On April
21, the Malagasy Government granted permanent protection to 27 protected areas,
including the country’s first three community-led marine protected areas: Soariake
Marine Park in the island nation’s southwest, and Ankarea and Ankivonjy Marine
Parks in the northwest. The three marine parks are located along the west coast
of Madagascar in what is known as the Mozambique Channel, home to the world’s
second-most diverse coral population. Together with the government and local
communities, WCS has worked in these three sites over the last five years to
develop and establish a new model for marine protected areas in Madagascar
using a community-driven, science-based approach.
“As the
fifth largest island in the world, Madagascar is home to vast marine
ecosystems,” said Mr. Liva Ramiandrarivo, Director of Conservation,
Biodiversity and Madagascar’s protected area network in the Ministry for
Environment, Ecology, Oceans and Forests. “Thanks to the leadership of the
Ministry for Environment, Ecology, Oceans and Forests, and after significant
efforts in the field with our partners, WCS, and the Ministry of Aquatic
Resources and Fisheries, we are very proud to announce today the permanent
protection of the first three marine protected areas in the country that were
developed with, and which will be managed in collaboration with, the local
community.”
Said Dr.
Cristián Samper, WCS President and CEO: “We commend the Malagasy Government for
creating these three newest marine protected areas and for supporting the
United Nations Aichi Targets to protect 10 percent of the world’s marine
habitats. I can think of no better way to celebrate Earth Day than protecting
the world’s irreplaceable wildlife heritage.”
Madagascar’s
marine biodiversity supports 10 million people in some of the poorest
communities in the world, including over 100,000 artisanal fishers who live
near the coast and rely on healthy marine and coastal ecosystems for food,
revenue, and livelihoods. With their threefold objective of biodiversity
conservation, poverty alleviation, and enhancement of the sustainability of the
fisheries, these three new marine protected areas place local communities at
the center of decision-making and management processes.
“With this
model, we have evidence that protected areas benefit not only biodiversity but
also local communities by ensuring their food security, bringing much needed
additional revenues to local fishermen as well as by empowering them,” said his
Excellency Hery Rajaonarimampianina, President of Madagascar, at the 2014 IUCN
World Parks Congress in Sydney.
“Madagascar
is known for its incredible terrestrial wildlife, especially its iconic lemur
species found nowhere else on earth. However, with a total marine area
twice the size of its terrestrial area, its diverse marine resources are
equally impressive,” said Alison Clausen, Country Director of WCS’s Madagascar
Program. “The government’s decision to safeguard these vital resources with an
expanded marine protected area network that includes a new model of
community-led marine protected areas is good news for both the people of
Madagascar and the world. WCS looks forward to working with the Government of
Madagascar to facilitate the rapid uptake of this model to the growing
Madagascar marine protected areas network.”
Ankarea,
Ankivonjy, and Soariake Marine Parks together total some 1,210 square miles in
size, an area slightly smaller than Long Island Sound, representing a two-fold
increase in total marine protected area coverage in Madagascar.
These marine parks protect some of the most diverse coral populations of the
planet, and Soariake Marine Park contains one of the biggest reef systems in
the world. The parks protect important nesting sites for marine turtles and
critical habitats for diverse, abundant, and endangered cetacean populations (including
humpback whales, blue whales, sperm whales, and beaked whales). Ankivonjy and
Ankarea Marine Parks represent some of the few remaining refuges in the Western
Indian Ocean for dugongs, whale sharks, and the Critically Endangered sawfish
and Madagascar fish eagle.
In these marine parks, coral reefs, mangrove habitats, and megafauna species
such as marine mammals, sea turtles, whale sharks and manta rays are protected,
marine resources can be sustainably harvested by local communities, and
large-scale fishing operations are prohibited to avoid depletion of resources
and secure local livelihoods. In addition, biodiversity hotspots and important
cultural areas are protected through more than 100 square miles of no-take
zones.
In addition
to conserving biodiversity, the marine parks protect cultural heritage and
promote sustainable socioeconomic development to contribute to poverty
reduction. “Strategies to achieve these objectives include the empowerment of
local people, enhancement of locally existing natural resource management
systems, increased environmental awareness, the implementation of relevant
monitoring and law enforcement systems, and alternative or improved livelihoods
activities to reduce poverty while reducing both fishing effort and people’s
dependency on fisheries,” said DrAmbroiseBrenier, Marine Technical Director of
WCS’s Madagascar Program. “This is precisely what we have been doing for the
past few years with local communities, government, and private and NGO partners
such as GRET (Professionals for Fair Development) in Ankivonjy and Ankarea
Marine Parks and WWF in Soariake Marine Park.”
“We applaud
Madagascar for taking a leadership role in the conservation of the Western
Indian Ocean, a global hotspot for marine biodiversity,” said Dr. Caleb
McClennen, Executive Director of WCS’s Marine Program. “Increased marine
protected areas like these that provide no-take zones with adjacent sustainable
fisheries management are essential for the long term health of our oceans.”
The Wildlife Conservation Society has been helping the world discover
and conserve our oceans for over a century. WCS engages in ocean protection,
sustainable fisheries, and marine species conservation across the waters of 23
countries and all 5 oceans.
On Thursday, June 11, 2015, WCS will host its annual black tie Gala reception
and dinner at the Central Park Zoo. The evening will celebrate WCS's vital role
in protecting vulnerable marine species off the coast of New York and around
the globe and provide critical support for WCS's parks, education, global
health, and global conservation programs. For more information or to purchase
tables and tickets, visit wcs.org/Gala<http://wcs.org/Gala>.
About the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through
science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature.
VISION: WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and
seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and
integrity of life on earth. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the
Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in more than
60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New
York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in
the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: www.wcs.org;http://www.facebook.com/TheWCS; http://www.youtube.com/user/WCSMedia Follow:
@thewcs.
