Ma Honkô

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+

Species

Avicennia Marina

Sonneratia Alba

Rhizophora Mucronata

Ceriops tagal

Bruguiera gymnorrhiza

Blue Carbon for Collective Coastal Resilience for the Red Island

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.

Meeting Social Goals through Blue Carbon

Under SDG 5: Gender Equality, women actively participate in mangrove reforestation, nursery management, and monitoring while engaging in livelihoods such as silk production, beekeeping, and eco-tourism. The program also provides solar electricity, enabling greater income-generating opportunities for women.
Gender Inclusion at Scale
Aligned with SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, the program promotes sustainable marine-based livelihoods, including silk production, beekeeping, eco-tourism, and sustainable seafood initiatives, ensuring long-term economic benefits for local communities.
Alternative Livelihoods for Stewardship of the ‘Blue Economy’
Highlighting SDG 13: Climate Action, thousands of indigenous community members drive large-scale mangrove reforestation, projected to remove nearly 20 million tCO2 from the atmosphere, showcasing scalable community-powered climate action.
Blue Carbon Removals at Scale 
Supporting SDG 14: Life Below Water, this initiative restores critical marine ecosystems, creating habitats for endemic species while promoting sustainable fishing practices to protect fragile ocean ecosystems and support local communities.
Marine Biodiversity Conservation
Reflecting SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, this program unites federal and local governments with grassroots village leaders to deliver large-scale mangrove restoration. It integrates education, sanitation, energy access, and livelihoods, fostering multi-level partnerships in Madagascar.
Collective Action for Marine Protection

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.

Gender Inclusion at Scale
Under SDG 5: Gender Equality, women actively participate in mangrove reforestation, nursery management, and monitoring while engaging in livelihoods such as silk production, beekeeping, and eco-tourism. The program also provides solar electricity, enabling greater income-generating opportunities for women.

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.

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Real Stories, Real Change

Laurent's Story

The mangroves have changed a lot. It’s really not like before. We replant them due to cutting and low survival rates, which is changing our shores. Marine fauna is also undergoing a change. It could not multiply earlier but that is starting to change little by little. Fishing has also benefitted because of it. We caught almost nothing before. Since the gradual return of the mangroves, changes have come little by little.

Laurent

Plantation Group Member

Madagascar, Africa