The “Andavadoaka” project aims to establish, together with fishing communities along Madagascar’s west coast, a sustainable traditional fishing system that ensures marine and coastal conservation while improving local populations’ living conditions.
Initial activities in 2004 saw the formation of a consortium made up of the NGO WCS and its public partners (the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Directorate, the Institute for Fisheries and Marine Sciences) and private partners (the tourism operator Blue Ventures Conservation, and seafood exporter Copefrito), which supported the fishing community of Andavadoaka in implementing marine conservation measures. One such measure involved establishing a temporary marine reserve at Nosy Fasy, aimed at improving octopus stocks and ensuring the long-term sustainability of their exploitation by Vezo fishers.
Initially, the project focused on the village of Andavadoaka, home to around 1,200 inhabitants, with fishing generating 71% of income. When the Nosy Fasy marine reserve reopened, fishers from other villages flocked to benefit from it. Having witnessed the size of the octopuses at reopening, other villages progressively asked to be involved in the project.
The project’s objective is to advance to the next stage in the process of establishing the marine protected area, which includes the MPA’s legal creation, and the establishment of its reserve and fisheries management system. These marine reserves will be entirely managed by the beneficiary village communities. This project aims to develop a national model for establishing MPAs through a community-based approach supported by public services, and to build a national network of MPAs.