Some key figures and picturesTotal number of received applications : 76Female candidates: 27Male candidates: 49Successful applications: 23 (including 7 women)Lecture hours : 30Practical work hours: 20Number of requests for EEA renewal: 48Overall evaluation rating : 3.9 / 5

Southern Summer SchoolVulnerability of Coral Reef Heritage

(EEA VulPaRe)

1st edition 20-29 October 2014 IH.SM, Toliara (Madagascar)

2nd edition: 2016 (dates and venue to be confirmed)

First results from the test asking participants to indicate three words associated with the term "heritage"; EEA 1st day - 45 participants

For further information, please send a message to : eea.vulpare@ird.fr

Future perspectives

New edition of EEA 2016New location / field site

Pedagogical improvementExtension of targeted audience

Establishment of the VulPaRe researcher network

Participants to EEA ©IRD –EEA VulPaRe

On school benches ©IRD –EEA VulPaRe

Field trip – St. Augustin ©IRD –EEA VulPaRe©IRD - L. Massé

e-mail: eea.vulpare@ird.frFacebook page : Eea vulpareMoodle : https://moodle.umontpellier.fr/login/index.php?authCAS=NOCAS

What is EEA VulPaRe ?

The VulPaRe Southern Summer School (EEA from its French version) is a research/training school intended for PhD students and researchers coming from different disciplines (marine biology, law, geography, economics, anthropology, etc.). The EEA summer school aims at broadening the multidisciplinary work on the vulnerability of the coral reef heritage;a first edition of the summer school was held in Toliara (Madagascar) from 20 to 29 October 2014.

Origins of EEA

Initiated under the PAREGO Regional Pilot Program (Heritage, Resources, Governance) of the "Institut de Recherche pour le Développement" (IRD), the first edition of the EEA VulPaRe summer school was organized by the IRD and the "Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines" (IH.SM).

EEA VulPaRe objectives

- Implementation of a multidisciplinary approach on the vulnerability of the coral reef heritage.- Disciplinary decompartmentalization to promote a systemic approach that is essential to environmental management.- Exchanges between senior researchers and young researchers (doctoral and post-doctoral) of Southern and Northern countries.- Acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge on the concepts of vulnerability and natural/cultural heritage concerning a specific case study (the southwest coast of Madagascar for the EEA VulPaRe 2014).

Participants

23 participants were selected for the EEA VulPaRe 2014 from a total of 76 applications: 14 Malagasy, 4 French participants (from Réunion Island), and other 4 coming from mainland France (a Mahorais, a Colombian, an Ecuadorian, a Comorian and a French) .The selection criteria focused on participants’ motivation and interest in multidisciplinary practice.In the selection process, candidates from francophone islands of the Indian Ocean got priority over other candidates.

Financial supports in 2014

RESOI Feder-Réunion, AUF, IFM, AIRD, PPR Parego (IRD)Costs: 45 000 € own budgets excluded

OrganizationOrganization committee of the EEA VulPaRE 2014 : Christian Chaboud, Marie-Hélène Durand, Jocelyne Ferraris, Jamal Mahafina, Lola Massé, Catherine Sabinot, Georgeta Stoica.

Organization committee of the next EEA VulPaRe : Danilo Garcia Caceres, Esméralda Longépée, Zamil Maanfou Maturaf, Toltra Odilus Boudi, Andry Rasolomaharavo, Georgeta Stoica, Gildas Todinanahary, Taylor Veriza.

VulPaRe Scientific committee : Lionel Bigot, Christian Chaboud, Marie-Hélène Durand, Jocelyne Ferraris, Marc Léopold, Jamal Mahafina, Jean Maharave, David Obura, Catherine Sabinot.

Summer school planning and training approach (20-29 October 2014)

The first edition of this training/ research school was held at IH.SM Toliara (Madagascar) in 2014 and was structured in disciplinary (biology, ecology, fisheries, geography, economics, anthropology) and thematic teaching days (exploitation and use of coral reefs; territorialisation, heritage and heritage processes; assessment methods and concepts) followed by field activities. Working group sessions, critical-readings and debates were also proposed to participants.

In order to stimulate and sustain the educational and scientific exchanges, a Moodle learning platform has been developed and made available to all the participants. This platform contains all the courses that have been given, a rich bibliography, various syntheses and reports of activities carried out and it is also a communication and information portal. Access to the Moodle platform will be open to future editions of the EEA VulPaRe in order to capitalize the different experiences and serve as a point of exchange between different generations of VulPaRe fellow students.

Lecturers

The supervision and the theoretical courses of the EEA 2014 were ensured by 19 Senior Lecturers coming from different disciplines and working for IRD, IH.SM, the University of Montpellier or the University of La Réunion.

Students’ proposals for the next summer school

The EEA-VuPaRe students were very satisfied with the original experience offered by the summer school. Nonetheless, they suggested the following improvements:- Reduce oral presentations length and give more space for debates / discussions.- Include students’ work presentations in the theoretical part.- Give more place to fieldwork and practical activities.- Balance the theoretical presentations intensity: strengthen the biological and environmental aspects compared to the economic and anthropological social aspects.

Field study sites

Reflections on the thematic of the summer school were explored starting from three case studies concerning the villages of Sarodrano, Saint Augustin and Anakao, located on the southwest coast of Madagascar, along the Great Reef of Toliara. Field visits have included underwater observation activities, interviews with local officials, coral reef users andfree observations. Results were analysed and used to prepare collective reports for each site and support an analysis of the representations of the coral reef heritage realized by the participants of different disciplines.

The three field study sites were chosen for logistic reasons and their contrasting characteristics: development of new fisheries, seaweed farming, sea cucumber breeding (Sarodrano), touristic settlements (Anakao), reef pollution and sedimentation, relationship between farmers (land based) and fishermen (Saint Augustin).

Characteristics of the field study sites

Sarodrano village- characterized by the presence of dunes and a coral reef complex including barrier reef and fringing reef in the south part;- development of seaweed and sea cucumber farming;- low development of tourism;- experience and local based management of MPAs.

Anakao village- presence of a fringing reef and a reef cay (Nosy Ve),- good health of reefs as proved by the presence of indicator fish;- increasing fishing pressure during the last years;-recent development of touristic activities;- presence of environmental NGOs that protect the Nosy Ve island, which is also a place for ancestral sacred rituals (March, August);

Saint Augustin village- village located at the estuary of Onilahy river and at proximity of the river Andoharano;- coral reefs are absent in this area but the presence of the estuary offer an important fishing zone for shrimps that are one of the site characteristics;- inhabited by fishermen and land-based farmers .- administrative importance (rural municipality)

According to all the participants, students and researchers, the EEA VulPaRe was a real success. This experience should be renewed in the near future taking into account that coral reefs are very important to local people and presently they face global changes that affect the coastal zones.

©IRD - L. Massé