Newsletter BITONGA DIVERS

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1 J A N U A R Y - J U N E Newsletter BITONGA DIVERS P R O F E S S I O N A L S C U B A D I V E T R A I N I N G, C O M M U N I T Y E D U C A T I O N F O R MARINE RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP. z General work Update z The following will keep you updated on what Bitonga Divers team is been doing since the last publication released in August As from now our newsletters will be released every quarter. Underwater world You are more likely to conserve what you like and you can only like what you know! Mozambique has nearly 2800 km of very little explored coastline, crystal waters, various biodiversity. We want Mozambicans to discover the underwater world of their own country and benefit from its resources in sustained manner. Our goals are to promote marine conservation in local communities and train locals on professional Scuba Diving industry. Recently Bitonga Divers trained four post graduate students from Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo as part of Bitonga Divers and Eduardo Mondlane University agreement. The candidates are taking their masters degree on marine biology. The Open Water dive course that the candidates accomplished is TRAINING PROGRAMS very important for underwater research for their thesis. During their stay in Tofo the students attended Dr. Andrea Marshall and Dr. Simon Pierce presentations about Manta Rays and Whalesharks research that they have been working on for 10 years in Tofo Beach. [See next page for more details]. Our families were very worried about us becoming divers, we were worried as well, we could never imagine we could be underwater for such a long time, come back safe and finish this course with no problems, it is definitely easier that you can think. People think Scuba Diving is a mystery but, it is just a good feeling being a Scuba Diver! Say the participates... Geofrey Katchamila, Manuela Elisa Amone, Eunice Leong, and Kelvin Samucidine Beautiful creatures along Mozambican coastline complete the unique biodiversity that we have..

2 Training programs. One of Bitonga Divers goal is to involve as many Mozambicans as possible onto Scuba Diving activities. Until 2006 there was only one Scuba Dive professional in Mozambique: Carlos Macuacua went through his first dive course experience known as Open Water in 2001, since then he spent long time in the water and became Mozambican number one Open Water Scuba Instructor. When i become Instructor, I want to teach more Mozambicans how to dive says Carlos Macuacua before he became instructor in 2006 Carlos` dream is now becoming True! Carlos funded Bitonga Divers (BD) in 2007, an association leading village talks in local communities leaving along the coastline depending mainly on fishing and teaching Mozambicans how to dive. Successes Since its creation BD has sensibly affected and inspired large number of men and women in the communities specially youngsters whose concepts about the ocean are changing and they now want to learn how to dive. 32 Mozambicans have been underwater through BDs program and many more simply were inspired by BDs and are going trhough another training programs. 14 have joined the BDs team on professional diving and conservation from Divemasters to Instructors levels. We also have trained a team of 11 people from the fire department in Inhambane, students from Eduardo Mondlane University, a group of Tofo residents with diving experience they had experience of being underwater.

3 Community outreach Village talks made Bitonga Divers well known along the communities even the ones that we have not been yet as they already have heard about Bitonga Diver`s work. Some people have attended our talks by following along and walked long distances to meet our team and attend our talks. The talks target all range of ages. When we started, only 15 to 20 people would appear in our village presentations, today we get more than 200 people attending our talks. We even had to reinvest in a new sound system to ensure all participants can hear properly. We now also get invitations from the representatives from both the communities that we have been already and the ones that we have not. They want Bitonga Divers` team to bring educational messages and energy to their people as they know is very important to everyone. This shows us how effective and relevant our work is to the people in the communities. BITONGA DIVERS PROGRAMS COMMUNITY EDUCATION TO CONSERVATION PROFESSIONAL SCUBA TRAINING HOPPING FOR THE GOOD CHANGE Marine species Mozambican coastline is very rich in marine species, we have from the smallest fish to biggest fish in planet. This resources remained untouched for long time due to colonial regime followed by 16 years civil war that Mozambique suffered. Since the civil war was over, Mozambique became holiday destination due to its interesting history and good people. In the last few years we have observed Scuba Diving tourism raising up. Scuba divers want to dive with Turtles, Mantas, Whalesharks, whales among others and our waters offer all these. Mozambique has about 2800km of coastline and people of which 33% leave along the coast and depend on the ocean for sources of income and food. Very little is known about Scuba Diving and the touristic value of these resources by the communities. Bitonga Divers mission is to teach the communities about Professional Scuba Diving, to respect and value Marine resources so that people can fit in today`s change and, get better benefit from our marine resources.

