We had a blast making our first reefballs of 2019!

The reefballs will form an artificial reef which is going to be incorporated into our community-based management work with Boma Subuntuni village near Tanga. Our work with Boma Subutuni is an expansion of our community-based management project with partners Blue Ventures in Unguja, Zanzibar. Coral reefs in the area have been decimated by dynamite fishing over the last decade, so our reefballs will provide vital structure for marine life as shelter and a surface for corals to attach and grow. The reefballs are currently curing in the intertidal zone and will be deployed later in the year.

Our training involved Boma’s Beach Management Unit (village body responsible for coastal resource management decisions), Mwambao and Rustic Pathways team members, and was co-led by Mwambao staff and marinecultures from Jambiani, Zanzibar.

The team are now ready to be joined by students from Rustic Pathways, who are going to learn about critical marine conservation issues and be taught how to construct reefballs.