Mangrove Aquaculture for Sustainable Marine Livelihoods
THE QUESTION
Can a digital platform improve the bivalve (oysters & mussels) market in coastal communities in Mozambique whilst improving livelihoods and promoting conservation?
LOCATION: Mozambique
SECTOR: Climate and Environment
TECH: Satellite Imagery, Mobile Application
TIMELINE: December 2021 - December 2022
PIONEER: Caroline Long, Emmeline Skinner
PARTNER: Zoological Society of London
The Challenge
While Mozambique is rich in biodiversity, overfishing, population growth and destruction of mangroves are depleting marine resources and negatively impacting coastal communities’ resilience to climate and economic shocks. This is driving food insecurity and deprivation in an area where the majority of people already live in poverty. Coastal aquaculture as it currently stands is depleting the number of mangrove trees, which protect coasts from erosion and weather disasters, improve water quality and provide a habitat for animals. The production of bivalves (oysters/mussels) is seen as a method to diversify coastal livelihoods and promote mangrove conservation. The production of bivalves is relatively new in Mozambique, and despite bivalves receiving increased attention from government and donors, small scale community aquaculture projects still face significant challenges that limit their sustainability and profitability, making it an inaccessible livelihood for smallholder coastal communities.
The Idea
This pilot idea was to utilise multiple technologies to promote livelihoods within the bivalve aquaculture industry to support coastal communities. The team developed a digital platform that can improve market linkages for producers and buyers of bivalves. This platform aimed to enhance information, transparency and accountability within the supply chain, empowering community members to market their products as part of a conservation strategy, while providing buyers with data on the state of marine ecosystems. Additionally, the state of marine and mangrove ecosystems were to be monitored through satellite imagery and remote sensing. If successful, the challenges of over-fishing will be mitigated by creating incentives for the protection of a healthy mangrove ecosystem.
Read more
Read about the pilot’s first sprint - “Testing the market for bivalves in Pemba”
Learn about the pilot’s pivot in their final sprint - “Mapping Mangroves to Farm Bivalves”