Gender Analysis and Gender Action Plan

The report analyzes systemic gender inequalities in Madagascar, specifically within the Diana, Manambolo-Tsiribihina, and Mahafaly seascapes, to inform a Gender Action Plan for the management of Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs). It identifies that while women are central to nearshore harvesting and household food security, they are largely excluded from formal governance, high-value offshore fishing, and strategic decision-making. The Gender Action Plan sets specific targets, including a 30% minimum female representation in governance bodies and 50% participation in training, while proposing strategies for gender-responsive budgeting, leadership training for women, and the engagement of men to shift discriminatory social norms.

• Madagascar exhibits significant gender disparities in human development, with women facing limited access to education and high rates of malnutrition. The country ranks 173rd out of 191 in the Human Development Index (2022), and women spend 14.6% of their time on unpaid care work compared to 2.8% for men.
• In rural Madagascar, women are significantly marginalized in conservation governance; research indicates they are seven times less likely than men to participate in conservation governance and 17 times less likely to influence resource-management decisions.
• Gender roles in the three target seascapes are strictly divided: men dominate high-value, high-risk offshore fishing and strategic decision-making, while women are restricted to nearshore gleaning, fish processing, and reproductive labor.
• Women face severe barriers to resource control, particularly regarding land tenure. Although law guarantees equal rights, customary norms favor men, and many women lack formal land titles, especially single mothers.
• The project identifies a risk that conservation activities could inadvertently marginalize women by restricting access to natural resources critical for their subsistence or by allowing men to capture a disproportionate share of project benefits like funding and equipment.
• The Gender Action Plan establishes a target of at least 30% female representation in governance bodies and decision-making processes, and a 50% target for women's participation in training and consultation processes.
• To ensure sustainability, the project will implement gender-responsive budgeting and financing, including the Marine Conservation Resilience Fund (MCRF), to ensure women-led organizations are not excluded due to structural disadvantages.
• The project aims to shift social norms by engaging men and boys in dialogues regarding positive masculinities and the redistribution of unpaid care responsibilities.

APA

WWF International (n.d.). Gender Analysis and Gender Action Plan. https://assets.worldwildlife.org/www-prd/documents/ESSSupportingDocument_GBFF_MadagascarGender_analysisGAPFinalSept_52025_1.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. Gender Analysis and Gender Action Plan. n.d. https://assets.worldwildlife.org/www-prd/documents/ESSSupportingDocument_GBFF_MadagascarGender_analysisGAPFinalSept_52025_1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=Gender Analysis and Gender Action Plan |url=https://assets.worldwildlife.org/www-prd/documents/ESSSupportingDocument_GBFF_MadagascarGender_analysisGAPFinalSept_52025_1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternationalndgender, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{Gender Analysis and Gender Action Plan}}, institution = {WWF International}, url = {https://assets.worldwildlife.org/www-prd/documents/ESSSupportingDocument_GBFF_MadagascarGender_analysisGAPFinalSept_52025_1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }