Expanding and consolidating Madagascar’s marine protected areas network

The document details a GEF-funded project to increase Madagascar's MPA coverage from 1.1 million hectares to over 2.1 million hectares. It focuses on three main components: establishing a representative network of protected areas, improving the regulatory environment for MPAs and LMMAs, and enhancing site-level management effectiveness through community-led revenue generation and standardized toolkits. The project emphasizes a co-management approach involving the Ministry of the Environment, Ecology and Forests (MEEF), various NGOs, and local communities to balance biodiversity conservation with sustainable economic development.

• Madagascar has committed to tripling its marine protected area (MPA) surface area coverage as part of the 'Sydney Promise' made at the 2014 World Parks Congress to align with Aichi Target 11.
• The project aims to increase the total coverage of MPAs and eligible LMMAs from the current 1.1 million hectares to more than 2.1 million hectares.
• Marine biodiversity in Madagascar is under high threat from overfishing, collecting and hunting, and sea-level rise, with sharks, rays, and marine turtles identified as the most threatened targets.
• The current regulatory framework for creating protected areas is considered overly complex and expensive, often based on forest management rather than marine-specific needs.
• Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) currently cover approximately 7% of Madagascar's continental shelf but lack a formal national regulatory framework, relying instead on local social codes known as 'dina'.
• A key strategy for sustainability is the development of voluntary cost-recovery mechanisms where a percentage of increased local revenues from sustainable fisheries or ecotourism is reinvested into site management.
• The project will implement a standardized management toolkit for MPAs and LMMAs, including the use of the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) and SMART for tracking illegal activities.
• The total project cost is estimated at 42,480,379 USD, with 6,284,404 USD provided by the GEF Trust Fund and 35,630,379 USD in co-financing.
• Gender mainstreaming is a core requirement, with the project utilizing gender surveys to ensure women have equitable access to economic benefits and decision-making roles in marine resource management.

APA

WWF International (2018). Expanding and consolidating Madagascar’s marine protected areas network. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/962/4ea3sibxdk_Agencyprojectdocument_9546_MPA_Madagascar_Prodoc_12_7_18_track_changes.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Expanding and consolidating Madagascar’s marine protected areas network. 2018. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/962/4ea3sibxdk_Agencyprojectdocument_9546_MPA_Madagascar_Prodoc_12_7_18_track_changes.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Expanding and consolidating Madagascar’s marine protected areas network |date=7 December 2018 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/962/4ea3sibxdk_Agencyprojectdocument_9546_MPA_Madagascar_Prodoc_12_7_18_track_changes.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2018expanding, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Expanding and consolidating Madagascar’s marine protected areas network}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2018}, month = dec, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/962/4ea3sibxdk_Agencyprojectdocument_9546_MPA_Madagascar_Prodoc_12_7_18_track_changes.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }