MOSOTRY in Madagascar

Context

Due to its geographical isolation and the variety of its climates and landscapes, Madagascar has an exceptional biodiversity with a very high rate of endemism. The country is one of the 17 "megadiverse" countries in the world (UNEP, 2000), one of the 9 largest biodiversity "hotspots" globally (Conservation International, 2000), and is considered a priority conservation area because of the large number of species threatened with extinction in the country.

However, the country faces a number of environmental issues, including slash-and-burn agriculture, plastic pollution, soil degradation, and the overexploitation of natural resources. Among these challenges, deforestation is one of the most alarming, with the island having lost 44% of its natural forests since the 1950s (CIRAD, 2019). This is particularly true in the northwest of the country, where ecosystems are under significant human pressure (deforestation and overfishing), linked to rural poverty, migration flows from the drought-affected south, and limited access to sustainable income-generating activities for local communities.

The island is also highly vulnerable to the increasingly frequent impacts of climate change. This vulnerability affects those living in extreme poverty the most, as they rely heavily on local natural resources for their livelihoods. The country has one of the highest poverty rates in the world (World Bank, 2023), and its Human Development Index (HDI) is also among the lowest: 0.528, ranking it 168th globally (UN, 2020). Political instability, weak institutions, corruption, and poor governance are all major obstacles to the country’s economic growth.

The districts of Analalava and Antsohihy are priority intervention areas, given the degradation of ecosystems and the vulnerability of the population to climate change.

Objectives

To restore mangroves and support the development of local economic sectors, in order to tackle the problem of food insecurity in fishing communities linked to the destruction of mangroves.