Validation of the Mangabe management plan at national level
Madagasikara Voakajy
Engaging key stakeholders to update the management plan of Mangabe Protected Area
After obtaining the permanent status of the Mangabe Protected Area in 2015, the first management plan was developed and implemented. In August – December 2019, we already ran community consultations on what should be included in the new management plan. In 2021, we ran three workshops to update the management plan. The first workshop involved MV team members and the regional representatives of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. The aim of this workshop was to write the updated management plan and to prepare the following workshops. Following the protected area management law, the updated management plan was presented, discussed and approved at regional level on 19-20th August 2021 involving regional and local authorities. In the end, Madagasikara Voakajy team made relevant changes according to the feedback received. Then, to comply with the law, the management plan was validated at the national level during a meeting of the protected area management committee on 22nd October 2021. The updated management plan includes the valorization of natural resources and improvement of human well-being. After doing relevant changes from participants ’feedbacks, the updated Mangabe management plan was ready to share with relevant authorities on January 2022.
To update the management plan, active participation of all stakeholders is the main key enabling factor for this building block. All communities and stakeholders (regional and national) were involved in developing the management plan. All their inputs and feedbacks were considered and included in the updated management plan.
The update of Mangabe management plan made us reflect on having sufficient data. For instance, regarding social data, we did not have the trends of the population numbers living around the Protected Area. We also did not monitor other social aspects including health and schools. Even though our teams go to the field regularly, there is a lack of data for mapping such as rivers, villages, and trails. This serves us as lessons to create a database on social, economic, and ecological aspects when the five year management plan is over. The management plan plays an important role when seeking funds to implement the activities and it is also a reference tool for assessment.