4&.*b"/ / 6 "- 130 ( 3& 44 3& 10 35

MaintainingBiologicalIntegrityofCriticalBiodiversityHabitats AssociateCooperativeAgreementNo.687-A-00-04-00090-00

JANUARY 1,2008– JUNE 30,2008

This publication was produced for review bythe United States Agencyfor International Development. Itwas prepared byConservation International (CI),Wildlife Conservation Society(WCS),World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)and Association Nationale pour la Gestion des Aires Protégées (ANGAP). Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

PROJECT SUMMARY

ProjectName: MIARO

Projectactivity: MaintainingBiologicalIntegrityofCriticalBiodiversityHabitats

CooperativeAgreementNo.: 687-A-00-04-00090-00

Projectperiod: May17,2004– March31,2009

Implementing Organization: ConservationInternational–Madagascarin partnershipwithW CS and W W F

Reporting Period: January1,2008– June 30,2008

Page 2 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF ACRONYMS ______4 I. Introduction ______6 II. Project Activities______8 ACTIVITIES LINKED W ITH RESULT MODULES ______8 Result Module 1: Ecological linkages established and maintained______8 Result Module 2: Management effectiveness for conservation areas improved ______21 Result Module 4: Sustainable Financing Mechanisms Mobilized and Operational ______26 USAID ALLIANCE ACTIVITIES ______33 III. Problems and constraints encountered ______34 IV. Recommended solutions ______35 V. Discussions of objectives not achieved ______36 VI. Lessons learned______37 VII. Achievement Table ______38 VIII. Next Steps______43

Page 3 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

LIST OF ACRONYMS

ADRA AdventistDevelopmentand Relief Agency AFD Agence Française de Développement ANGAP Association Nationale pourla Gestion des Aires Protégées - Parc National de Madagascar PNM BBOP Business and BiodiversityOffsetProgram BIMP Birdlife International Madagascar Programme BP/BPC Business Planning forConservation C2D Contrat Désendettement Développement CAG ConservationActionGrants CAZ CorridorAnkenihenyZahamena CBD Conférence pourla DiversitéBiologique CDFIDE Comitépourle Développement des Instruments de Financement Durable pourl’Environnement CDM Clean DevelopmentMechanism CEF Cantonnement des Eaux& Forêts CELCO Cellulede Coordination PE3 CEP Commission Environnement – Pêche CIMF ComitéInter-Ministériel Mines Forêts CIREEF Circonscription de l'Environnement,des Eauxet Forêts CISCO Circonscription Scolaire CMP ComitéMultilocal de Planification CNE/NEC National Environmental Council CNTF ComitéNational TechniqueForestier COAP Code des Aires Protégées COBA Communautéde Base COFAV CorridorFandriana-Vondrozo CSPN Higher AdvisoryBoard forNature Protection DEAP Droit d’EntréeauxAires Protégées DGEEF Direction Générale de l’Énvironnement,des Eauxet Forêts DGEM DirectionGénérale des Mines DP Directeurde Parc DREEFT Direction Régionale de l'Environnement,des Eauxet Forêts et duTourisme DSAP Directionde l’AppuiauxSystèmes des Aires Protégées DVG/GVD Durban VisionGroup DVRN Directionsur la Valorisationdes Ressources Naturelles EIA Environmental ImpactAssesment EP3 Madagascar'sEnvironmental Program Phase 3 EPP Ecole Primaire Publique ERPA EmissionReductionPurchase Agreement ERI Ecoregional Initiatives EU European Union FA Facilitating Agent FAPBM Fondation pourles Aires Protégées et la BiodiversitéàMadagascar FBM Fikambanana Bongolava Maintso FSC ForestStewardshipCouncil FTHM Finances TechnologyHighManagementConseils GCF Gestion Contractualiséedes Forêts GDRN Gestion Durable des Ressources Naturelles GEF Global EnvironmentFund GELOSE Gestion Locale Sécurisée GERP Grouped'Etudes etde Recherches pour les Primates GIS GeographicInformationSystem GOF GovernmentofFrance GOM GovernmentofMadagascar ICRAF International Centre forResearchinAgroforestry IDA International DevelopmentAssociation IDEE Initiatives Développement EnjeuxSpatiaux IFC International Finance Corporation IEG Indice d’Efficacitéde Gestion IUCN International UnionforConservationofNature and Natural Resources

