Africa-Press – Cape verde. The international organization Blue Ventures Conservation wants to strengthen its presence in Cape Verde, with a special focus on the sustainable management of marine resources through local partnerships. This information comes from Expresso das Ilhas, through the organization’s biologist and partnership coordinator, Rosi Lima.
According to her, the organization’s entry into Cape Verde took place in 2024, on Maio Island, through a partnership with the Maio Biodiversity Foundation (FMB), in the Calheta community.
Rosi Lima explains that Blue Ventures’ work is based on four pillars: community management of marine resources, ensuring rights, financial inclusion, and food security. In the Cape Verdean context, the organization has begun working on the first two.
“We currently have two more partners: Projeto Vitó (Fogo) and the Biodiversity Project (Salt). By the end of this year, we will have five more partners. And by mid-2026, we will have nine more partners in Cape Verde,” Rosi Lima emphasized.
The coordinator emphasizes that Blue Ventures’ philosophy prioritizes coastal communities.
“We don’t carry out direct projects. We work through partnerships with NGOs and local fishermen and fishmongers’ associations. Our vision is for communities to have an active voice in fisheries management, understand their rights and responsibilities, and be able to promote the sustainability of marine resources,” she highlighted.
In São Vicente, he said that the organization has sought to strengthen relationships with the Fishmongers’ Association and the Biosphere, although without direct action related to the recent storms that affected the island.
Rosi Lima emphasizes that Blue Ventures has a regional office in Dakar, Senegal, and a team of eleven professionals working in four countries: Cape Verde, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and Gambia. Furthermore, the organization recently began working in Ghana, with prospects for expansion to other West African countries.
“Our work in the region is recent, having only begun two years ago, but we have seen exponential growth in partnerships, especially in Senegal,” added the coordinator.
Rosi Lima announced that, next October, a Blue Ventures delegation will visit Cape Verde to participate in the 4th Ocean Decade Conference, which will take place on Fogo Island.
For the coordinator, the event will also be an opportunity to share community conservation experiences developed in 14 countries where the organization operates, including Belize.
“Our goal is to showcase what has been done in other contexts, exchange knowledge with government institutions, and contribute to sustainable fisheries management in Cape Verde. Conservation is an important consequence, but the focus is community development,” emphasizes Rosi Lima.
Blue Ventures is a UK-based marine conservation charity. Its goal is to protect artisanal fishers and promote sustainable fishing practices.
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