4 New Bitonga Divers instructors,assistant instructors and Dive Masters We are proudly celebrating one more time that Bitonga Divers members have just successfully completed their courses: two instructors, two assistant instructors and a Divemaster. It is good to become a Dive Instructor, it makes you feel good, feel different, because you have to work hard so you can become one but, you know when you are BITONGA DIVERS Only one Mozambican instructor in 2007 Four instructors and four divemasters in 2010 Ten Instructors and Divemasters in 2011 We are looking to increase these numbers next year. DIVING. We use our village talks in the communities as recruitment to our new candidates for the professional dive training. Scuba diving is a very new activity for mozambicans, fact that makes our recruitment difficult. instructor you carry a big responsibility of teaching others how to dive safely, I will do it because I have commitment with Bitonga Divers says Ornelo Maunde. English language is fundamental since the books are all in english and after the students finish the courses they will be looking for jobs in the tourism industry. Therefore we need our candidates to have basic english skills. We now came up with new ideas for the future, our diving candidates will also undertake english courses. This way we ensure that their english skills are good enough to fit in the industry. Anybody can scuba dive but not everybody can be professional, you have to love diving first and love what you do if to be doing it everyday. I am not an instructor yet, I am only a divemaster: I love leading dives and I know I will be an instructor one day. All we have to do is to work together as a team, teach more mozambicans how to dive and we will all get jobs says the Divemaster Raphael Cidonio.

5 Research Damboia Cossa and Alima Taju, two post-graduate students in Aquatic Biology and Coastal Ecosystems from Eduardo Mondlane University, UEM (Maputo, Mozambique) have been working on their thesis research concerning the health of coral reefs. Their studies are being conducted at two rocky reefs located on the Inhambane coast, southern Mozambique. The reefs were chosen for comparison due their health conditions, one of them for being pristine and full of life (Buddies Reef) and the other heavily damaged by fishing activities (Anchor s bay). Damboia Cossa Damboia is studying the influence of herbivorous fishes on macroalgae communities. Although grazing is well documented for coral reefs, there is little information on the reefs of southern Mozambique, where rocky substrate dominates the sea bottom. Thus, this study will be an important contribution for the management of reefs in this area. In order to analyze grazing activity by two herbivorous fish families (Acanthuridae and Scaridae), she is carrying out an experiment on both reefs using two kinds of experimental cages, one closed by mesh to exclude fishes and other open to fish grazing, as a control. After 4 months, the percentage of algae cover will be determined for both treatment. Halima Taju. Alima is studying fish cleaning stations in order to determine the importance of cleaning species for client fish health in regional reef ecosystems. Cleaning interactions have been studied intensively and the ecological relevance and importance of cleaner species in marine systems has been demonstrated, but few studies have been conducted along the Mozambique coast, and so little is known about cleaning interactions in this region. Alima is currently carrying out her research to assess how the presence of cleaning stations correlates with reef fish diversity, abundance and habitat structural complexity, and then comparing the two reefs. To conduct their research, Damboia and Alima rely on the support of Dr. Almeida Guissamulo (UEM), Bitonga divers (Carlos Macuacua and Lobo Malate), researchers from Marine Megafauna Foundation, Blue Footprints Eco- Lodge and Ocean Revolution.

6 Bitonga Divers general assembly Bitonga Divers in now officially registered as a provincial association. The assembly took place at Tofo-Tofo restaurant in Tofo with the presence of all members, Mozambican Scuba Divers and non divers including the newest members that wanted to join with Bitonga Divers team. The assembly was opened by a presentation of all participates followed by a presentation by Carlos Macuacua on what BD has done up to date and how to organize and perform a village talk so you can get attention of everyone in the communities. President: Carlos Macuacua. Followed by elections. Members were elected by votes and they got the official title and started with their lead responsabilities. Vice president: Anabela Muchanga. Board members Secretary: Augusto Macuacua. Treasure: Fred Maunde. Fiscal: Orcidio Malate. Chairman: Andreotti Lacoste. Vice chairman: Ornelo Maunde. Secretary: Carla Guicome.

