Yussuf Yussuf
Sea cucumbers are members of benthic invertebrate communities occurring in major oceans and seas (Purcell et al., 2016). Traditionally, they are collected by hand, processed and subsequently exported to Asian dry sea food markets as beche-de-mer (To et al., 2012). Ecologically, they play important ecosystem functions such as improving sediment health, nutrient recycling (Uthicke, 2001) and influence ocean chemistry (Schneider et al., 2011). However, in recent decades, the consumer demand for beche de mer has risen, subsequently led to depletion of the wild stocks of many sea cucumber species and degradation of their habitats as a result of increased fishing pressure (IUCN, 2015; Purcell et al., 2018). IUCN has listed 13 species that are currently exploited as threatened (Purcell, 2014; IUCN, 2015) including Holothuria scabra (endangered). H. scabra commonly known as sandfish is a tropical species inhabiting shallow protected habitats ranging from intertidal flat, seagrass beds, mangroves and coastal reefs (Purcell et al., 2012).
Holothuria scabra collected by poachers at Tumbuju village. ©Yussuf Yussuf.
Being more commercial important tropical species, sandfish populations are at high risk to extinction across its geographical range. The species has been severely depleted across Tanzanian coastal waters including Mafia archipelagos (Mmbaga and Mgaya, 2004). Low recovery rate of the species in the area after more than a decade of total moratorium is largely contributed by habitats degradation such as seagrass meadows which are vital during an early development of the species. Various conservation bodies including Mafia Island Marine Park, Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) and World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have worked hard to protect the coastline of Mafia, however, no significant improvement of H. scabra stock and its habitats has been reported. This particular project aims at introducing a bottom-up conservation approach and will mainly focus on isolated villages beyond MPA where over harvesting of H. scabra and habitats degradation have been reported.
Header: Project team assessing seagrass meadow at Chunguluma village. ©Yussuf Yussuf.