Madagascar's first community-run marine protected area ^Featured

Original project description

A partnership between the local community, international NGOs and research institutions aims to demonstrate the economic, conservation and fisheries benefits that can arise from establishing Madagascar’s first community-run Marine Protected Area (MPA).
The village of Andavadoaka, and its offshore islands represent some of the most remote and biodiverse coral habitats in the western Indian Ocean. The poverty-stricken Vezo population is entirely dependent on marine resources for subsistence and family income. Octopus constitutes the largest portion of marine life harvested in the region, caught through a fishing technique that is destructive to the underlying reef habitat. Fisheries data and observations from fishermen now indicate that octopus is overexploited.
The partnership is working with the Andavadoaka community to implement Madagascar’s first experimental community-run Marine Protected Area, developing management solutions to help sustain the traditional artisanal fishing economy as well as minimise the environmental impacts of human activities on the region’s marine and coastal environments.
In an effort to preserve the local octopus population and to increase the size (and value) of octopus caught in the region, an entire reef flat was declared an octopus no-take zone from November 2004 for a period of six months. The closure followed meetings with local stakeholders and was supported by a local law introduced specifically to protect the no-take zone.
The MPA project is also working to develop alternative sources of income, in particular ecotourism, aimed at generating revenue for the community and for the local management of the initiative.

Current project updates

Last updated: 18 August 2009

Andavadoaka was very successful and the initiative was then replicated in several villages that together form the Velondriake (to live with the sea) community-run Marine Protected Area (MPA) network. Following on from the success of Velondriake MPA network, the partners are now working with 23 villages to develop a network of community-run marine and coastal protected areas that will span more than 800 square kilometres and protect coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds and other threatened habitats along Madagascar’s south-west coast.
The partnership has also received funding from the African Development Bank in order to promote further the sustainable development of fisheries to benefit the MPA along another 300 kilometres of coastline through replication and expansion of the Velondriake model.

The results of the expansion include:
• significantly increased participation of the local population involved in community outreach work and protecting areas, from 1200 in 2005 to about 10,000 in 2007-8
• a marine conservation scholarship programme, and funding for about 100 scholarships in local primary and secondary schools, all provided by the partnership
• developing alternative livelihoods, including a programme for sea cucumber mariculture
• introducing a carbon emissions reduction programme
• introducing a family planning service.

The lessons learned have led to the introduction of new fisheries legislation by the Malagasy government and the SEED Winner is now working with the Malagasy Fisheries Ministry to continue to expand its approach to other communities.

2008 ended with further recognition of the success and importance of the work being carried out by the partnership with the presentation of the 2008 J. Paul Getty Award for Conservation Leadership to M. Roger Samba, president of the Velondriake Committee. The Velondriake model is also gaining international recognition with the recent establishment of programmes in Fiji and Malaysia where Blue Venture, one of the main partners, will adopt a similar technique of working with the local communities.

Growth plans description

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Current Needs

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