Making A Difference
The Problem
The Solution
Partner History
Current Participants
National Institutions
Local dive operators and tourism operatives
Local stakeholders
Local Community Development
What help is required?
Where?
Making A Difference Quest
Underseas provides locally relevant marine research and conservation
projects, which involve and support local communities.
Involving the local community is frequently not part of management
plans, tourism initiatives or government development strategies:
something we aim to change. We believe firmly that for conservation
measures to work, the local community must be involved and benefit
directly or indirectly from the conservation of their marine resources.
Tourist operations involve huge set-up costs and, in developing
countries, are therefore frequently foreign owned and operated,
ignoring the needs of local people.
Quest Underseas provide baseline data through self-funded volunteers,
which means we can help without further straining the local government.
By working with local institutions, local government and community
members / fishing cooperatives, much more can be achieved and a more
equitable outcome, benefiting all resource users, is possible. Through
capacity building, an investment in a trust fund, providing training to
local counterparts and aiming to disseminate information frequently, we
can conserve some of the world’s most incredible natural wonders for
local people and marine-life alike.
Why are we different?
Our long-term project contributions will sponsor local scholars,
from the community and national institutions on each project. In this
way we hope to build capacity and invest time, money and knowledge into
a local counterparts. We believe this to be a truly sustainable
approach to marine conservation.
QUEST volunteers will be involved in enhancing the educational
environment of the local children through developing school
infrastructure, funded by your contribution. Environmental education
for tourists, community members and school children is a key component
of plans for 2007.
Long-term partnerships with grassroots organisations and local
institutions, built to create short, medium and long term goals for
each project, guarantee that every team makes a lasting difference. By
helping create the first research programme of its kind in the Tofo
area, our short-term goals to gather information and create an
environmental education programme are unique. Our Trust Fund, supported
by £200 from each team members’ contribution will support the work long
after our team arrives home.
The Problem
Mozambique is one of the few areas in the world where whale sharks
and manta rays are regularly found. These enormous fish are completely
passive and the feeling of being in the water next to one of these
magnificent creatures is indescribable.
For this reason Tofo is becoming increasingly popular as a destination
for divers, holidaymakers and travellers. This is good news for the
area, but will increase pressure on it resources. With this in mind,
sound management plans need to be implemented urgently to regulate the
industry developing around the whale sharks and manta rays.
However, before this amazing marine life can be protected and managed, we need to demonstrate the conservation value to decision-makers. Currently no marine research has been undertaken in the area, and even on a global scale there have been very few scientific papers written on whale sharks and manta rays in the last 30 years. The predominant aim of this expedition therefore, is to gather information on whale sharks, manta rays and the other marine life at Tofo beach. Volunteers participating in this project are offered a unique opportunity to discover and explore uncharted reefs and work towards guiding their sustainable use.
The Solution
An
established code of conduct for interactions with marine life and
responsible travel are an immediate need. Environmental education days
will be conducted for tourists, local people and the school groups in
the area, and we will also make improvements to local school buildings
as part of our outreach community development. These activities will
continue on every project and be adapted to current needs.
Medium Term to Long Term Aims
The data you collect will be used to create a viable management
plan for the Tofo Beach area, regulated through AMAR (a local diving
association promoting the protection of the marine environment), that
will include and work with the local community. A 'community reserve'
is our long term aim.
Every volunteer's project donation will include a £200 contribution to a local trust fund which will build up over time for long term initiatives, such as the development of a sustainable fishery, training or education for the local villagers.
The fund will help to set up a paid monitoring position to protect the wealth of marine life year round, with the ultimate aim over the years to develop a properly regulated tax on diving activities to sustain such initiatives into the future.
Partner History
We have been diving in Mozambique for over 6 years and during that
time have built up an amazing relationship with the local dive school
and the community of Tofo Beach. We have all become increasingly
concerned over the lack of research and management of the vulnerable
marine life at Tofo. Quest Underseas have made it our priority to work
with the local community to set up a much needed marine project right
in the heart of Tofo.
ECOCEAN - Brad Norman (www.ecocean.org )
Quest Underseas are the Mozambican Branch of ECOCEAN. The ECOCEAN Whale
Shark Photo-identification Library is a visual database of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) encounters and of individually catalogued whale sharks.
The library is maintained and used by marine biologists to collect and
analyse whale shark encounter data to learn more about these amazing
creatures.
AMAR (Associasao de Merguladores Activos de Resurcos Marinos Naturales ) - Jeremy Gottwals
AMAR are an association of local dive operators and residents based
in Inhambane. Their key objectives are stated as: “conservation of
marine life, sustainable diving activities, conservation projects,
information and public awareness and a standardization of diving
practices”.
