Strengthening community-based protection in Torotorofotsy Ramsar wetland

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

In the continuation project phase the protection of the Torotorofotsy Ramsar Wetland will be intensified together with the local communities and environmental administration in the rainforest area of Madagascar. The wetland obtained official protection status during the previous project period in 2015 since it inhabits a significant diversity of endemic and endangered animal and plant species. The wetland is threatened by rice farming of the local and migrant people, rapid population growth and a large mine close by. Torotorofotsy has an important role in preservation of biodiversity, in preventing erosion and climate change and securing of regional water supply. In a long run the destruction of the wetland would hinder climate change adaptation and would deteriorate food security of the local population. The main goal of the continuation project is to proceed with the community based conservation of the Ramsar wetland particularly from its buffer zone in a participatory way. The coordination of wetland core area conservation was assigned by the state to a Madagascan NGO Asity in 2015 and therefore this continuation project will concentrate on the buffer zone where our partner Mitsinjo operates. The needs of the growing population living around the wetland put constant pressure to the conservation of the core area the reason for which it is vital to support the beneficiaries living in the buffer zone with alternative income generation activities. With our partner organisation Mitsinjo we continue to promote the use of sustainable and diverse farming methods, environmental education, awareness raising and possibilities for alternative income generation activities. We support local democracy and grass-roots level advocacy work as well as advocate on a national level in order to impact the root causes of the challenges of Torotorofotsy wetland conservation. The main beneficiaries of the continuation project are the members of Mitsinjo, local communities around Torotorofotsy, schools and local and regional authorities. The activities include workshops, trainings, events, awareness raising, advocacy work and networking.