case studies undp: association of manambolo natives, madagascar

7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ASSOCIATION OF MANAMBOLO NATIVES, Madagascar

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Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities

Madagascar

ASSOCIATION OFMANAMBOLO NATIVES(FITEMA)

Empowered live

Resilient nation


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UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES

Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that wo

or people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth

their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practition

themselves guiding the narrative.

To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser

that details the work o Equator Prize winners vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succ

to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models

replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence to The Power of Local Action: Lessons from 10 Years

the Equator Initiative, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.

Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiatives searchable case study database.

EditorsEditor-in-Chief: Joseph Corcoran

Managing Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding

Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe

Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,

Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Brandon Payne, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu

DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Lorena de la Pa

Brandon Payne, Mariajos Satizbal G.

AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Association o Manambolo Natives (FITEMA), and in particular the guidance a

inputs o Ramaly Antoine (FITEMA President). All photo credits courtesy o FITEMA. Maps courtesy o CIA World Factbook and Wikiped

Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2012. Association of Manambolo Natives (FITEMA), Madagascar. Equator Initiative Case Stu

Series. New York, NY.
http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=casestudysearch&Itemid=858


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PROJECT SUMMARYThe Association o Manambolo Natives (FikambanannyTeraki Manambolo - FITEMA) has used the reintroductiono an indigenous land use system to help conserve orestsand wetlands in the 7,500-hectare Manambolo Valley aorest corridor which joins the Andringitra and RanomaanaNational Parks while improving ood security or localcommunities. The valleys orests are home to a high numbero endemic species and also provide critical ecosystemservices to around 200,000 residents o ve neighbouringdistricts, including timber and non-timber orest products,

water regulation, and watershed protection.

The organization works on orest restoration through theestablishment o nurseries with local tree species, includingthe native Ravenea madagascariensis palm. The group hasalso constructed irrigation inrastructure and is guided in itswork by a commitment to the ull participation o its targetcommunities.

KEY FACTS

EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2002

FOUNDED: 1993

LOCATION: Manambolo Valley, Madagascar

BENEFICIARIES: 12 communities; 1,300 households

BIODIVERSITY: 7,500-ha forest corridor

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ASSOCIATION OF MANAMBOLO NATIVES(FITEMA)Madagascar

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background and Context 4

Key Activities and Innovations 6

Biodiversity Impacts 8

Socioeconomic Impacts 8

Policy Impacts 9

Sustainability 10

Replication 10

Partners 10


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he Association o Manambolo Natives (Fikambananny Teraki

Manambolo - FITEMA) is a community-based natural resource

management initiative which reestablished a traditional, indigenous

and use system in order to ensure the ecological connectivity o

he Andringitra-Ranomaana orest corridor and the viability o its

umerous ecosystem services. By helping local armers to double the

roductivity o their rice elds, FITEMA has succeeded in preventing

urther destruction o this important orest corridor, contributing to

he protection o endemic biodiversity and to the ood security o

ocal communities.

A hotspot for biodiversity and endemic species

Madagascar is a micro-continent which is home to thousands o ora

nd auna species, approximately 80 per cent o which are unique

o the island. The Malagasy moist orest eco-region is made up o

orest ecosystems ranging rom sea level to 2,600 meters in altitude

with typical habitats including littoral orests, lowland orests, mid-

ltitude orests and mountain vegetation. The ora o this eco-

egion comprises ve o the six amilies endemic to Madagascar and

7 out o 209 known genera. The auna is composed o ancient and

iversied lineages including at least one quarter o all primates in

he world.

he initiative is named or the Manambolo River, the main river

riginating in the orest, which passes through the majority ohe villages where local people live. The Manambolo Valley is

ocated between the Andringitra National Park to the south and

anomaana National Park to the north. This 7,500 ha orest corridor

rovides an unbroken chain o intact rainorest which is situated in

ianarantsoa Province on the steep slopes o the Central Highlands.

Due to anthropogenic deorestation, the majority o the remaining

orests are located on the peaks. Nevertheless, the remaining ora

ave retained their mid-altitude moist orest characteristics with a

redominance o endemic species such as tree erns (cyathea spp.)

nd ebony wood (albergia spp. and diospyros spp.) and many others.

imilarly, the characteristic auna includes about hal o the ying

mammals o Madagascar, thirteen species o lemurs, and 106 sp

o birds.

