By BBC Africa<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In much of the Far East, sea cucumbers are a delicacy, fetching a high price for their purported health benefits. In Tampolove, a tiny windswept village of mud huts and sandy paths squeezed between the coast and the forest in south-west Madagascar, they have provided a major boost to the local economy and environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The village is home to\nthe country’s first locally owned sea-cucumber farm, which has been\ntransforming the lives of people who have typically earned no more than a\ndollar a day, while at the same time helping to alleviate the pressure on\nmarine species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sea\ncucumbers belong to the echinoderm family, along with starfish and urchins, and\ncome in all shapes and sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They spend their days\nburied in silt, emerging at night to feed, sifting through the sediment for\nparticles, a practice that provides an essential filtration service that\nbenefits the wider ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n