Page 4 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

KfW KreditinstaltfÜr W iederaufbau MAE Ministère des Affaires Etrangères MAEP Ministère de l’Agriculture,de l’Elevage et de la Pêche MAP Madagascar ActionPlan MBG MissouriBotanical Garden MECIE Mise en Compatibilitédes Investissements MEM Ministère de l’Energie et des Mines MFPAB Madagascar FoundationforProtected Area and Biodiversity MEEFT Ministère de l’Environnement et des Eauxet Forêts et duTourisme MENRS Ministère de l’EducationNationale etde RechercheScientifique MPA Marine Protected Areas NGO Non-governmental organization NP National Park NPA New Protected Areas NWPH Nature W ealthPower Health OMNIS Office forNational Mining and StrategicIndustries ONE Office Nationale de l’Environnement ONTM Office Nationale duTourisme àMadagascar PA Protected Area PAG Plan d’Aménagement et de Gestion PBZT Parc Botaniqueet Zoologiquede Tsimbazaza PES PaymentforEcosystem Services PGD Plan de Gestion de Developpement PGES Plan de Gestion de l’Environement et Social PGRM Programme de Gestion des Ressources Minìeres PLACAZ Plateforme duCorridor Ankeniheny Zahamena PME ProjectManagementEntity PNAM Parc National Analamazaotra Mantadia PRD Plan Rural de Développement PRSP PovertyReductionStrategyPaper PTA Plan de Travail Annuel QMM QIT Madagascar Minérals S.A. REBIOMA Réseaupourla Biodiversitéde Madagascar REDD Reducins Emissions fromDeforestation and Degradation REPC Réseaud’Educateurs Professionnels pourla Conservation SANREM Sustainable and Natural Resource Management SAPM Système des Aires Protégées de Madagascar SAGE Service d'Appuiàla Gestion de l'Environnement SNGF SiloNational des Graines Forestières SO StrategicObjective SPF Service de Pérennisation Financière STTA Short-term technical assistant TAMS Tetik’Asa Mampody Savoka TBD Tobedetermined TBE Tableau de Bord Environnemental TDY TemporaryDuty TFT Tropical ForestTrust TGK (1,2,3) Tsitongambarika TGRN Transfert de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles UC PE3 Unitéde Coordination PE3 USAID United States AgencyforInternational Development VNA Vomieran’ny Ala WB TheWorld Bank W CPA World CommissionforProtected Areas W CS Wildlife ConservationSociety W ED/JME JournéeMondiale de l’Environnement ZPC/CPZ ConservationPriorityZone ZUC Zone d’UtilisationConcertée ZOC Zone d’OccupationConcertée

Page 5 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

I.INTRODUCTION

Thisreportcovers activitiesfortheperiodfromJanuary1 toJune 30, 2008 fortheUSAID MIARO Program under the“Maintaining Biological IntegrityofCritical BiodiversityHabitats,”Leader Award No.LAG-A-00-99-00046-00. Thisisthemainprogram throughwhichConservationInternational, WW F and theW ildlife ConservationSocietyprovide coordinated technical supporttothecreationand effectivemanagementoftheMadagascar ProtectedArea System (SAPM).

Justless than fiveyears ago,PresidentMarc Ravalomana declared attheWorld ParksCongress in Durban thathiscountrywould expand itsprotectedarea systemtocover approximately10% ofthe country’ssurface. Since thattime enormous progress has been made inturning that“Durban Vision” intoa reality. In June 2008 there are approximately5.5millionhectares protectedorwhere conservationorganizations, whetherinternational, national orlocal, are activelyworking tosecure the conservationofnatural habitats. Thisachievementhas alreadybeen an enormous taskthathas required unparalleled collaborationbetween diverse organizations fromgovernmentministries, conservationNGOs and rural developmentpartners all thewaydown tothecommunitiesliving around thenew protectedareas. A new protectedarea system has beendesigned, huge datasetson biodiversitydistributionhavebeencompiled and analyzedtoidentifythemostimportantsitesto protect,theverydefinitionofprotectedarea has beenteased apartand reconstructed, new models for engaging communities inconservationhavebeen conceivedand tested, new tools forimproving managementeffectiveness and monitoring havebeendevelopedand adopted, and new financial resources havebeen found and puttoworktoconserveMadagascar’sunique natural heritage.

