Stewards of the Coastline: 2025 State of Coastal Community-Managed Areas in the Southwest Indian Ocean

The report evaluates 52 community-managed areas (CMAs) across Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tanzania using the Elinor tool. It finds that while 30% of CMAs have made substantial progress toward equitable governance, 40% are in early stages and 30% have made minimal progress. Key challenges include weak operational capacity, limited funding, and gaps in inclusive decision-making. The report argues that secure tenure and clearly defined rights are essential precursors to effective management and positive ecological and social outcomes.

• Governance progress across the 52 assessed CMAs is highly variable: approximately 30% (n=14) have made substantial progress toward equitable governance and effective management, 40% (n=21) are in early stages, and 30% (n=17) have made minimal progress.
• There is a strong positive correlation between governance scores and conservation outcomes; CMAs with higher perceived ecological and social outcomes consistently score higher across all eight Elinor governance attributes.
• Operational capacity is a critical weakness across the region, with 47 of the 52 CMAs facing substantial budget and staff constraints, leaving them heavily dependent on time-bound NGO and donor funding.
• Progress toward inclusive and equitable management is mixed, with nearly half of the CMAs in early development stages, often due to a lack of clearly defined rights or limited community influence over policy design.
• Enforcement systems are generally insufficient across the region, frequently lacking graduated sanctions and hindered by gaps in monitoring, control, and surveillance.
• Capacity for adaptive management is severely lacking, with only four CMAs (two in Madagascar and two in Tanzania) demonstrating effective systems for responding to social and ecological changes.
• While ecological outcomes are perceived as positive in 21 of 52 CMAs (particularly in Madagascar and Tanzania), social outcomes are lagging, with only 18% of CMAs reporting significant progress in improving income or household well-being.
• Governance scores tend to improve during the first four years after a CMA is established, but progress typically stalls after five years, suggesting systemic barriers to further strengthening local governance.

APA

Epstein, G., Andrachuk, M., Mahajan, S., Arnold, Z., Awadh, A., Junior, S., Kawaka, J., Komen, A., Lebepe, B., Lovasoa, D., Mabandla, M., Mahumane, I., Maina, G., Medard, M., Nicolas, T., Njeri, C., Obura, D., Odhiambo, G., Ojwang, L., ... Xavier, M. J. (2025). Stewards of the Coastline: 2025 State of Coastal Community-Managed Areas in the Southwest Indian Ocean. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/216/3k4y2duybz_WWF_SWIO_Elinor_Governance_Report_Web.pdf

Chicago

Epstein, Graham, Mark Andrachuk, Shauna Mahajan, Zephania Arnold, Asma Awadh, Sinezio Junior, Joan Kawaka, et al. Stewards of the Coastline: 2025 State of Coastal Community-Managed Areas in the Southwest Indian Ocean. WWF International, 2025. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/216/3k4y2duybz_WWF_SWIO_Elinor_Governance_Report_Web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Epstein |first1=Graham |last2=Andrachuk |first2=Mark |last3=Mahajan |first3=Shauna |last4=Arnold |first4=Zephania |last5=Awadh |first5=Asma |last6=Junior |first6=Sinezio |last7=Kawaka |first7=Joan |last8=Komen |first8=Ann |last9=Lebepe |first9=Bokamoso |display-authors=etal |title=Stewards of the Coastline: 2025 State of Coastal Community-Managed Areas in the Southwest Indian Ocean |publisher=WWF International |date=2025 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/216/3k4y2duybz_WWF_SWIO_Elinor_Governance_Report_Web.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{epstein2025stewards, author = {Epstein, Graham and Andrachuk, Mark and Mahajan, Shauna and Arnold, Zephania and Awadh, Asma and Junior, Sinezio and Kawaka, Joan and Komen, Ann and Lebepe, Bokamoso and Lovasoa, Dresy and Mabandla, Monalisa and Mahumane, Ines and Maina, George and Medard, Modesta and Nicolas, Tanguy and Njeri, Caroline and Obura, David and Odhiambo, Geoffrey and Ojwang, Lenice and Petersen, Samantha and Rakotondrazafy, Vatosoa and Rambahiniarison, Joshua and Rasolofomanana, Lilia and Rasolozaka, Tojo and Ravelona, Maafaka and Samoilys, Melita and Small, Monica and Thoya, Pascal and Valdivia, Abel and Xavier, Milton Jose}, title = {{Stewards of the Coastline: 2025 State of Coastal Community-Managed Areas in the Southwest Indian Ocean}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2025}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/216/3k4y2duybz_WWF_SWIO_Elinor_Governance_Report_Web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }