IMPACT IN FOCUS

Secure Rights, Community-Based Fisheries Management, Financial Inclusion, and Food Security

Scale means little without change. What matters is seeing ecosystems recover, and communities thrive - with stronger rights, better livelihoods, greater food security, and a real say in their futures.

These changes belong to the communities and partners driving them, working together to shape locally-led solutions.

Here, we share stories of impact across the four core outcomes we and our partners use to measure change. These stories show communities taking the lead to manage resources, build resilience, and secure their futures.

Securing Community Rights through strengthened community networks: Kilwa, Tanzania

Enabling communities to gain formal recognition over access, use, and governance of coastal and marine resources, ensuring long-term authority and accountability in managing their areas.

In Kilwa District, the Kilwa Beach Management Unit Network (KBMUN) – representing 29 BMUs and over 4,000 fishers – is strengthening the collective voice of coastal communities and gaining formal recognition in fisheries governance. By convening twice-yearly gatherings of BMU leaders and district officials, the Network has created a platform for joint planning and problem-solving, drawing visible government support.

Building on these efforts, the Network’s growing legitimacy was subsequently recognised when the Kilwa District Council Management Team approved BMUs as fisheries revenue collection agents, enabling them to reinvest a portion of revenues directly into marine conservation.

“We need to work together to find solutions that will protect our marine resources and support the livelihoods of coastal communities.” Kilwa District Commissioner Hon. Mohamed Nyundo

Between January and June 2025, the Network coordinated awareness campaigns, community patrols, elections, and institutional strengthening across 29 BMUs, directly engaging 784 people, 60% of them women. Joint patrols with fisheries officers and police have reduced illegal fishing and encouraged hundreds of fishers to register or renew licenses within just two days. At the same time, community-managed reef closures are delivering tangible economic benefits: a single re-opening at one site yielded nearly 10 tonnes of octopus, boosting both household incomes and BMU revenues.

By embedding women in leadership roles and working closely with government, KBMUN continues to strengthen legitimacy and secure rights for coastal communities, ensuring that community perspectives shape local decision-making, conservation, and fisheries management.

Protecting the Community’s Granary: Fishers Lead Permanent Closures in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Community-based fisheries management (CBFM): supporting fishers to organise, plan, implement, and adapt local strategies that keep fish stocks sustainable and communities resilient.

In Kotodirumali Village, this approach has taken root. With sustained support from Tananua Flores, fishers and local leaders have permanently closed key octopus fishing grounds to safeguard their future, the first permanent closures supported by Blue Ventures partners in Asia Pacific.

Village Head Maternus Mau explained the importance of this action:

“So that fishermen can smile and fish in nearby locations, the fishermen themselves must begin to guard and manage them properly. We, as the main practitioners, should not exhaust resources through non-environmentally friendly fishing practices.”

He described the closed sites as a “granary” for the community, a reserve that will sustain livelihoods if protected through cooperation between government, fishers, and local traditional leaders. He also praised Tananua Flores and Blue Ventures for “faithfully accompanying the fishing community for more than three years,” ensuring that local groups were supported to plan, adapt, and implement their own fisheries management strategies.

Championing Women, Strengthening Communities: Financial Inclusion for Coastal Livelihoods in Senegal

Helping fisher households build financial literacy, establish savings groups or micro-businesses, and access appropriate financial services, improving resilience and economic independence.

In May 2025, participants from 21 communities across Kayar, Joal, Somone, Oussouye and Bignona launched Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) activities in coastal fisheries, marking the start of a major step forward for financial inclusion in Senegalese fishing communities. Partners Nebeday, UKB, Ecorural, Kawawana, AGIRE, and the women fishers’ network in Kayar led the initiative alongside BV and local authorities (including the Prefect and Marine Protected Areas (MPA) management committee) bringing together communities, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Community-Based Organisations (CBOs), and officials around a shared vision for empowering fisher households.

