Marine Conservation Group Blue Ventures Wins 2011 Buckminster Fuller Challenge  

Inhabitat reports that the Buckminster Fuller Challenge for 2011 has been won by marine environment conservation group Blue Ventures - Marine Conservation Group Blue Ventures Wins 2011 Buckminster Fuller Challenge.

Blue Ventures’ approach assumes that first and foremost, that the “survival of a natural habitat and the people whose lives depend on it are inseparable.” The comprehensive approach strives to give developing coastal communities the resources they need to live sustainably. They extensively research all aspects of the communities, including marine and fisheries research, family planning and public health, environmental education, fisheries management, and protected area development. They then use this knowledge to propose new ideas that would improve the environment and community residents’ lives.

In Madagascar, Blue Ventures enabled poor fishing communities to increase and diversify their incomes by protecting the biodiversity of the water. Blue Ventures volunteers are continually training and educating the residents where they work in Madagascar, ensuring that sustainable practices are maintained. Blue Ventures has also started the first community-run sea cucumber farm in Madagascar. It is a pioneering development of commercial-scale sustainable aquaculture, and it has helped to alleviate poverty in the coastal communities.