The Madagascar Protected Areas and Biodiversity Fund (FAPBM), currently the largest biodiversity conservation trust fund in Africa, and its main implementing partner, Madagascar National Parks (MNP), chose to participate in the 6th Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) Symposium on March 7, 2023 to share that Madagascar is open to investment in its people and nature. The two organizations were respectively represented by Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana, President of the FAPBM Board of Trustees, Alain Liva Raharijaona, Executive Director of FAPBM, Aroniaina Rajaonarivo, Head of Operations of MNP, and Liliane Parany, Project Manager of MNP.
They called for more investment in Madagascar, building on the system of 123 protected areas in Madagascar, which the government has put in place to preserve critical places for nature. Their speeches emphasized (i) the sustainable financing mechanisms proposed by FAPBM (ii) the expertise of protected area managers, (iii) the collaboration between the Government and other stakeholders through the Madagascar Coalition for Protected Areas, which provides an enabling context for investment in nature and people.
The 6th GLF Symposium also provided a unique opportunity to learn from other participants about innovative financing mechanisms relevant to Madagascar – information that will be shared with other members of the Coalition for Protected Areas. The coalition includes experts who have generated many successes for environmental and people in Madagascar.
FAPBM, a reference partner when investing in Madagascar
Conservation trust funds are, to date, the most sustainable financing mechanism for biodiversity protection. The Madagascar Protected Areas and Biodiversity Fund is a good example. Created in 2005 by WWF, Conservation International, German and French development agencies, and the Malagasy government, FAPBM manages 139 million USD in capital and provides a critical source of sustainable financing for 64 of Madagascar’s 123 protected areas in 2023, covering 5,600,000 hectares of unique biodiversity and productive ecosystems. Madagascar National Parks was established in 1991. It is one of the coalition’s partners. An independent association under Malagasy law, it has been mandated by the Government to manage protected areas. Today, it works with communities and government partners to manage 43 protected areas, or 30% of Madagascar’s protected area network!
For the past 19 years, FAPBM has been entrusted by major bilateral and multilateral donors with three main missions: i) to use capital gains from investments to support the operation of protected areas, ii) to manage grants for biodiversity projects implemented by thousands of Malagasy experts and communities in Madagascar, and iii) to monitor the performance of the funded protected areas. The long-term objective of FAPBM’s financial assets is to generate an annual return of 4% net of all expenses over rolling periods of seven to ten years. The most recent annual report estimated the performance at 6.25%.
The need for sustainable funding was particularly illustrated when tourism income collapsed completely during the COVID-19 pandemic and the government struggled to support the many affected sectors. FAPBM was able to fill in the gaps so that MNP could continue its critical work AND was able to provide emergency funding to fire-fighters- risking their lives to save critical forest heritage.
This is great news, of course, but it’s also why FAPBM and MNP welcomed the GLF’s opportunity to learn about new sustainable funding solutions. There is much more good news to share from Madagascar, but it is not well known outside of the organizations that are achieving it.
The Madagascar Coalition for Protected Areas
Few stakeholders in Madagascar are joining forces and have set up the Protected Areas Coalition. Through the Coalition, different organizations are gradually aligning their communication efforts with a new narrative demonstrating the essential values of biodiversity protection and collaboration with local communities and leaders.
The coalition was launched by the Ministry of Environment of Madagascar at the CBD COP15 in Montreal. It is a platform of experts who are implementing solutions for Madagascar’s needs through Protected Area management – the agents of change. Together, the coalition members will now intensify their efforts to significantly strengthen the support of Malagasy political and private sector leaders for all 123 protected areas in Madagascar’s protected area system. Because the coalition partners have excellent in the country and a lot of relevant local knowledge, they offer an excellent and effective path for experts and donors to invest in Madagascar.
Despite Madagascar’s deteriorating economic situation, compounded by prolonged drought and severe cyclones, many Malagasy heroes work every day to preserve critical natural resources. These heroes ensure on a daily basis that mangrove forests, rainforests and dry forests continue to thrive and support the numerous ecosystem services for the people and economies of the population. All that remains is to amass the financial resources and political will to amplify the successes of coalition members and numerous communities across the country’s network of 123 protected areas. Madagascar simply needs more investment for the coalition members.
Madagascar, a worthy investment
With such an enabling environment, investing in Madagascar to protect biodiversity and support local communities will be the best decision any organization can make. The private sector and governments can invest in the Malagasy expert organizations that protect and manage so many critical places across the country AND their essential ecosystem services, so that these unique places provide a model for integrating conservation with Madagascar’s sustainable development. FAPBM proposes various funding mechanisms to support protected areas.
Investing in community resilience and sustainable and effective natural resource management at the local, regional and national levels will help ensure the main ecosystem services. Many local livelihoods and economies depend on them. Integrating climate resilience in both soft- and hard infrastructure around these critical protected areas will therefore significantly improve the conditions for sustainable economies and the rural population’s livelihoods. Through these investments, the barriers to effective co-management will be eradicated, paving the way to self-reliant rural and coastal communities and to a sustainable Malagasy economy.