This initiative equipped participants with the skills and confidence to establish savings groups, develop micro-businesses, and strengthen household financial literacy. Women took a central role in leadership and decision-making, ensuring the approach is inclusive, community-driven, and fully grounded in the realities of coastal fisheries livelihoods.

With partners and communities actively putting plans into practice, VSLAs are set to expand across Senegal’s coastal fisheries, creating new opportunities for financial independence, resilience, and sustainable livelihoods. The strong collaboration between communities, partners, and government lays the foundation for lasting change, with exciting momentum building across the region.

Completing the picture: incorporating nutrition into fisheries management and marine conservation in Kenya and Indonesia

Ensuring fisheries management supports local nutrition by prioritising nutrient-rich species, household consumption, and improved post-harvest handling.

With our partners Bahari Hai in Kenya and Forkani, Japesda, Tananua, YCMM and LINI in Indonesia, we piloted a new approach linking food and nutrition security directly with fisheries management, showing how protecting coastal ecosystems can also put healthier meals on the table.

In Kilifi County, Kenya, Bahari Hai worked with five BMUs to run the country’s first fish consumption survey, training local participants and reaching over 10,000 people through community theatre and a three-week radio campaign. Results revealed that more than 70% of households rely on fish as their main source of protein, yet many had little awareness of its nutritional value. For the first time, BMU leaders sat side-by-side with county nutrition officials and fisheries officers to shape strategies that address both food security and fisheries sustainability.

In Indonesia, our partners surveyed five fishing villages and found that most households consume the majority of their catch, with skipjack, Baronang and Katambak among the most important species. Nutritionists worked with communities to develop education materials, host cooking demonstrations, and engage health services to connect fish consumption with national child stunting-prevention efforts.

Together, these efforts are feeding into a new “nutritional index” within Blue Ventures’ fisheries dashboard, enabling partners to identify nutrient-rich species and ensure they are safeguarded in community-based fisheries management. This pilot is already informing national policy dialogues in both Kenya and Indonesia and will now scale across Blue Ventures’ global partner network, so more communities can manage their fisheries not just for income, but for the food security and health of future generations.

PARTNER ENGAGEMENT

Strengthening the network through collaboration and learning

Establishment of Regional Advisory Councils

Supporting local leaders to guide the FCF, recommend partners, and strengthen regional decision-making

This year, we proudly launched the first Regional Advisory Council (RAC) pilot in Asia Pacific, marking a major milestone in strengthening locally led decision-making and peer learning across our network. Consisting of seven representatives from Indonesia and Philippines, the Asia-Pacific RAC facilitates active community involvement in the delivery of the Frontline Community Fund (FCF), guiding the growth of the partner network through recommending suitable local potential partner organisations to our growing partner network. In just six months, the RAC has recommended 19 potential partner organisations, with six scoped, two onboarded, and three more in the pipeline, ensuring our support reaches grassroots groups that are best positioned to deliver lasting impact for coastal communities and marine conservation.

The RAC has also provided invaluable strategic input, helping refine regional priorities, strengthen partner selection processes, and recommend systems to support capacity-building and knowledge sharing. These achievements not only highlight the power of collaboration but also demonstrate the RAC’s potential as a model that can be scaled and replicated across regions. The energy and momentum from this first pilot fills us with confidence in the RAC’s role as a driving force for locally led conservation, and we’re working to establish other RACs in East and West Africa, bringing us closer to our mission of building stronger, more resilient networks of grassroots partners to restore ocean life.

Peer learning & partner exchanges

Strengthening community networks by connecting partners across regions and contexts

Peer exchanges are crucial to accelerate learning, strengthen solidarity, and spark action. They enable partners and communities to see solutions firsthand, adapt them to their own contexts, and build confidence and voice through shared experience and alliances.

• Cross-continental solidarity: Participants from 7 partners in Indonesia and the Philippines visited Madagascar in April, hosted by Velondriake Association. Over ten days, they explored Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs), fisheries management, and the integration of data with local knowledge, building global solidarity among ocean stewards.