TheconservationcommunityinMadagascar iscurrentlyengaged inthelargesttaskithas ever faced. In thefield thepromoters ofthenew protected areas are inprocess ofdetailed negotiations with stakeholders toagree onthepathofover 10,000 kilometers ofprotectedarea limits, access and resource use rightsand zoning. Theyare identifying therural developmentneeds ofthecountry’smost marginalized communities and establishing thefoundations forgoodgovernance starting withsound natural resource management.Atthepolicylevel there isstill worktodotoprovide a legal framework thatsupportsand reflectsthepolicies forprotectedareas thathaveemerged fromthepastseveral years ofdebate. Defining thefinal prioritysites toinclude withintheSAPM isalsoessential. As themost obvious biodiversity-richareas are protected, thechoiceofthefinal sitestoinclude intheprotected area systemtoensure thatitconservesthefull representationofMadagascar’sbiodiversitywill become more difficult.As theSAPM becomes a reality,new actors are getting involved inconservationand theircapacityneeds tobebuiltup. Similarly,new finance isneeded topayfortheexpanded systemand thegovernmentand conservationorganizations need toleverage moneyfrompreviouslyuntapped sources. Thecurrentchallenges forSAPM haveensured thatthefirst6monthsof2008 havebeen a busy,butveryproductive,periodfortheMIARO program.

During thisfirstsemester, several new guides and managementtools havebeen developed forthe SAPM. Specifically,a guide onnatural resource use withinprotectedareas has been produced, guidance has beenprovided toprotected area promoters onsocial and environmental impact assessmentsand productionofsocial safeguard plans.

Thisperiodwas alsocharacterized bytheamendmentoftheCOAP law (Code des Aires Protégées)and itsapplicationdecree (Décretd’Application)thatisneeded toupdatethelegislationtoinclude new protectedarea categories and governance types. Manynew areas are proposed foradditionintothe law, suchas thesustainable use ofnatural resources, zoning and marine protected areas. Thislegal text refinementprocess isstill ongoing and will becompleted bytheend ofthisyear.

Page 6 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

In face oftheupcoming expirationoftheInter-ministerial executiveorder related totheMining and Forestry,thepriority-setting groupoftheSAPM commissionhas made significantprogress towards updating thenational prioritysetting map,byintegrating new biological dataand comparing thedetail resultsfromdifferentprioritizationmethodologies suchas Zonation, Marxan and theKeybiodiversity Area (KBA)approach.Thismapwill beused bytheprotected area promoters and theMEEFT as a critical toolforfixing theareas tobeultimatelyincluded withintheSAPM.

Perhapsevenmore than elsewhere, climatechange has become an importantissue inMadagascar. The countryhas alreadymeasured significantchanges withinthelast50years and climatemodels forthe regionpredictfurthersubstantial drying and temperature increases, particularlyinthesouthofthe country. As a firststeptowards sharing Madagascar-specificdatawitha wide audience, a Climate Change workshopwas held inAntananarivoinJanuary2008. Thiswas a firstopportunitytobring togethera forum ofinternational and national expertswithnational policymakers toanalyzethethreats onbiodiversityand human livelihoods. Theworkshopprovided a setofrecommendations forbuilding climatechange resilience and fordeveloping adaptationmeasures thatare alreadybeing used toset researchand future workpriorities

Thesystemofmarine and coastal protected areas has developedless quicklythan fortheterrestrial sites, butprogress has beenmade onseveral frontsduring thisreporting period. Twomaindocuments are produced tohelpthepromoters tomoveforward, the“documentd’orientation”and the“manuel de procedure”.These documentswill beshortlyofficiallypresented and validatedwithintheFishing and EnvironmentCommission(CEP).A database ofmarine biodiversitydistributionhas alsobeen builtupand will form thebasisofprioritysetting likethatdone fortheterrestrial sites.

In USAID Ecoregions, local consultations were completedin20communes forCAZ and the managementplan isbeing drafted. Local managementstructure shavealsobeen established inseveral areas througha varietyofmechanisms including managementtransfers, directconservationcontracts and managementcontractsbetween local associations and thegovernment. ForCOFAV, local consultations havebeen completed for18 communes and continuing. As inCAZ, some local managementunitshavebeen supported throughconservationcontractsand others alreadyexistin managementtransfers. In Anosy,thedocumentsforTsitongambarikaare readytobesubmitted to DSAP toobtaintheprotectionstatus oftheprotected area and thesiteofAmbatotsirongorongofor thedefinitiveprotectionstatus.

RM2has continued thesupporttoNew ProtectedAreas (NAPs)oftheSAPM, particularlyforthe managementplanning process. Thishas beenfacilitatedbytheintroductionofnew software called MiradithatWW F has acquired thelicense forusing itwithall partners. Governance and sustainability issues are being addressed throughtheprocess as all oftheNAPs thatMIARO issupporting are developing similar governance models.

RM 4 has continued worktowards implementing sustainable financing mechanisms. Effortstosupport TanyMevahavecontinued withthedevelopmentofitsfiveyear investmentstrategy.In thefield, capacitybuilding isbeing reinforced withthetraining oncommunityforestcarbonprojectdevelopment withthesupportofPlan Vivo.

MIARO has continued toworkwiththeFoundationforProtectedAreas and Biodiversityof Madagascar (FAPBM)indeveloping thedocumentsand strategies needed tobefullyfunctioning. In addition, MIARO iscurrentlyfinalizing theselectionand prioritizationcriteriaforProtected Areas funding mechanisms oftheMadagascar ProtectedAreas and Biodiversity. During thereporting period

Page 7 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008 thecommitmentstotheFAPBM’scapital surpassed theoriginal targetof$50millionthatwas supposed tobeattained bytheend of2008.

Thisperiodhas seen a greatstepforward fromtheMinistryofEnvironment,W aterand Forestsand Tourism. TheSustainable Financing Unit(SPF)has been officiallysetupand replaced theCDFIDE, showing thecommitmentoftheMinistrytotheissue. MIARO has reinforced thisunitbyproviding technical assistance todevelopa sustainable financing strategyforenvironmental actions in Madagascar. MIARO has alsocarriedfurtherstudies related towatershed based PES mechanisms and Green Fees. Thelong awaitedC2DdebtreliefcontractthatMIARO supportedisfinallycompleted withfinal signatures.

FortheEcotourism concessions, theconcessionframeworkdocumentssuchas theconcession contractand itscahier de charges are completed and officiallypresentedinnational workshops. The identificationofsites forconcessions and potential concessionaires are still ongoing withsitevisits.

TheMIARO partners havecontinued todevelopforestcarbonprojectsand thecarbonfinancing on several levels. MIARO participated ina REDD workshopthatwas organized towiden thediscussion aboutthepotential ofREDD projectsinMadagascar. Atthesitelevel importantprogress has been made atMakira withthesigning ofan agreementbetween W CS and theGoMthatprovides WCS with a long-term mandatetosell carbonemissionreductions generated bytheprotectedarea. ForCAZ, CI facilitated thesinging ofa contractbetween theGoMand theBiocarbonfund for$1.5millionthat provides an importantrevenue source fortheprotectedarea forthenextseveral years. CI also continues toprovide technical supportand funding fortheMantadiahabitatrestorationprojectthat MIARO has supportedand forwhichtheGoMhas alsosigned an agreementwiththeBioCarbonFund forapproximately$800,000 thatwill provide long term funding fortherestorationactivities beyond the end ofEP3. MIARO has alsomade goodprogress toward developing a carbonprojectforCOFAV and potential buyers havebeen identified. On anotherfront,W WF, inpartnershipwithGoodPlanet, has beenable toleverage $5millionforforestconservationactivitiesinMadagascar as partofAir France’scorporateresponsibilitystrategyforoffsetting carbonemissions.

