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“To live with the Sea” Development of the Velondriake Community - Managed Protected Area Network, Southwest Madagascar
Abstract
Madagascar’s southwest coast supports some of the largest
coral reef systems in the western Indian Ocean. These reefs
not only provide critical habitat to thousands of marine species
but also are essential to the survival of the indigenous Vezo
people who rely on healthy marine resources for food, transport,
cultural identity and income. However, coastal populations are
growing rapidly and international fisheries companies have
begun exploiting the region’s waters through a sophisticated
collection network to supply an expanding export market. In
recent years local fishers have begun reporting declines in the
size and number of their catches.
Building on the success of a pilot marine no take zone
launched three years ago in the remote fishing village of Andavadoaka, Blue Ventures Conservation (BV), Madagascar’s Institute of Marine Sciences (Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines – IHSM) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) are now working with 21 neighbouring villages, and fisheries collection and export companies to develop a network of community - run marine and coastal protected areas that will
span more than 800 km2, aiming to benefit more than 10,000
people and protect coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds
and other threatened habitats along Madagascar’s southwest
coast. The villages, grouped into three constituent geographic
regions, have established a management committee which
serves as a liaison between conservation scientists and community members, providing input and insight into all phases of conservation planning, from research activities to implementation of management plans. The management committee also selected a unifying name for the network: Velondriake, which means “to live with the Sea.”
Along with protecting biodiversity and livelihoods, the
network is working to increase environmental awareness among
communities, expand local and national capacity for biodiversity
conservation and serve as a model for other community
conservation, economic development, and governance initiatives
across Madagascar and elsewhere. Velondriake aims to
benefit villages within the network by empowering members
of the local communities as managers of their own natural
resources, enabling communities to contribute directly to the
development of sustainable resource management systems to
support local culture and livelihoods. Additional benefits are
being brought to local partner organisations and institutions through the capacity building resulting from involvement of their
staff in the project and the improved availability of data, lessons
learned and best practice guidelines.
coral reef systems in the western Indian Ocean. These reefs
not only provide critical habitat to thousands of marine species
but also are essential to the survival of the indigenous Vezo
people who rely on healthy marine resources for food, transport,
cultural identity and income. However, coastal populations are
growing rapidly and international fisheries companies have
begun exploiting the region’s waters through a sophisticated
collection network to supply an expanding export market. In
recent years local fishers have begun reporting declines in the
size and number of their catches.
Building on the success of a pilot marine no take zone
launched three years ago in the remote fishing village of Andavadoaka, Blue Ventures Conservation (BV), Madagascar’s Institute of Marine Sciences (Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines – IHSM) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) are now working with 21 neighbouring villages, and fisheries collection and export companies to develop a network of community - run marine and coastal protected areas that will
span more than 800 km2, aiming to benefit more than 10,000
people and protect coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds
and other threatened habitats along Madagascar’s southwest
coast. The villages, grouped into three constituent geographic
regions, have established a management committee which
serves as a liaison between conservation scientists and community members, providing input and insight into all phases of conservation planning, from research activities to implementation of management plans. The management committee also selected a unifying name for the network: Velondriake, which means “to live with the Sea.”
Along with protecting biodiversity and livelihoods, the
network is working to increase environmental awareness among
communities, expand local and national capacity for biodiversity
conservation and serve as a model for other community
conservation, economic development, and governance initiatives
across Madagascar and elsewhere. Velondriake aims to
benefit villages within the network by empowering members
of the local communities as managers of their own natural
resources, enabling communities to contribute directly to the
development of sustainable resource management systems to
support local culture and livelihoods. Additional benefits are
being brought to local partner organisations and institutions through the capacity building resulting from involvement of their
staff in the project and the improved availability of data, lessons
learned and best practice guidelines.