7 Gender 73.0 Gender Men Women % % Gender News Letter March to June Nulla facilisi: BITONGADIVERS CONSERVATION PROGRAM Pellentesque eu aliquet vel. Vitae vehicula lobo rtis. Ultricies mole stie libero dignissim id mauris, mus nec tempus lorem. The goal is to teach the people about better understanding of marine resource`s conservation and to get local people involved in industry of diving tourism, for the sustainable use of the ocean and better life for the people. In this period of time, we have Population interviewed disagregated by Gender (%) W LOREM IPSUM 36.3 Women Men 63.7 % Of interviewed that have participated at Bitonga Divers talks. Women Men Total This is the inquiry that Bitonga Divers did in the communities that we have been working. We interviewed a range of people from the age of 15 to 40 years old, men and women in some villages that we have given talks. We did this inquiry to find out the knowledge level of the people in the communities that we have been working with, and to identify the communities that need more talks among the ones that we have been. Results shows that people get the massage, they are leaning something about the conservation of our marine resources, which is Bitonga Divers concern, even though lot have to be done, this work have to continue more and more in these communities so it becomes hobby for the youngsters. The graphics also shows that, GUINJATA is the community that we have to work more, considering the size and population of it, though we did more talks on it than others, results still not good compare to remanning communities. We need to see more Manta Rays, more Sea Turtles and more Sharks in the ocean as final results of Bitonga Divers work, but this will take more time and more work. We had to start from somewhere, we did and we will carry on with this work. been doing lot of work in the communities along the cost line, communities in which the people live Bitonga Divers says, we can all use the same locations, it is just time to get together work heard on Number of interviewed in each Village we worked Level of knowlage/participation at Bitonga Divers talks on artisanal fishing as the main job. Over many yeas people have been living in that way. Today it happens that the same fishing locations they have been using for such long time they are the same Scuba Diving locations. Now, this is a big problem! Fishermen say divers should not dive on those locations, and divers say fishermen should not fish there! sustainable fishing and conservation. Since there is no law enforcement from the government side for the protection of the marine resources neither sustainable fishing in our area, we have to stand up and do something before is too late. Tourism is growing fast in Mozambique, specially in Inhambane where these conflicts are happening and marine species are decreasing Singing and dancing with the kids in local schools makes Bitonga Divers well known by the Publications Siquiriva Maunza Guinjata Paindane Total [8] Women Men Total They have participated at Bitonga Divers talks They have heared about Bitonga Divers work due to fishing pressure. kids in the area. Bitonga Divers work has appeared on a couple of press publications and TV such as NOTICIAS (Mozambican news pepper), Cart Blanch TV in South Africa and a couple of magazines. We had THALASSA (a French TV crew) following our Bitonga Divers team to one of our village talks as part of their documentary series about small initiatives from the indigenes people contributing to make difference around the world. Carlos Macuacua was invited to a TV show called TUDO AS 10 ontvm (Mozambican national TV) to talk about Shiver, a documentary featured Carlos about illegal Shark fishing and the consumption of shark meat by the communities along the coastline of Mozambique and to talk about Bitonga Divers work. [see SHIVER online go to http-//vimeo.com/ weblog]

8 Bitonga Divers supporting the local soccer team. As we know from our work with the various communities that we have been working with, soccer games are one of our main tools that we use on getting people to our village talks. Therefore we organize soccer matches, where different communities get together in one soccer field and battle for a prize that Bitonga Divers provides, right after the games are over, the talks start. That makes our talks very powerful in the communities. Soccer is the only entertainment most communities have since they are in very remote areas and have no electricity. Bitonga Divers is been supporting MAR CLUB, the Tofo local soccer team formed by Tofo youngsters. They started by playing soccer in Tofo beach every afternoon. BD has joined the team and offered them a help, action that was very much welcomed by the team MAR CLUB. Recently Bitonga Divers bought a set of soccer jerseys and shorts with the name of Bitonga Bivers printed at the back. Now this action changed the position of this team since they were not allowed to play with another teams in the communities because they had no jerseys and own soccer field apart form the beach. BD is in process to help them getting their own soccer field. We were surprised by how big and relevant the inaugurating ceremony of this equipment was. On this ceremony they invited all the chiefs from different communities around Tofo, Bitonga Divers` team and another local soccer clubs to witness this big event. Beautiful messages were read by the chiefs and MAR CLUB, many thanks were sent to Bitonga Divers from donating this set of equipment. We also used this opportunity to give our regular village talk and we showed Blue planet film to everyone. For more info, questions, comments or suggestions find us on: facebook bitongadiver@gmail.com

9 Acknowledge Many many thanks to our sponsors: Blue Footprints Eco Lodge & Dive Centre Tofo-Tofo restaurant