As theMIARO projectenters itslaststage there isprogress being made onall frontswithregards SAPM. Thelast6monthswill befocused onstrengthening theongoing worktoensure thatthe progress todateisconsolidatedand thatthefoundationfortheSAPM issecured, readytoenterintoa new phase ofactivemanagementofthecountry’snewlycreatedprotectedareas.

II. PROJECT ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITIES LINKED W ITH RESULT MODULES

Result Module 1: Ecologicallinkages established andmaintained

SUB RESULTS MODULE: 1.1.Promotethedefinitionofpolicyand legalparametersforthe establishmentofnew protected areas a.SAPM Policydocuments/tools MIARO has continued toensure thatpreviouslydeveloped policydocumentsthathavebeen developed withtheSAPM commissionare distributedtopromoters ofprotected areas and other stakeholders whoneed them. These documentsinclude: i.a general guidance documentonthecategoriesand types ofgovernance possible withintheSAPM, ii.a guide fortheestablishmentofnew protected areas, iii.a

Page 8 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008 guide forconducting environmental and social impactassessment,iv.a guide forland use planning v. guidelines forensuring social safeguards during protectedarea creation.

In additiontotheexisting policydocumentsMIARO supportedthedevelopmentofthree important new policydocumentsduring thereporting period:

Guide tosustainableuse ofnaturalresources: One ofthethree mainstated objectivesofSAPM is topromotethesustainable use ofnatural resources toprovide directbenefitstolocal communities managing protectedareas. Sustainable use ofrenewable natural resources includes use fortraditional subsistence (forestand marine species),research,and tourism.

MIARO provided supporttoDSAP, througha consultant,todevelopa guide onnatural resource use withinprotectedareas. Theguide includes basicprinciples foruse, criteriaforuse, indicators ofuse, general guidelines regarding types ofuse, guidelines forprotected area categories V and VI, and guidelines forthesustainable use and managementplan forprotectedareas.

Theguide was validated bytheSAPM CommissioninMarch2008. However, thefocus ofthisguide relatesmore tolegal issues than totechnical issues. Additional workistherefore needed tocomplete thetechnical aspectsoftheguide, specificallyas regards todetermining theuse threshold inprotected areas.

Safeguards policy: MIARO supported partners toparticipateina training ontheWorld Bank’s safeguards policyfromApril2-16,2008. Training was provided bya World Bankconsultantand topics included involuntarydisplacement,indigenous people, and publicparticipation. Participantsincluded ANGAP (Mikeaand Sahamalaza),new protectedarea promoters (e.g. fromCAZ, COFAV, Fanamby, WCS, W WF, MBG, Birdlife/Asity),and heads ofservicefromDSAP.

Thetraining included practical field workinCOFAV, where theconsultantwas able toattend the participatoryplanning meetings atMarimiandra (Ikongo)soas tounderstand theapproachbeing used todetermine protectedarea limitsand rules. A field vistwas alsomade totheproposed Mikea National parknorthofToliara.

One ofthekeyresultsofthistraining was theconfirmation, bytheW orld Bank’sexpert,thatinthe case ofMadagascar, theexisting step(and legal requirement)ofdeveloping a Social and Environmental ManagementPlan isthesame as the“Safeguards plan”required bytheW orld Bank. TheSocial and Environmental ImpactAssessment(EIES)and thesafeguards policyare twointegratedprocesses; the safeguard policyisnotan additional obligation. Nevertheless, sites whichreceiveW orld Bankfunding will need toprovide a documenttothebankthatsatisfies theirown criteriafora “safeguards plan”.

TheSocial and Environmental ManagementPlan (PGES)forprotectedareas should include informationonthefollowing: ° People affectedbytheproject ° General descriptionoftheprotectedarea ° Indigenous people affected bytheproject ° Involuntarydisplacement,including restrictions inaccess tonatural resources

TheW orld Bankconsultantwhoconductedthetraining isintheprocess ofdrafting a guide tofacilitate thedevelopmentoftheSocial Safeguard Plan required bytheW orld Bank.

