Blue Carbon for Coastal Resilience and Community Development in Madagascar
Our project will work to combat deforestation by regenerating Madagascar’s mangroves for a sustainable future. From anthropogenic activities like timber and charcoal production, the country has been deforested at an alarming rate, with over 6,500 hectares of mangroves in Madagascar getting lost annually. The restoration efforts prioritize replicating the natural composition of the mangrove species found in the adjacent mangrove forests to maintain species diversity, enhance habitat complexity, and support a wide range of ecological functions. This approach will contribute to the overall health and resilience of coastal habitats.
Sofia, Melaky, and Diana, Madagascar
Project Location: Sofia, Melaky, and Diana, Madagascar
Methodology: Afforestation & Reforestation of Degraded Mangrove Habitats
Standard: Verified Carbon Standard
Current plantation: 27,500 HA
Future Expansion: 40,000 HA
Communes involved: 16
Villages Included: 50+
Sustainable mangrove restoration is ensured through strong community engagement and a multi-faceted planting approach. Baseline studies identify optimal restoration areas, followed by extensive consultations with community members, local leaders, and state services for collective action. Key aspects include community nursery management, planting campaigns to boost seedling production, ensuring sustainable livelihoods through apiculture, agriculture, fishing, and eco-tourism, and training in leadership, financial literacy, and resource management, particularly for women and youth.
An estimated half the community members involved in this program are women. These women are involved in nursery management as well as during planting and monitoring. The program encourages more women participation in the livelihood programs such as silk production, beekeeping/honey production, ecotourism and other market based activities. The program also works with energy by providing access to solar based electricity in the hamlets, which directly affects the ability of women to participate in income generating activities.
The program facilitates marine based community livelihood programs such as silk production, bee keeping, eco tourism, sustainable seafood among many other such livelihood interventions.
This program works with thousands of local indigenous community members to deliver large-scale mangrove reforestation. This reforestation will enable almost 20 million tCO2 to be removed from the atmosphere. This program is a true example of community-powered climate action at scale.
This initiative will facilitate biodiversity conservation by enabling restoration of critical marine ecosystems offering habitats to a range of endemic species. The program also works with sustainable fishing and supply chains which in turn will work with local communities on minimizing risks to the fragile ocean ecosystems.
The program brings together the federal government, local government agencies and grassroot local leaders at village level to deliver this large-scale restoration solution. This is a first for Madagascar and promises to be a case study on community leadership. The program apart from being a restoration program also works with elements of education, sanitation, access to energy and alternative livelihoods at local levels, which is all facilitated by partnerships across all levels of governance.
An estimated half the community members involved in this program are women. These women are involved in nursery management as well as during planting and monitoring. The program encourages more women participation in the livelihood programs such as silk production, beekeeping/honey production, ecotourism and other market based activities. The program also works with energy by providing access to Solar based electricity in the hamlets, which directly affects the ability of women to participate in income generating activities.
The program facilitates marine based community livelihood programs such as silk production, bee keeping, eco tourism, sustainable seafood among many other such livelihood interventions.
This program works with thousands of local indigenous community members to deliver large-scale mangrove reforestation. This reforestation will enable almost 20 million tCO2 to be removed from the atmosphere. This program is a true example of community-powered climate action at scale.
This initiative will facilitate biodiversity conservation by enabling restoration of critical marine ecosystems offering habitats to a range of endemic species. The program also works with sustainable fishing and supply chains which in turn will work with local communities on minimizing risks to the fragile ocean ecosystems.
The program brings together the federal government, local government agencies and grassroot local leaders at village level to deliver this large-scale restoration solution. This is a first for Madagascar and promises to be a case study on community leadership. The program apart from being a restoration program also works with elements of education, sanitation, access to energy and alternative livelihoods at local levels, which is all facilitated by partnerships across all levels of governance.
Plantation Group Member
Madagascar, Africa