The sustainable development of the oceans is the major goal of Blue Economy, integrating marine resources and their uses and the mitigation of environmental risks for increasing the QoL. It is urgent to capacitate local communities with appropriate marine biodiversity management tools to achieve blue growth ensuring sustainability of fisheries and conservation of threatened species and adaptation to global changes. One of the priorities of the project is to produce within 5 years results that could have a meaningful impact in African Tropical islands, and be applicable elsewhere in developing countries and regions, regarding conservation management measures of the potentially threatened species, especially in the particular case of an amphidromous species (‘peixinho’, little fish Sicydium bustamantei). This species is an endemic species of STP and an important fishery resource of the Guinea Gulf islands. Little is known about the biology, ecology, life cycle and fisheries of this species. This proposal intends to do the ‘peixinho’ case study, a big example for other goby fry fisheries in other tropical islands. Moreover, we also intend to take advantage of the resources spent in the study of ‘peixinho’, studying and capacitating local population for biodiversity studies and conservation management measures in nearshore and riverine areas. This project will address two major aspects (Scientific knowledge- Oceanography & Biodiversity; Fisheries & Capacity building for conservation, management & adaptation). The project will include field monitoring surveys, data analyses and modelling, citizen science compiling local ecological information from coastline and riverine users and transmitting information to promote literacy about marine biodiversity. The project will produce databases, and ensure their update and future maintenance, vital for defining, accurately, which species and ecosystems are under greatest threat and what conservation actions need to be applied and producing guidelines to do it. Since there is a heavy reliance on natural marine resources in STP, there is an urgent need for assessing fish stocks, which affect QoL. The expected outcomes of the project include: 1) an improvement in the QoL of local people (surveys of perception, in collaboration with Aga Khan consultant), 2) raise public and government awareness of the importance of marine biodiversity and conservation to STP, as well as the international scientific community, 3) co-author publications with local researcher/technicians, in high profile SCI journals. The project will rely on a strong consortium, already established, including Universities (USTP, UALG), Research Institutions (CCMAR) and NGO’s (MARAPA), in close articulation with local authorities (DGP) and NGO’s (FPT, Tatô), and other research centre (CCEMAR), that share activities, already developed or under progress, namely master thesis supervision and short term intensive courses.