Beneficiary of annual grants from FAPBM since 2022, the marine reserve of Ambodivahibe (Northern Madagascar) hosted a first FAPBM monitoring and evaluation mission. Serge Ratsirahonana, FAPBM, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, was accompanied by Hanta Zo Rakotovao, FAPBM Trustee and President of the Audit Committee.
This first mission focused on collecting data at T0 for the indicators to be monitored. To measure the impacts of its funding, FAPBM’s indicators relate to the state of conservation, community development and resilience to climate change of the protected area. Quasi-scientific data collection is therefore required to ensure the reliability and completeness of the data.
For ecological data, related to the conservation status of the marine protected area, a snorkeling was conducted with local communities to assess their methodology. This field trip opened a discussion on capacity building of the management team by the National Ocean Research Center (NRC).
Regarding data on local populations, Ambodivahibe benefited from the support fund for the strengthening of new protected areas (FAR-NAP) to complete and structure the socio-economic database already obtained, in November 2021. The results of the study conducted will form a basis for monitoring.
Extending over 39,794 ha, the protected area of Ambodivahibe, now called 7 bays, is home to coral reefs, mangroves and river mouths, sea grass beds and deep bay. The principles of sustainable fishing applied in the protected area have improved the living standards of local fishermen. Since 2022, Ambodivahibe has benefited from FAPBM annual grants thanks to a capital endowment from the French Development Agency (AFD), intended to sustainably finance new protected areas in the North after the KOBABY project was closed.
