it one of the most successful examples of a community managed protected area in East Africa, with less than 10 years and measurable benefits.
In the early stages of the Vamizi Conservation Project, an awareness of the concept of sustainability amongst resident fishermen was evident, as they understood that fisheries could sustain them if they only extracted what they needed for subsistence. The same could not be said of the migrant fishermen, who did not consider this issue as relevant for their livelihoods. With the increased immigration on the island and the introduction of unsustainable fishing methods, a significant decline in fish catch was noticed. Concerned about the future and sustainability of their resources, the resident fishermen turned to the Vamizi Island Conservation Project for support in regaining control over access to their marine resources. . In 2003, the government of Mozambique introduced legislation to create Community Councils for Fisheries (Concelhos Comuntários de Pesca – CCPs) as an attempt to decentralise authority and empower local communities to manage their marine resources. Under this framework, a CCP was created in Vamizi that same year. One of their first initiatives was to create a Community Sanctuary (CS) that would allow for fish stocks to recover and in time ensure the sustainability of such important resources, allowing the local communities to use them as they had done for centuries. The CS of Vamizi was officially declared in October 2006 as a no fishing-zone, in collaboration with the Institute for Small Scale Fisheries (IDPPE), the district authorities and the Vamizi Conservation Project. The sanctuary is managed by the CCP in collaboration with the local communities, and with logistical and financial support from the Conservation Project.
Flora & Fauna inside the Community Sanctuary
The Vamizi Community Sanctuary is composed of a group of different ecosystems from coral reefs to sand flats and mangrove areas. The reefs are composed of about 180 species of reef-building coral (identified to date), which provide homes and feeding grounds to over 300 species of fish, around 80 species of nudibranchs, as well as two species of sea turtles (green and hawksbill), one species of whale (humpback), 8 species of dolphins, and dozens of species of seabirds. A number of endangered species can be found in the sanctuary, including the Napoleon Wrasse, the Bumphead Parrotfish, Giant and Potato Groupers, and
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