The phrase malezi mema in Comorian loosely translates to “parenting well.” A fishers’ group of the same name on the island of Anjouan in Comoros is trying to provide a nurturing environment. In their case, for marine life, by creating a small sanctuary in the sea that’s closed to fishing. Ansoya Ahmed, Malezi Mema’s president, told Mongabay during a call that he was inspired by no-take zones implemented in neighboring Mayotte, a French overseas department that’s also claimed by Comoros, and Madagascar. Comoros, an archipelagic nation off the eastern coast of Africa, lies at the mouth of the Mozambique Channel. All of its three main island groups are of volcanic origin and fringed by coral reefs. Scientists consider the reefs in this region some of the richest and most imperiled marine habitats in the world. Branched coral growing over other corals off of Le Galawa Beach in Comoros. Image by Derek Keats via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). About 80% of Anjouan’s coastline is ringed by reefs. In 2021, Malezi Mema set up the no-take zone (NTZ) on the reef flat in the island’s southwest corner with the support of nearly 60 fishers from three nearby villages and the nonprofit Dahari. The NTZ is a speck of ocean just 10 hectares (25 acres) in size, situated inside Shisiwani National Park off Sima Peninsula in western Anjouan. The park, established in 2022, is one of four marine protected areas (MPAs) in Comoros today. All of these MPAs allow some human activities, given…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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