UEM: University Eduardo Mondelane, Maputo
A key contact for QUEST as working together with the UEM biology
department will allow institutional capacity building, data exchange,
training and cooperation with Mozambican counterparts and will direct
research for for a long-lasting positive contribution to Mozambique.
ESHTI (Escola Superior de Hospilidad y Turismo Inhambane) part of UEM.
Provincial Directorate of Tourism (Inhambane) - Thomas Eberherr
The Directorate is currently working on the sustainability of dive
tourism in the region, aiming towards the instigation of a marine
protected area and the conducting of economic and social studies aimed
at an inclusive solution to tourism expanding in the region.
Diversity Scuba
Liquid Adventures
Sangue Bom - Dave Charley
The Manta Ray and Whale shark Trust, Tofo
Terra Profunda , Tofo
Shark Trust UK (www.sharktrust.org )
The Mozambique Ministry of Fisheries, Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Tourism
It is crucial to the success of the project that all the relevant
government ministries are involved throughout the project; from the
development of the concept to the implementation of the program and
beyond.
Save The Manta Network (www.mantas.org )
National Institutions:
Within the remit of the project, we have established links with UEM
University (Maputo) and hopefully the Natural History Museum. This
collaboration will include the provision of scholarship places for
selected individuals to further their knowledge and training and assist
in the achievement of project aims.
Local dive operators and tourism operatives:
These companies and individuals will be encouraged to contribute to a
trust fund for training Mozambicans and for environmental awareness and
protection of the area. This could be undertaken by a conservation
charge or “protected area fee” levied by them voluntarily on their
clients or by voluntary collections.
Local stakeholders:
For the project to be successful there has to be full understanding and
participation by local stakeholder groups including local town leaders,
societies, and fishermen co-operatives. It is essential that the local
people of Tofo see the direct benefit of the planned initiatives and so
the project works directly with the relevant local authorities and
organizations to ensure that they are involved at all stages and that
their needs are integrated into the design of the programs.
Andrea Marshall and Simon Pierce from the Whale Shark and Manta Research Project based in Tofo have been conducting research into the habits of these amazing creatures and are keen to have the support of a group of volunteers to build up their databank.
In addition we are working closely with the Mozambican University UEM, to ensure all the research we complete is passed on to the correct authorities and can be used at the highest level to develop effective management plans for the Tofo area.
Local Community Development:
As with all our conservation projects, we understand that it is
essential to involve the local community and work with them on any
research. We will be running environmental education days as well as
carrying out small community infrastructure projects in local schools
and beach clean-up days, to generate positive feelings and an
understanding of what the volunteers are doing.
What help is required?
1. Mega Fauna Surveys
Intrinsic to the conservation value of the region will be the study
of whale sharks, manta rays, humpback whales and other mega fauna which
are one of the big ‘tourist dollar’ draws to the area. Digital imaging,
filming and traditional recording of information will help to draw up a
clearer picture of population dynamics, behaviour and distribution.
This will allow for better management guidelines for protection of
these creatures for the long-term benefit of the area and the local
economy.
This information will feed into an existing global database and will be made available publicly. We hope this will encourage university students from the UK to take part in the Quest Underseas project to carry out their own thesis and dissertation research.
2. Shark Fisheries research
Shark Fisheries research will provide a valuable insight into the
scale of the industry in southern Mozambique. This is a sensitive issue
and volunteers will gain an insight into how it affects both marine
life and local people.
3. Marine Inventory
A scientifically robust and simple surveying technique has been
developed specifically for the region (Williams. C & Box. S. - paid
for by Quest Underseas). This will directly assess the species
diversity, invertebrate counts and allow better managemetn descisions
to be made. Our web-based data will provide a clearer understanding of
the state of the areas’ key biological assets. In addition it will
collect oceanographic information to assist in the design of protected
areas and pinpoint key conservation priorities such as the likely
location of fish spawning grounds, areas of high biological value and
areas under threat of being over-exploited by the dive tourist
industry.
AMAR and The Provincial Tourism Directive responsible for Tofo aim to
set up a Marine Protected Area. Quest Underseas have been asked to
contribute baseline data towards implementing this Marine Protected
Area by local stakeholders, provincial government and AMAR. We will
establish permanent sampling sites and train locals to carry out data
collection, so that the condition of the reef can be monitored over
time and evaluations can be made for continuing management
requirements.
Studies of boat / fishing / dive traffic are of huge value to
regulations. Quest Underseas are initiating surface studies on a daily
basis to build up a database which will be used to evaluate the level
of marine resource use (by group of resource user) to aid in producing
the management plan for the area.
The information will be used to create a conservation management plan
for the area and help towards the protection of this amazing marine
environment. Your work will help protect not only the marine life, but
also the livelihoods of the local communities.