Madagascar is scaling up efforts to formalize and standardize community-based natural resource management along its coastline, with the launch of a national certification scheme for Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs).
The initiative, delivered under the Pêche Côtière Durable (PCD) Project and financed by KfW, brings together the complementary technical capacities of Madagascar National Parks, the MIHARI Network, and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA) — a partnership model that reflects the growing international recognition of locally led conservation as a cost-effective, scalable pathway to sustainable ocean governance.
The certification framework is built on two pillars: capacity development, with five harmonized training modules delivered by ten trained community trainers across fifty pilot sites; and independent quality assurance, through fifteen certified assessors evaluating performance against seven standardized competency areas under a unified national benchmark. Since July 2026, 15 to 20 sites have entered the assessment pipeline, working toward a target of 60 certified LMMAs by 2027.
By institutionalizing recognition of community-led stewardship, the scheme strengthens local governance capacity, generates verifiable evidence of impact for partners and donors, and lays the groundwork for more structured, accountable dialogue between coastal communities, government authorities, and the region’s technical and financial partners.
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