Creation of a museum of the sea and artisanal fishing

Sao Tome and Principe is an archipelago of islands located 350 km from the Gabonese coast. The marine and coastal ecosystems of this 1,000 km² country are threatened by industrial and artisanal overfishing. MARAPA is one of the most active and effective NGOs in the Sao Tome archipelago and the only one concerned with the marine environment.

This NGO has already benefited from 2 PPI (phase 1 and phase 3) which have both provided good results: fishing is now framed by measures for the sustainable management of fish stocks, monitoring of marine turtle spawning is carried out and a reception hut has been installed, (Casa Tatô), in Morro Peixe (in the north of the island, about 35 km from the MARAPA headquarters), and a place of accommodation for tourists, (the Jalé Ecolodge), has been rehabilitated in Porto Alegre, (south of the island). On the two sites, a tourist activity of observation of cetaceans has been developed.

This project proposes to enlarge the “Casa Tatô” to make it a museum dedicated to the sea and to artisanal fishing for Santomeans and visitors to the country. Casa Tato received 150 tourists in 2013 but the visits are short given the limited information available on site; The extension of the museum will therefore make it possible to better secure tourists on the spot and thus create income opportunities for other local players, (shops, restaurants, taxis). It will also consolidate the conservation programs of the NGO MARAPA with a dedicated space for NGO teams (office and accommodation for volunteers).