Building Resilient MPAs in Madagascar
Biodiversity Context and project overall goal
The Nosy Hara Archipelago area lies entirely within the Region of DIANA, some 15 – 30 km west of the region’s capital, the city of Antsiranana.
Apart from the ‘tsingy’ (knife-like pinnacles spectacular landscapes that are among the most scenic in Madagascar ) there is a mixture of rocky shores, beaches and mangroves, shallow waters, numerous rocky seafloor substrates and extensive coral reef formations hosting valuable marine and fisheries resources. This Archipelago is a globally important wetlands area (Important Bird Area by Birdlife International, provisionally proposed as a World Heritage Site, likely to be a future RAMSAR site, etc.).
The southwestern coast of Madagascar supports the third largest coral reef system in the world. Known as the Toliara reef system near the largest city in the southwest, it extends from the north of the Mangoky River (Belo sur Mer) southwards to the village of Androka, a distance of more than 300 km. This region presents a wide variety of marine habitats (barrier and fringing reefs, shallow lagoons and abyssal slopes), and is also one of the very few places on earth where the fabled prehistoric fish «coelacanth».
To identify and apply new, innovative policies and strategies which help to ensure that the Nosy Hara Archipelago and the Toliara Reef system have secure long-term funding and are resistant and resilient to climate change and evolving patterns of use, ensuring the long-term maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The southwestern coast of Madagascar supports the third largest coral reef system in the world. Known as the Toliara reef system near the largest city in the southwest, it extends from the north of the Mangoky River (Belo sur Mer) southwards to the village of Androka, a distance of more than 300 km. This region presents a wide variety of marine habitats (barrier and fringing reefs, shallow lagoons and abyssal slopes), and is also one of the very few places on earth where the fabled prehistoric fish «coelacanth».
To identify and apply new, innovative policies and strategies which help to ensure that the Nosy Hara Archipelago and the Toliara Reef system have secure long-term funding and are resistant and resilient to climate change and evolving patterns of use, ensuring the long-term maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
DIANA Region
Project Data
- Managing Office: WWF Madagascar and West Indian Ocean Programme Office
- Address:
WWF Madagascar and West Indian Ocean Programme Office
B.P. 738
Antananarivo 101
Madagascar
+261 20 22 348 85
Institutional Context and Project specific objectives
As a new MPA still in its design phase, Nosy Hara is an obvious site to establish SAPM’s newly adopted international good governance norms so that all stakeholder interests are catered to, while ensuring effective conservation of biodiversity and valuable ecosystem services.
The combined efforts to date of Madagascar National Parks and WWF (among other efforts: MPA temporary protection status for an area of 183,111 ha for November 07) have already gained the confidence of local communities, the Diana Region authorities and professional tour operators. Nosy Hara will thus allow WWF, Madagascar National Parks and its partners to identify, test and implement new and flexible management designs in a real-life situation. The lessons learned will be applied to the middle and southern sectors of the Toliara Reef MPA by Madagascar National Parks and WWF respectively, and, in turn, are intended to catalyze similar design approaches based on the national good governance principles.
• Climate change responses are integrated into MPA design and management, and sound monitoring programmes are developed ;
• Key stakeholder capacity to be effective marine/coastal resource managers is strengthened ;
• Feasible sustainable financing mechanisms for Nosy Hara are identified;
• A knowledge base for marine biodiversity and MPAs is developed and used by all stakeholders and as an educational tool.
• Climate change responses are integrated into MPA design and management, and sound monitoring programmes are developed ;
• Key stakeholder capacity to be effective marine/coastal resource managers is strengthened ;
• Feasible sustainable financing mechanisms for Nosy Hara are identified;
• A knowledge base for marine biodiversity and MPAs is developed and used by all stakeholders and as an educational tool.
Fisherman leave their boat in the middle of the sea to catch fishes
Kids have fun near fishing line
Achievements
• Building of capacity on resilience assessment (on how to practically take into account the climate change factor in the management of an MPA) of the Nosy Hara MPA managers, Madagascar National Parks MPA managers from Masoala, and Conservation International MPA manager.
• Carrying out of coral reef resilience assessment with CORDIO East Africa.
• Monitoring of coral bleaching along with the MPA ecological monitoring.
• Training on climate witness approach and participatory rural assessment.
• SocMon training of Malagasy MPA managers (MNP, CI and WWF), followed by field practice in Nosy Hara MPA area while undertaking participatory vulnerability assessments.
• Carrying out of coral reef resilience assessment with CORDIO East Africa.
• Monitoring of coral bleaching along with the MPA ecological monitoring.
• Training on climate witness approach and participatory rural assessment.
• SocMon training of Malagasy MPA managers (MNP, CI and WWF), followed by field practice in Nosy Hara MPA area while undertaking participatory vulnerability assessments.
Challenges
• Adjust the MPA management and zoning plans following results of coral resilience assessment, bleaching monitoring and socio-economic participatory vulnerability assessments.
• Continue to strengthen key stakeholder capacity to be effective marine/coastal resource managers.
• Identify feasible sustainable financing mechanisms for Nosy Hara..
• Develop a knowledge base for marine biodiversity and MPAs.
• Continue to strengthen key stakeholder capacity to be effective marine/coastal resource managers.
• Identify feasible sustainable financing mechanisms for Nosy Hara..
• Develop a knowledge base for marine biodiversity and MPAs.