Grounded in Science

Blue Ventures bases all its conservation work on in-depth scientific research. Working with local and international partners, our field scientists study the growing threats to coastal regions, changes in habitat health, impacts of conservation initiatives and how local communities interact with, and rely upon, natural resources. Our research tells us where to work and what conservation strategies to use.

Blue Ventures conducts research in Belize and Malaysia, and are one of the few conservation groups to have a permanent presence researching Madagascar’s marine systems. Madagascar’s southwest coast is home to the fourth largest continuous reef system in the world. Over 400 species of reef fish and more than 160 species of coral are found there, with new species being discovered each year.

Communities in the region rely upon healthy marine systems for food, income and daily survival. Understanding how local villagers view and use the region’s natural resources is essential to developing effective conservation plans.

Blue Ventures established it's first scientific research site in the village of Andavadoaka – located along the southwest coast of Madagascar – in 2003. In 2009 Blue Ventures established a new research site on Pulau Tioman, an island off the east coast of Malaysia, followed in 2010 by another in the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve, Belize. Over the years Blue Ventures and its partners have produced and published groundbreaking studies on local environments and coastal resource use. We share our scientific data with national and international organisations to help improve marine management across our host countries and around the world.

Continued research on into marine ecosystems is desperately needed in order to expand knowledge on how these habitats function, what threats they face and how best to protect them – for the betterment of both people and nature.