These remaining orests in the Manambolo Valley are o ca

importance not only or the survival o endemic species but als

the well-being o the local population or whom the orest prov

essential services such as timber and non-timber orest prod

water regulation and watershed protection. The lives o n

200,000 people (living in the ve districts targeted by the initia

depend on the sustainable management o the orests and o

resources in this corridor. Most o the people living in this area

subsistence armers who grow rice in the ooded and irrig

lowlands and ood crops in the hills.

Prior to the colonization o Madagascar by the French, the u

natural resources in the Manambolo Valley was governed thro

the traditional Dina system. The Dina is a system o rules

regulations used in isolated regions o Madagascar to guide

control resource use and community behavior. These rules w

passed orally rom generation to generation over centuries.

French colonial administration did not recognize the Dina a

was replaced with the establishment o the Department o W

and Forests which was charged with overseeing natural reso

management. Having lost their status, the village elders ha

legal avenue through which to manage the resources that

traditionally been in their control, and overexploitation proceedan alarming rate both by villagers and by outsiders. In the mid 19

villagers approached the World Wildlie Fund (WWF - now know

the Worldwide Fund or Nature) seeking assistance. This led to

creation o the Association o Manambolo Natives, or Fikamba

Teraki Manambolo (FITEMA). WWF project personnel (who were

living in the local community) acted as intermediaries to re-o

communication between village residents and the Departme

Water and Forests. The ultimate goal was to establish a harmon

balance between human needs and the protection o na

resources in the region. The project began helping local resid

to re-establish and legalize the Dina in order to regain contr

Background and Context


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heir resources through traditional management methods, whereby

lders make decisions ater consulting their ancestors. This has been

crucial component in project success, especially in terms o gaining

opular support, as Madagascar is a country where ancestors are

ighly venerated.

inking the National Parks

y this time, there were already many pressures on the regions

orests, namely slash-and-burn agriculture, grazing, orest res, and

legal timber and precious stone operations, which were causing

he loss o this unique habitat or mid-altitude ora and auna. These

ressures were exacerbated by inadequate technical supervision

n the part o the Forest Service and the high illiteracy rate o the

ocal people which orced them to depend on the orests to meet

heir basic needs. These environmental problems were widespread

hroughout the country, and the national government began to

ecognize the high rate o deorestation taking place especially in

nprotected areas and that there was a lack o continuity between

xisting protected areas.

n September 2003 at the World Parks Congress, the president Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, announced his ambitious

Durban Vision which aimed to triple Madagascars protected areas

rom two million to six million ha. WWF supported the government

n identiying suitable locations or these new protected areas which

ncluded the Ranomaana Andringitra Forest Corridor between the

lready established Ranomaana and Andringitra National Parks.

WWF was initially responsible or managing the park but thereater

ranserred the management o this area to the National Association

or the Management o Protected Areas (ANGAP) which has since

ecome known as Madagascar National Parks (MNP).

Reestablishing a traditional management system

Malagasy law provides a legal ramework or the transer o all

enewable natural resources to communities who meet the

equirements as set out by law.WWF worked with FITEMA and

overnment agencies to make the Dina system legally binding.

Approval was sought rom relevant local authorities, nances

were secured, social structures were created and the contract was

pproved by the state. 1,000 ha o government orest land has

ow been legally transerred to local residents or them to manage

ndependently, through the signing o GELOSE (Gestion Locale

ecurise) conventions with the Department o Water and Forests.

As a result, the Dina system is now enshrined in the laws o the

egion and government regulations are imposed only i the Dina is

ot capable o resolving conicts.

Now that Dina has become law, power has been given to

communities to control resources eectively. The Dina ass

sustainability by respecting key unctions o land managem

including timing, quantity, requency and rights o usage. It con

virtually all orest products including honey, wood, eels

craysh. Outsiders can no longer use the orests resources u

authorized by village elders and a system or equitable sharin

resources within the valley has been implemented. As a result o

reestablishment o the Dina system, Manambolo residents now

a common vision or the use o the orest. Instead o being sim

viewed as a source o rst-come-rst-served raw material, the

is now regarded as an important aspect o local heritage, t

managed or sustainable long term use.

