Environmental research

The island of Rodrigues remains relatively undeveloped and the economy is based mainly on agriculture, livestock and fisheries with over one third of the workforce employed in these sectors in 2010 (Central Statistics Office, 2011). The incidence of poverty in Rodrigues is 30.2%, which is well above the national average of 12% (Republic of Mauritius, 2010) and the fisher communities are amongst the poorest on the island (Lynch et al., 2001). Catches of octopus and reef fin-fish have declined by approximately 75% over the past 10 years resulting in reduced earnings and impacting the livelihood of fishers on Rodrigues. Global climate change related impacts (e.g. sea water temperature increases, ocean acidification, sea level rise and increased unpredictability of storms) will place further stress on the coral reef and the coastal communities that depend on reef related fisheries. The village of Baie du Nord is very dependent on fishing as a source of food and income. Surveys in 2009 showed that 61% of households in Baie du Nord included fishers; fishing constituted 53% of the employment activities and there was a low average diversity of occupations per household (0.86) (Stead et al., 2009). This high dependency on fishing means that the community in Baie du Nord is particularly vulnerable to global climate change. During a community workshop held in Baie du Nord, participants highlighted declining catches due to overfishing, increasing seawater temperatures (coral bleaching), changes in the tides and sedimentation infilling the lagoon as current threats to their fishing activities, whilst changing seasons, a decrease in the availability of water and poor health of livestock also affect agriculture in the village. The proposed project will therefore work with the fisher community of Baie du Nord to help them to prepare for the potential consequences of climate change. A Coastal Vulnerability Assessment will first be used to aid communication and future coastal planning in the vicinity of the village. New farming activities (growing vegetables and rearing sheep) will be established in order to diversify livelihoods and reduce the community s dependency on fishing and the problem of lack of water will be addressed through the provision of rainwater harvesting tanks. These activities are all in line with the current government s development priorities which will ensure the long-term sustainability of the actions. 1.0 RATIONALE 1.1 Community/Ecosystem Context The village of Baie du Nord is situated on the north-west coast of Rodrigues (Figure 1). Approximately 300 - 350 people live in the village in 150 - 225 houses. They are engaged mainly in fishing and agriculture (planting crops and raising livestock). According to the participants at the recent project planning workshop, there are around 125 - 150 people in the village who fish either on a full or part-time basis. Surveys in 2009 confirmed the high dependency on fishing and showed that 61% of households in Baie du Nord included fishers (Stead et al., 2009). Fishing constituted 53% of the employment activities, which is higher than average for the island (35% CSO, 2011) and for the other villages along the northern coastline (Stead et al., 2009). This heavy dependency on fishing is also reflected in the low average diversity of occupations per household (0.86) (Stead et al., 2009). The fishers of Baie du Nord continue to fish due to a lack of alternative sustainable livelihood options, but also due to low levels of education (just 4.68 years) (Stead et al., 2009) which further marginalises their access to alternative employment opportunities. The majority of fishers are men and unlike in other parts of the island, there are very few women fishers. In addition to fishing, each house has its own garden for growing vegetables, beans and maize. Surveys in 2000, found that the mean monthly income in Baie du Nord was just Rs 2,743 (approximately US$89); 86% of octopus fishers had no other form of income and 57% were the sole earners in their family (Lynch et al., 2001). The houses in Baie du Nord are typical for Rodrigues and constructed with cement walls and concrete roofs. The majority of households have electricity (97%), but some still also use generators (10%), indicating a high dependency on non-renewable energy sources. Furthermore only 90% have piped domestic water and less than half of the houses have flush toilets (45%), while the rest use outhouses (55%) (Stead et al., 2009). (a) (b) (c) Figure 1: (a) Map showing the location of Baie du Nord, the proposed project location on the north-west coast of Rodrigues; (b) Baie du Nord; and (c) resource use patterns in Baie du Nord. Fishing is carried out mainly on the coral reef but also within the lagoon and shallow off-lagoon areas depending on the species being targeted. The fishers catch reef fish using hook and lines, basket traps and seine nets and also target octopus, squid and prawns. The fishers comment that the reef is degraded by coral bleaching and fishers trampling on the reef whilst searching for octopus; they also state that there are less fish in the sea now due to overfishing. Within the lagoon, high sedimentation is also thought to have caused a decline in fish and recently, cyanophytes (blue-green algae) have been observed floating on the surface of the water making a foul smell. Two Marine Reserves have been established in the vicinity of Baie du Nord: Grand Bassin and Passe Demie in

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