Under therestructuring oftheW orld Bank’sprojecttosupportEP3,theyplan tosupportedprotected area creationin6ANGAP-managed protected areas and atCOFAV. In addition, CAZ will receive

Page 9 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008 revenues fromthesale ofcarbonemissions reductions totheBioCarbonfund, whichismanaged by theBankand therefore subjecttotheirSafeguards policy.

Manualonthecreationofterrestrialprotected areas: TheDSAP hired a consultantwith IDA/GEF funds toupdatetheexisting guide onthecreationofterrestrial protectedareas and to transform itintoan official procedures manual. Thisdocumentisintended toensure thatstandardized procedures are followed forthecreationprocess. MIARO provided extensivedocumentationand commentstotheconsultanttofinalizethedocumentand themanual was validated bytheSAPM CommissioninMay2008. b.LegalAspects ThedevelopmentoftheSAPM since Durban in2003has been theresultofextensivediscussions between theMEEFT, technical and financial partners, local stakeholders intheareas concerned and it has beenenrichedwithexamples ofbestpracticefromaround theworld. Theresultisa relatively complexsystem made upofa suiteofprotected area categories, determined bytheirmanagement objectives, and governance types. AlthoughtheCOAP was developedspecificallywiththeANGAP networkinmind and onlydefines three protectedarea categories, itdidleaveopen thepossibilityfor new typesofprotectedareas and governance tobedeveloped. Hence ithas been possible toadvance withthecreationoftheSAPM and new protectedareas withtheadditionofan applicationDecree (No. 2005-848, whichoperationalizes articles 2,4, 17,20, and 28oftheProtected Areas Code - COAP). However, nowthattheSAPM frameworkismuchclearer, theCOAP needs tobeupdatedtomore specificallyreflectthepoliciesthattheMEEFT has developedand toeliminatethegreyareas thatallow forvarious interpretations and complicatefield-levelactivitiesand negotiations.

MIARO has provided legal assistance toassisttheMinistryofEnvironment,W ater, Forests, and Tourism’steam toamendmenttheCOAP. Keypointstobeintegrated intothisamendmentinclude thefollowing: ° New categoriesand governance types ° Sustainable use ofnatural resources ° Zoning ° theplace oftheexisting networkofprotectedareas, run byPNM-ANGAP, withintheSAPM ° Marine and coastal protectedareas ° Protected areas and extractiveindustries ° Penal implications ° Coherence between theCOAP and forestrylaw

An initial stakeholder workshopwas held May13-14, 2008 todiscuss theamendmenttotheCOAP and specificallytoreceiveinputonthepointstoaddress. Further consultationwithstakeholders will be required bothatthenational and subnational levels and inparticular withother sectors. In addition there are several other relevantpiecesoflegislationthatare currentlyundergoing revisionor amendmentand sotheCOAP needs tobedevelopedinparallel withthisprocess. Examples include thelaw ontheprivatepropertyoftheState,thepublicdomain, themaritime code, and theoil/gas code;

Nextstepsinclude thefollowing: ° Updating thetextfollowing theworkshop ° Consultationofvarious stakeholders suchas: Land Use Planning, Transport,Justice, Defense, MinistryofAgriculture, CommissionEnvironnement-Peche, MinistryofEnergyand Mines, ANDEA, CT ° Developa detailed timeline toensure theamendmentissubmittedintime fortheparliamentary sessionofSeptember 2008

Page 10 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

Applicationdecrees oftheCOAP: In additiontotheproposal fortheamendmenttotheCOAP, an applicationdecree isalsoneeded. In thelaw, theprimaryfocus will beonpointslistedabove. The decree, howeverwill detailthecreationprocedure, governance, integrationofmanagementtransfers in protectedareas, rules and criteriaregarding sustainable use, therelationshipbetween sustainable managementofrenewable and nonrenewable natural resources (e.g., mining, oil),etc.Thisnew decree will supercede decree No.2005-848 oftheCOAP. Thenew decree will besubmittedtoparliament along withtheCOAP amendmentinSeptember2008.

