User:Amyrpowell/sandbox

- Organisation overview: We're an NGO, committed to marine and coastal conservation and development in the tropical developing world. We're structured as a social enterprise (Blue Ventures Expeditions Ltd) that raises money for a our conservation work, donating to our charity (Blue Ventures Conservation), which also conducts its own fundraising. So far we've worked in Belize, Fiji, Malaysia, Madagascar and Ghana, and our HQ is in London. Established in 2003.

- If I had to define what makes us 'unique' in the marine world, I'd focus on three areas. These are our community focus (true across all our projects); our focus on innovating market based approaches to funding conservation sustainably (ecotourism, fisheries management, fisheries ecocertification, blue carbon), and our integrated approaches to tackling the problems of conservation and development (PHE, alternative livelihoods, etc).

For a quick overview of projects I'd list the following (each has its own page on the BV website, so plenty of info online) - see also list at very end of this e mail:

- Marine and fisheries research - Protected area development (focusing on LMMAs) - Community health - Aquaculture - Blue Carbon - Endangered species research (sharks and turtles) - Social marketing - Education (scholarships - various kinds) - Ecotourism

(crikey - that's quite a list - again, feel free to omit anything!).

Normally I would direct you to info that's already written in fact sheets etc, but I think the point of Wikipedia is that it doesn't draw on existing online content. However, I did just draft a new version of the BV strategic plan, laying out where we want to focus our development over the coming 2-3 years. Some of this text from the intro may be of some use - feel free to use any of it if useful (copied below). The list of field programmes might be something that can be copied directly (none of this will go online anywhere).

I hope this helps - sorry to deluge you with info, happy to chat about this on skype anytime!

Thanks again for volunteering to take this on! All the very best

Al.

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(text copied from intro to draft strat plan:)

1        INTRODUCTION Since its establishment in 2003 Blue Ventures has established itself as a world leader in community-based tropical marine conservation, marine science ecotourism and the development of integrated approaches to marine conservation and coastal poverty alleviation. This unique combination of developing community-based, multi-disciplinary and market-oriented approaches to addressing marine conservation challenges in the developing world sets Blue Ventures apart in the global marine conservation sector. By bringing together these three approaches, built on a foundation of rigorous science and education, Blue Ventures has identified a clear niche within which to develop its work in future. No other small organisation within the marine conservation field manages such a diverse portfolio of successful projects, a fact that offers Blue Ventures considerable opportunity for growth and expansion in line with growing global awareness of marine conservation issues. This potential is perhaps best evidenced by the dramatic growth that has been observed in project grant revenue received across Blue Ventures’ projects over the past two years. This diversity of projects also enables Blue Ventures to target a broader range of donors than is accessible to marine organisations working in only one discipline, providing a larger number of fundraising opportunities and reducing Blue Ventures’ vulnerability to shifts and adverse trends in the funding climate. Recent years have seen a focus on ‘proof of concept’ empirical research; documenting the impacts of Blue Ventures’ first initiatives, some of which are now well-established and globally renowned conservation projects. As these projects continue to evolve, measuring and communicating their ongoing impacts, as well as evaluating the importance and benefits of Blue Ventures’ overall integrated approach to marine conservation, will play an increasingly important role in the organisation’s work. By communicating these observations and experiences within scientific and broader conservation communities, Blue Ventures has an opportunity to play an increasingly prominent role in influencing the global marine conservation and development sectors. By demonstrating and communicating models of success, Blue Ventures can enhance its reach and impact by establishing partnerships with other organisations, and developing learning networks to help others benefit from Blue Ventures’ experiences. A recent focus on structural development within the organisation, notably in improving management and financial arrangements and operating procedures, has ensured the development of the requisite systems and processes to enable Blue Ventures to manage the increased revenues, administration, donor scrutiny and accountability that will come with ongoing growth. However, at this time of growth and opportunity, it is considered an urgent priority that Blue Ventures develops a coherent strategy for the medium to long term, laying out the priority areas of focus and development for the organisation on the road ahead (text copied below). This document lays out the key strategic priorities for Blue Ventures’ growth and development from FY 12/13 until FY 14/15, as identified at the beginning of this three-year period. 2        MISSION 2.1     Vision statement The organisation’s vision is to develop Blue Ventures as the global leader in community-based marine conservation in the tropical developing world, through the development and communication of effective models for integrated sustainable coastal resource management, poverty alleviation and community development. 2.2     Current activities Blue Ventures’ existing activities can be broadly divided between field programmes (research, education, conservation and development projects managed or supported directly by Blue Ventures), and learning/advocacy (activities that focus on communicating and disseminating the results and lessons learned from field programmes). These activities currently cover the following areas: Field programmes ·      Building effective community-based natural resource management o  Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs): Velondriake, Belo-sur-Mer, Nosy Barren, Manjaboaka, Teariake (Morombe), Mahajamba o  Fisheries closures (octopus and crab) ·      Payment for Ecosystem Service (PES) development to promote sustainable conservation finance o  Mangrove REDD+ feasibility research (Blue Carbon) o  Octopus management and eco-certification o  Mangrove fisheries and sustainable forestry management ·      Aquaculture (livelihood diversification) o  Sea cucumber aquaculture (Velondriake, Sarodrano) o  Seaweed aquaculture (Velondriake) ·      Community health o  Sexual and reproductive health service provision (Velondriake) o  Maternal and infant health service (Velondriake) o  Water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) service provision (Velondriake) ·      Education o  Marine science expeditions (Velondriake and Belize) o  Schools scholarships (Andavadaoka) o  Marine science training scholarship (Andavadoaka) o  English teaching (Andavadoaka) o  Social marketing for behaviour change (LMMA sites) o  Connecting classrooms (Velondriake) § Environmental kids’ clubs § Saturday school and Junior Reporters Clubs ·      Marine research o  Small-scale fishery assessments (Morondava) o  Endangered species fishery research (shark and turtle; Morondava and Velondriake) o  Spider tortoise research (Velondriake) o  Tuna access agreement studies (Madagascar national) o  Ecological research (LMMA sites and Belize) ·      Ecotourism o  Blue Ventures expeditions (Velondriake and Belize) Learning and advocacy ·      Scientific publication, workshop and conference attendance o  LMMAs and fisheries management o  Community health o  Aquaculture o  Blue Carbon ·      LivewiththeSea and Connecting Classrooms ·      Marine policy advocacy