• Sharing ecosystem management practices: Reciprocal exchanges between The Gambia and Senegal focused on traditional and data science driven techniques in mangrove restoration and sustainable oyster harvesting, sharing practical lessons across communities and partners (SANYEPD, Nebeday, Ecorurale, CCCZ, Hallahin and Boyay).

• Regional strategy-building: The Asia Pacific Annual Partner Forum in Bali convened 23 organisations across Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Thailand the Philippines and welcomed guests from Tanzania and Madagascar, embarking on honest reflection, shared learning, and co-design of solutions to advance sustainable fisheries across the region.

• Strengthening local governance structures: In Diani, Kenya, 23 BMUs from Tanzania and Zanzibar and 14 from Kwale joined four partners to strengthen networks, fish value chains, data collection, and VSLAs.

• Deepening collaboration among new partners: In Maluku, Indonesia, Sahari hosted MCC and YTBM to share lessons on temporary closures and enforcement, while YAPEKA and Ecosystem Impact linked fishers and officials in Aceh and North Sulawesi to reflect on closure management and savings systems. These visits boosted community ownership and data practices, while highlighting common regulatory and coordination challenges.

• Catalysing action through exposure: Inspired by a visit to Tanga facilitated by Sea Sense and Mwambao, Kibewa Village’s BMU in Tanzania launched its first six-month marine closure, with 30 members, including seven women, leading monitoring and enforcement.

Capacity sharing: building technical and organisational strength

Supporting partners and communities with resources, systems and skills to lead locally driven marine management

Blue Ventures’ support to the FCF Partner Network goes beyond funding. Through technical training, leadership programmes, organisational strengthening, and data systems, we help partners take charge of marine management. From fishers in Belize tracking catches to LMMA leaders in Madagascar gaining autonomy, this wraparound support is unlocking leadership across regions. Further recent highlights include:

• Practical technical training: Thirty communities in Madagascar visited Velondriake LMMA to learn about octopus closures, fisheries governance, organisational capacity, and data systems - sparking consultations for new no-take zones and stronger financial management for a CBO delivering its first grant.

• Leadership training: In Indonesia, 21 participants from seven partner organisations completed a six-month leadership programme, strengthening organisational resilience and innovation. Each partner developed a six-month sustainability plan and articulated a vision to serve as learning hubs and catalysts for marine conservation.

• Organisational strengthening: Leaders of the Ufoyaal Kassa Bandia MPA and Kawawana APAC in Senegal received IT training on the use of tools such as Google suite to strengthen their ability to use cloud-based reporting tools and to optimise the management of their projects and improve internal and external collaboration. 

• Partnership in recruitment: With close support from BV, the Kwale County BMU Network in Kenya ran their first-ever recruitment process, successfully appointing a fisheries officer and project accountant. These roles strengthen the network’s capacity to manage grants and programs, ensuring financial rigor, transparency, and effective field operations — from data collection to monitoring and surveys. This collaboration supports operational success and builds a foundation for sustainable management across all BMUs in Kwale County and sets a model for BMUs across Kenya.

Strategic partnerships 

Building lasting change through strategic collaboration

We are collaborating with strategic partners to strengthen fisheries by tackling the wider social and economic challenges coastal communities face. These alliances extend our impact, addressing the root causes that shape communities’ ability to manage their marine resources sustainably.

At the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, we announced a landmark 15-year commitment with MSI Reproductive Choices to integrate sexual and reproductive health with fisheries management across sub-saharan Africa. Together, we aim to raise US$15 million to reach 1.5 million people in coastal communities, supporting women and girls most affected by climate change while building resilience across entire communities.

Through the Sustainable Finance Coalition, we are working with local partners in Tanzania to explore feasible conservation finance solutions that sustain coastal livelihoods and ecosystems. 

This year, we also deepened our collaboration with Rare to strengthen community-based fisheries management across Asia-Pacific, supporting fisheries management bodies in Indonesia with surveillance, financial literacy, and awareness campaigns, while in the Philippines, we are building a regional cluster in the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape to empower fisher associations to lead sustainable management of one of the country’s most important marine ecosystems.