FITEMA was ounded in order to ensure the transer o reso

management to local communities and to educate the local pe

about the importance o biodiversity, with a ocus on lemurs,

to actively involve them in its protection. In the beginning

association ocused on the application o the management

which was required by the transer and approved by the Forest Ser

and established a program o ecological restoration. Since achie

their initial objectives, FITEMA has implemented accompanmeasures which were meant to ensure the ood security o

local communities through agroorestry, horticulture, the use

cover crop system, an improved and intensive rice system, and

establishment o a community granary in each village. In this

FITEMA aims to reduce the dependence o target communitie

orest products through the adoption o alternative livelihoods

provide economic benets. Projects are implemented to incr

armers agricultural production while discouraging detrim

practices such as slash-and-burn agriculture. Local commun

have thus been empowered to address their environmental conc

while increasing their incomes, and the local Forest Service has

given material and technical support which urther contribut

the success o the project.

Giving the communities a sense o responsibility over

natural resources has been a central goal o FITEMA. The inten

beneciaries include twelve grassroots communities, or 1

households with an average o six persons per household,

total o 32,000 targeted beneciaries. In addition to suppo

the participating communities in a wide range o environm

and social endeavors, FITEMA publicizes their activities in the w

region and in the international community. Through its va

projects, FITEMA aims to ensure that the needs o uture genera

in terms ecosystem services will be met.

We have decided to restore the forest, to no longer cut down the trees, putting a stop to erosio

and protecting our water sources. Now we are using the area as a nursery for palm trees

Ramaly Antoine, FITEMA President


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6

Key Activities and Innovations

ITEMAs twelve community-based associations are engaged in

orest management based on a simplied management plan which

was established according to the Dina system, which governs

pproximately three quarters o the country. Under this authority,

8,809 ha o the Andringitra-Ranomaana orest (20 per cent o the

orridor orest) is currently managed by local communities who

re trained to sustainably use the land while increasing crop yields.

his type o community management involves the monitoring

nd patrolling o orest areas by the people independently or in

ollaboration with the Forest Service.

ITEMA has also promoted orest restoration through the

stablishment o nurseries o local species in order to reduce thenvironmental pressures on these species while increasing the

ervices rendered to the community. One endemic species o palmravenea madagascariensis) has been particularly targeted in these

eorestation eorts as this species is widely used by the community

or various purposes. Through targeting species that are deemed

aluable by the communities, such as timber and other useul wood

ypes and species consumed by lemurs, the project aims to enrich

he orest and raise its value in the eyes o the local people. The

project also ghts to stave o unwanted or invasive species.

A focus on food security

Additionally, FITEMA helps to increase agricultural productivity byworking with armers not only to improve existing arming practices

but also to diversiy the crops produced. Traditionally, local armers

ad been in the habit o using slash-and-burn techniques in the

atural orests since their own elds were either insufcient in size

or were not productive due to degraded soil quality. It was with this

n mind that FITEMA began to conduct training to encourage the

armers to use their land more intensively by rotating crops (rice-

bean, peas-potatoes, chives) and also to restore soil quality through

he use o cattle manure as ertilizer. The project also supports

he management o 8.7 km o irrigation micro-inrastructure. This

irrigation system is needed or the production o rice, the main st

ood o Madagascar, a crop which requires a large amount o w

As or the diversication o agriculture, FITEMA encourages

production o citrus crops and market gardening. Non-agricul

sources o income such as sh arming, artisanal products

weaving are also targeted or diversication, in the hope o redu

poverty and increasing the robustness o economic activity in

buer villages.

FITEMA also undertakes outreach and education activities in o

to reduce environmental pressures (e.g. slash-and-burn, le

poaching and overharvesting o palm trees) and to improve knowledge o existing laws and management rules. In order to

awareness, FITEMA goes around to the villages, organizing meet

putting up posters and showing lms to the people about the

to protect the environment. In order to get children involved, FIT

organizes drawing and poetry contests and teaches them si

environmental lessons so that they can understand the relevan

the environment to their daily lives.

