Building Resilient Marine Protected Areas in Madagascar

1. Building Resilient Marine Protected Areas in Madagascar By Harifidy Ralison 31 January 2008

2. Funded by the MacArthur Foundation • Implementation period: January 2008 to December 2010 • Principal partner: ANGAP

3. Challenges for effective conservation Three challenges to overcome for effective conservation: • MPAs part of a broader sustainable resource management system (b) climate change impacts requires a flexible, adaptive approach to MPA (c) long-term financial sustainability remains an elusive goal for all PAs in Madagascar.

4. About the challenge on Climate change • Imaginative responses needed to address the effects of climate change • Successful conservation: flexible, adaptive management approaches that can identify climate change effects • Approaches must be based on the best science available combined with effective monitoring of well-identified indicators

5. Why this project now? • Madagascar’s adoption of new international norms (such as other IUCN categories) opens door to new and more innovative approaches • Appearance of climate change impacts makes the moment opportune to begin to apply the best science available • Necessity to identify and develop new approaches to financial sustainability at the end of the National Environmental Action Plan (NEAP)

7. Overall goal of the project To identify and apply new, innovative policies and strategies which help to ensure thatthe Nosy Hara Archipelago and the Toliara Reef system have secure long-term funding and are resistant and resilient to climate change and evolving patterns of use, ensuring the long-term maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

8. First attempt to apply specific solutions that help stakeholders to adapt to, or mitigate the impacts of climate change • Condition of success of MPAs: maintain or restore critical biodiversity and manage resources sustainably • MPAs help to protect livelihoods depending on the sea and coasts

9. Four objectives: • Climate change responses are integrated into MPA design and management, and sound monitoring programmes are developed • Key stakeholder capacity to be effective marine/coastal resource managers is strengthened • Feasible sustainable financing mechanisms for Nosy Hara are identified • A knowledge base for marine biodiversity and MPAs is developed and used by all stakeholders as an educational tool

10. MPA design and management contribute to building the resistance and resilience of marine biodiversity • Sound monitoring programs will offer the most relevant methods and indicators • The project will build also upon: • The results and recommendations from this on-going marine biodiversity and livelihood vulnerability assessment • The experience of WWF network

11. Examples of monitoring criteria: • overall and marine resources impacts from climate change and the perceptions of different stakeholders in this respect; (b) the significance of new IUCN/SAPM good governance principles to adapting to climate change through improved management-sharing roles; (c) the effectiveness of measures taken to adapt to or mitigate climate change impacts; (d) the effectiveness of the knowledge base in promoting MPA support and in finding solutions to climate change and sustainable resource management.

12. Monitoring indicators: • basic terrestrial climate data from local weather stations; (b) specific marine biophysical and climate trends such as salinity, turbidity, pH and temperature; (c) biodiversity parameters including coral reef health and diversity, coral fish diversity, coral fish biomass (mostly indirectly from catches) and key species indicators such as turtle nests; (d) pertinence and application of good governance principles and their contribution to climate change adaptation and mitigation.

13. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

14. Major policy implications (a) improved management/coordination skills for MPAs within SAPM; (b) MPA integration into regional land and sea use plans, and thus greater political support; (c) commitments to design and create multi-purpose MPAs that protect critical biodiversity and maintain/improve commercial and subsistence resources; (d) consolidation of MPA values within the Durban Vision process and MAP commitments concerning the environment, and sustainable economic growth.

15. Major outcomes: • Climate change monitoring and responses are integrated into MPA management at the two target sites; • Appropriate good governance principles are adopted and implemented, including management responsibility and benefits sharing; • Resource quantity and quality are stabilized and in the future improved; • Critical habitats and species are maintained or restored; • Sustainable revenues are identified and begin to appear; • Knowledge of MPAs and their value is improved and shared among a wide variety of users and MPAs.