Posted on September, 08 2017

Samson, a young fisherman from southern Madagascar, has been an advocate for the good management of natural resources in his village since his youth. 
 
He was the first chairman of the local awareness-raising committee on the protection of reefs in his village. Due to its initiative, the Ranolaly marine community reserve was set up in 2012 and the Nosy Ve - Androka marine park was created in 2010 with his contribution. Today, he is also a strong leader of the “Vezo mitsinjo ny ho aviny” , a Locally Managed Marine Area, which means ‘”Vezo who take care of their future”.
 
In addition to that, Samson is among the two fishermen who have obtained the Advance Open Water certificate for scuba diving, issued by the WWF Marine Program in collaboration with the Atimoo Club Diving School of Mangily, Toliara.
 
Thus, in 2013, he supported scientists in setting up rotating octopus reserves in the Beheloke fishing zone. One of these reserves today produces more than 500 kg of octopus per year over an area of ​​14 ha. Octopus stocks are now adopted by many villages in the area.
 
Thanks to his skills and knowledge, he also participated in the monitoring of the resilience of the coral reefs in his region with the national experts of the Oceanographic Unit of the University of Toliara in 2014 and 2016.
 
The story of Samson reached Chile, where WWF shared his ongoing commitment at the International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC4), which will take took place from 4th to 8th September 2017.