Innovative responses to deforestation

There are several ways in which FITEMA has shown creativity

innovation in overcoming challenges aced by the commun

First o all, they have implemented a special cultivation sywhich has greatly improved local arming techniques. As mentio

above, FITEMA trains armers in crop rotation and the produc

and use o ertilizers. Additionally, FITEMA employs a type o n

arming called cover crops. Ater minimally tilling the soil (wh

necessary due to its compactness), it is covered with a layer o

or dead plants, preerably with nitrogen-xing legumes, a me

which helps to control weeds while increasing nutrients

retaining moisture in the soil. Motivated armers are selected t

trained in these techniques on plots provided by the commun

These armers then pass their new knowledge onto others who


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o learn the new techniques. This system has been so successul that

t is estimated that more than 85 per cent o local non-members

ave adopted the improved methods, which can be attributed

o transversal diusion, a process by which people copy their

eighbors arming techniques.

Additionally, FITEMAs success in orest restoration can be attributed

o a transplantation method they developed using wild stock.

nstead o having a nursery or orest plants, seedlings are collectedwild in other parts o the orest and replanted in the areas where

eorestation is desired. The success rate o this restoration method

as been above 80 per cent whereas there was little success in seed

ermination attempts in the nursery.

A third area in which FITEMA has shown innovation is in the plan

oravenea, a plant whose trunk begins to develop ater 12 years

is usable only ater 50-60 years. Farmers generally do not like wa

50 to 6o years beore using any resource. In the case oravenea

act that people have agreed to plant it knowing that it will b

long beore they can reap the benets demonstrates FITEM

success in bringing about a change in mentality. The reason

species is targeted in particular is because its brous trunk

withstand inclement weather (e.g. rain and high temperatures)can be used or a variety o purposes. For example, ravenea is use

build granary walls to protect grains since rats are unable to pi

its bers.

If we have succeeded, it is, above all, due to the fact that we took into account the reality of th

situation: We are bad at protecting the forest when our stomachs are empty.

Sylvain Razafimandimby, Manambolo


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8

Impacts

BIODIVERSITY IMPACTS

Through community-based management and monitoring o the

orest, external exploitation o local resources, deorestation, orest

res and erosion have been virtually eliminated and armers have

topped using slash-and-burn arming techniques altogether.

Biodiversity conservation is being achieved through the protection o

both orest and water resouces. Protecting this type o dense, humid,

medium-altitude orest ecosystem has been particularly important

s it constitutes the habitat o certain agship species including the

ree ern (cyathea spp.), ebony (diospyros spp. and dalbergia spp.) and

emur species such as hapalemur aureus, microcebus sp. and eulemur

p. There has been an observed increase in the lemur population,s reported by armers who claim that whereas previously lemurs

were rarely seen, ater implementing the restrictions, they now

ometimes see groups o ve to seven lemurs at a time.

ITEMAs ecological restoration plan has also been quite successul.

This plan was based on assessments o restoration priority needs

n the corridor, leading to the establishment o seedbeds or the

groorestry system and nurseries or orest landscape restoration

n target communities. Nurseries were implemented or uel

wood production (16,000 plants), production o ruit trees (2,000

ruits plants), and production o autochthonous plants or active

estoration within natural orest (45,000 plants). O particular interest

s the increase in the valuable species ravenea madagascariensis inhe orest - 16,000 have been successully planted since 1998.

The participatory communication and environmental education

plan has had an impact in terms o increasing public awareness o

environmental issues. During the implementation o the project,

he populations living within the vicinity o the orest corridor

have become aware o the importance o biodiversity. Peer-to-peer

exchanges have taken place and students o primary and secondary

chools have begun to play a crucial role in the monitoring o lemurs

nd other species. Ater receiving lessons on the liestyles o lemurs,

they take periodic trips to the orest to observe and record cha

in the numbers o lemurs in each observed group. At present

student environmental club boasts 491 members who are act

engaged in spreading awareness o the importance o biodive

especially as it pertains to improving incomes that are depende

orest ecological unctions.

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

Beore the initiative began, armers planted traditional crops o

cassava, beans, Madagascar peanut and sweet potato. Almost

these crops were destined or consumption. As a result o FITEprojects, local armers have been able to more than double

agricultural output enabling them to sell a large percentag

their harvest. This large increase in productivity can be attribut

the adoption o new arming techniques, as promoted by FIT

which include the introduction o more productive varietie

rice, crop rotation and the use o compost to increase soil ert

Improvements in the management o both irrigation m

inrastructure and tanety (grass covered hills) have also taken p

The irrigation micro-inrastructure allows almost all o the 2

villagers in Ambalahosy to benet rom the availability o w

throughout the year and to rerain rom slash-and-burn techni

which had been destroying the orest. Approximately 115 ha o

elds benet rom this improved rice cultivation system. Villahave noted that previously, their rice harvests ed them or

seven months o the year, whereas it can now sustain them

eleven months.

