The Sanctuary is delighted to have been selected as a beneficiary of an IUCN BIOPAMA Action Component Medium Grant to the value of nearly EUR 200 000. This eighteen-month project will see the Sanctuary partnering with the Chingonguene community of artisanal and subsistence fishers resident within the protected area to improve conservation of threatened and endangered sharks and rays in the Inhamambane Estuary mouth, while bringing tangible benefits to the community.
The BIOPAMA Medium Grant project, “Securing the critical Inhamambane Estuary & mouth in the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary, with direct benefits to the Chingonguene fishing community”, carried out in partnership with the Chingonguene Fishing Council (CCP), has progressed very well in its first year of implementation.
Eleven individuals comprising 6 women and 5 men have benefited from fixed-term employment to construct an office and meeting venue (“Hub”) for the Chingonguene CCP.
In addition, local community members have received cash payments for supplying 1800 bundles of jekka thatching reed, and two individuals were contracted to undertake alterations on a large motorised fishing dhow purchased for the community to provide access to more sustainable fishing grounds.
The CCP Hub is nearing completion with construction finalised, doors and windows installed, painting underway and roof thatching complete. Early in the new year the solar electrical system and two large chest freezers for fish storage will be installed.
A large, secondhand fishing dhow was purchased and a local carpenter and his assistant have been contracted to modify the vessel to make it suitable for deep sea fishing. As part of the project, the CCP dhow will be equipped with approved regulation fishing gear and tackle to help ensure that only sustainable pelagic game fish are targeted.
In October a new patrol boat was purchased by the project and commissioned to help enforce new fishing restrictions to be implemented early in 2024, when a large portion of the estuary mouth will be designated a no-netting zone. Rangers who patrol using the new vessel (named Zambezi – the colloquial name for the bull shark, an important apex predator in this seascape) will also collect important catch monitoring data to determine the impacts of fishing and to help inform future marine protected areas policy, and to ensure that no illegal species are caught.
From January, the project’s activities include commencement of major renovations to the Chingonguene Primary School, demarcation of the new restricted-use zone in the estuary, the handover of the CCP hub, fishing dhow and fishing equipment, and appointment of the Chingonguene CCP as a preferred supplier of fish and selected other seafood products to Sanctuary tourists and lodges.
The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme aims to improve the long term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, in protected areas and surrounding communities. It is an initiative of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States financed by the European Union’s 11th European Development Fund (EDF), jointly implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC). Building on the first five years of activities financed by the 10th EDF (2012-2017), BIOPAMA’s second phase provides tools for data and information management, services for improving the knowledge and capacity for protected area planning and decision making, and funding opportunities for specific site based actions. www.biopama.org
The total value of the BIOPAMA grant is €199 597.57 and the 18-month project will run from February 2023 to August 2024.
The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) Programme aims to improve the long term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, in protected areas and surrounding communities. It is an initiative of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States financed by the European Union’s 11th European Development Fund (EDF), jointly implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC). Building on the first five years of activities financed by the 10th EDF (2012-2017), BIOPAMA’s second phase provides tools for data and information management, services for improving the knowledge and capacity for protected area planning and decision making, and funding opportunities for specific site based actions. www.biopama.org