The present project integrates the call topic of collaborative research emphasizing emerging issues under the Quality of Life (QoL) concept, including technical and scientific sustainable international cooperation in the field of marine biodiversity conservation and adaptation. The project aims at increasing knowledge of ‘peixinho’ (little fish, Sicydium bustamantei) in São Tomé e Principe (STP), directly used as fishery resources. This project intends to make the ‘peixinho’ case study, an example for other fisheries with threatened goby fry in many tropical islands; and take advantage of the resources spent, studying the biodiversity in nearshore and riverine areas. We will expand existing initiatives and ongoing collaborations to lead to scientific and technical capacity building in STP, at the University of São Tomé e Príncipe (USTP) and NGO Mar Ambiente e Pesca Artesanal (MARAPA), in close articulation with Portuguese partners, namely University of Algarve (UALG) and Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR), that is the coordinator of the project. This consortium also relies on other NGOs (Associação Programa Tatô, Fundação Príncipe) and STP Governement Agencies (Direção das Pesca – DP, Direção Geral do Ambiente – DGA) as informal partners.

The means and technical expertise are still insufficient to assess the impacts and enforce protection measures on this endemic species. Local communities depend strongly on this species (and others) for sale and consumption, without any monitoring of fisheries. Thus, there are imminent threats to the conservation, then monitoring biodiversity, improving environmental quality and the developing alternative livelihoods, are urgent to increase the QoL in STP.