Developing alternatives to deforestation

FITEMA has also promoted new sources o income through

introduction o non-traditional crops such as citrus crops

potatoes, and the establishment o sh arming and beekee

activities. Ater identiying potentially protable sectors, FIT


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assists villagers in learning the required skills, provides material

assistance and contributes to market development. For example,

n the case o beekeeping, FITEMA distributed new, improved

hives and trained villagers in modern extraction techniques to

ncrease the output o honey. Collected honey provided a new

ource o income, selling or a considerable amount in this region

o Madagascar. Each community member has been able to choose

one or more alternative income-generation activity according the

availability o their land. Training has been oered to select groupswho are in turn expected to share this knowledge with others, with

priority being given to single mothers and the elderly. FITEMA has

also encouraged the local people to plant o-season crops (e.g.

potatoes, beans and cabbage) in allow rice elds and participate

n market gardening as a way o adapting to climate change and

ncreasing soil ertility. Because o these diversication eorts, local

evenue has been signicantly increased and ood security has been

mproved. Along with the improved rice cultivation techniques, the

o-season crops have successully reduced the lean period rom

even months to three months.

Collective action and mutual aid

Another way in which FITEMA has improved ood security is by

building a community granary in each village. Normally, each armer

would have his own granary to stock excess rice or other crops.

Farmers without a granary are orced to sell rapidly and at low prices

during the harvest season, later acing ood security problems.

n order to remedy this problem, the armers agreed to build a

communal granary where everyone can stock their harvested

crops (usually rice, peanuts and beans). The usage rules are decided

on as a group, by the members who constructed it. Sometimes,

he members buy the grains to stock and later resell them to the

members (especially during the lean season) at a lower price than

s asked or in the markets or by dealers. This system allows armerso buy grains at competitive prices and to bring in the revenue that

heir associations need to unction.

These income-generation and ood security projects have also

contributed to compliance with environmental regulations. Whereas

he local people had previously been dependent on the orest or

heir daily needs, they now only go there rom time to time to collect

ome ruit and mushrooms.

Using the prize money rom the Equator Prize, which they won

n 2002, FITEMA was able to build two classrooms or the public

elementary school and establish a supply o drinking water or

he village (about 1,400 people). The latter helps to reduce childmortality and to improve maternal as well as general health which

ncreases worker productivity.

FITEMA has had a positive impact on the communities social

organization by promoting a sense o togetherness and respect

or elders, and social conict has been reduced through working

owards a common vision. These concepts have been supported by

trengthening the capacity o members in the local ofces, many o

whom were either illiterate or had attained only a very basic level

o education. WWF provides support by either directly addressing

their illiteracy or by providing reresher courses, and also g

simple training sessions on how to manage an association,

accounting books, draw up annual work plans and keep mee

minutes. FITEMA has emphasized the participation o women w

the association. Since 2008, the number o emale members

doubled. The large number o women within the association

improved their ability to orm social and cooperative groups, lea

to an increased sense o empowerment and improved incomes

POLICY IMPACTS

When the protected area was established, the FITEMA commun

were actively involved in inuencing changes in the boundari

the new protected area, the Ranomaana-Andringitra orest cor

Public consultation was required by law prior to the establishm

o these boundaries, and the FITEMA communities were ab

successully lobby to ensure that pre-existing management p

be taken into consideration. For example, zones where commun

already held the right to use the resources were maintained

were not converted into conservation zones. Furthermore, t

communities have contributed a great deal to the developmo the management plan o this protected area. Thanks to FIT

and WWF Madagascar, the protected status o the Ranoma

Andringitra orest corridor is now eective.

In 2009, thanks to their successul management o orestry resou

FITEMA obtained rom the Forest Service a renewal o their con

to manage the orests or another ten years. The associat

development plan and simplied management strategies help

this regard.

Two representatives o FITEMA are currently members o

Federation o Community-based Organizations, an advisory bod

decision-making regarding the management o the orest cor

between two national parks, Ranomaana and Andringitra.

9


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10

Sustainability and Replication

SUSTAINABILITYDonors to the project have typically made only short-term

nvestments and these donors have changed many times, creating

elationship breakdowns between WWF and the grassroots

ommunities. As a result, the project has been limited in its ability

o consistently monitor changes in deorestation over time. This

monitoring lies thereore with the Forest Service.

Despite these challenges, a certain degree o sustainability has been

chieved through the nature o certain project impacts such as

mprovements in incomes and increased ood security which directly

ect the local way o lie. Once these kinds o socioeconomicenets were perceived by the local people, the incentive structure

hanged and people began to view conservation eorts more

avorably, thus strengthening project sustainability.

he main environmental benet which has been improved over

me is the communities access to water or irrigation and drinking.

urthermore, the communities have become increasingly aware o

nvironmental issues thanks to FITEMAs awareness campaigns and

o the dissemination o scientic ndings, rendering the project more

ustainable. This has been seen by the act that, on the ew occasions

when there was a breakdown in project activities, the momentum to

onserve the orests was maintained by the local people themselves.

Giving the communities this sense o responsibility has made thessociation eective and sustainable.

he key components which make this project sustainable are

nancial resources, human resources, training and capacity building,

ommunity participation and awareness campaigns. Additional

unding is needed, at least in the medium term, or replication and

xpansion o the activity zone which would increase the target

opulation.

REPLICATIONWWF Madagascar works with a wide range o buer commun

within the rainorest region and has been able to replicate

FITEMA model in eight other sites, bringing the total numb

people reached to around 100,000. In communities with which

WWF has been working, there have been both strong and w

points in terms o project accomplishments. They have ound

exchanges between communities are oten the key to succe

replication.

FITEMA requently organizes armer-to-armer knowle

exchanges, an activity that they have ound rewarding as it alcommunities to learn how others have been able to overcome

challenges they are currently acing. It is particularly helpul to

about the new techniques and approaches that others are usin

combine biodiversity conservation with the ght against pover

The main obstacle that FITEMA has experienced when attemp

such exchanges is the nature o short term projects and nan

with goals that can only be attained in the long term. To overc

this challenge, two things are needed: long-term partnerships (

technical and nancial) and community empowerment and

revitalization o interest groups (youth, women and elders).

Since 2002, twelve new grassroots community organizations been ormed in the Ranomaana-Andringitra orest corridor. In

o these cases, a neighboring community was able to receive un

or the establishment o a tourist route, thanks to FITEMAs succ

PARTNERS

The local population has been the most critical partner in ensu

the overall success o the project. Traditional authorities -

notables and elders - have been particularly important in t


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Climate variability has been felt in our communities. They have caused disruptions in crop

calendars. Adaptations to these variabilities are to increase crop varieties (rice, leafy vegetables

cassava) and to plant them in off-seasons.

Ramaly Antoine, FITEMA President

1111

the dissemination and acceptance o WWF messages among

ommunity members. Mutual trust has been established between

he two entities.

ITEMA has also been ortunate to have support rom local, regional

nd national governments. The Ministry o Environment and Forests

as assisted in the coordination o activities under the management

ranser o natural resources and has validated the development

lans and supported the project and communities in the application existing laws and regulations. The regional government has been

esponsible or the development o regional development plans that

ake into account the specicities o the municipalities in which WWF

works. The district chies and town mayors are the representatives

the state in the remote areas where WWF is working. They have

developed, with support rom WWF (especially with regard to

protection o the environment), Communal Development Plans

Technical assistance has been provided by the Multilocal Plan

Committee and USAID who work in the same area and share

same vision as WWF. Ecological and biological inventories have b

conducted in the corridor by the Ecological Training Program w

aimed to support claims o the importance o biodiversity thro

scientic research.

WWF Madagascar has beneted rom nancial support rom va

donors (WWF Switzerland, WWF Germany, WWF Sweden, W

France, WWF U.S. and government agencies) and experts rom

WWF international network.


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FURTHER REFERENCE

Andriamalala, G., and Gardner, C.J. 2010. Lutilisation du dina comme outil de gouvernance des ressources naturelles : leons tir

Velondriake. Tropical Conservation Science 3 (4) pp. 447-472.

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case studies undp: association of manambolo natives, madagascar

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