Arrêtéontheextensionoftemporaryprotected status: Temporaryprotected status arrêtésfor protectedareas created in2005and 2006haveexpired. TheDSAP iscurrentlyworking toextend the expirationdates ofthese arrêtés. Sites withministerial arêtes will beseparatedfromthose withinter- ministerial arrêtés. Those sites thatoverlapwithmining permitsthatwere issued before 2004 will have theirtemporaryprotectedstatus extended by2years. Those sites thatdonotoverlapwithmining permitswill havetheirtemporaryprotected status extended untilsuchdateas thedefinitiveprotected status isobtained.

Managementdelegation: TheDSAP will issue a ministerial decisiontoname new protectedarea promoters. Thedecisionwill name theDREEFTs as themangers ofnew protectedareas, and theyare responsible forspearheading and coordinating thecreationprocess. However, theday-to-day operational process forcreationwill beled bya promoter. Thisistheprocess thathas been adopted untilnowformostofthenew protected areas, howevertheDSAP intends toputtherelationshipon amore formal footing. Eachpromoter will havetheirrightsand responsibilitieswill belaidoutina cahier de charge. A draftofthecahier de charge defining theterms ofthecollaborationbetween managers and technical and financial promoters isalreadycompleteand these agreementsshould be signed soonbetween theDSAP and thepromoters.

Arrêtéonthecreation, organization, and operationoftheSAPM Commission: TheSAPM Commissionwas created tosupporttheDirectionGénérale de l’Environnement,des EauxetForêtsto extend thesurface area under protectionas stipulated inCommitment7oftheMAP. TheDSAP decided toformalizethisCommissionthrougha ministerial arrêté. Thearrêtéisstill indevelopment, butwill include articles onthecreationoftheCommission, itsmandate, itscomposition, its organization, and itsoperations. c. ImpactofclimatechangetotheBiodiversityand Livelihoods in Madagascar A three-dayworkshop“AssessingtheImpactsofClimateChangeonMadagascar’sBiodiversity and Livelihoods”was held inAntananarivo,Madagascar, fromJanuary28– 31, 2008. Theworkshop was organizedbyCI, WW F, USAID and theGovernmentofMadagascar. Itbroughttogether130 expertsfrommore than 50national, regional and international organizations across a wide spectrum of expertise. Theworkshop’sobjectivewas toprovide a forum forpolicymakers and expertsfromvarious disciplines – climatescience, oceanography,marine and terrestrial ecology,conservation, and rural development–toexamine thethreatstomarine and terrestrial biodiversityand livelihoods in Madagascar, and togeneraterecommendations forbuilding resilience and adapting tothelikelyimpacts ofclimatechange. Of particular importance inthecontextoftheMIARO program were recommendations relatedtoprioritysetting forareas toprotectbecause oftheirpotential resilience, vulnerabilityorforthekeyecosystemservices thattheyprovide. In addition, important recommendations were made related toecological restorationinstrategicareas where natural corridors need tobemaintained orrestored toprovide thepossibilityforspecies toshifttheirranges in adaptationtoclimatechange.

Page 11 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008 d. REDD W orkshopwasheldonApril1-3 AttheUN climatechange negotiations inBalilastDecember, theissue of20% ofglobal CO2 emissions coming fromtheloss oftropical rainforestsfinallyreceived theattentionitdeserves. Mobilizing revenues fromcarbonmarketsforReducing Emissions fromDeforestationand Degradation(REDD)isa majoropportunityfortropical countries toaddress thispressing problem whilstadvancing theirrural developmentagendas. CI helpedGTZ and theW orld Bank’sBioCarbon Fund toorganizea workshoponREDD onthe1st,2nd and 3rd April. Staff fromMIARO presented thetwoREDD pilotprojects, approachestomodeling carbonoffsetsand mechanisms toensure that global carbonbenefitscan bechanneled torural communities.

SUB RESULTS MODULE: 1.2.Identifyand promotepotentialnew protected areasin consultationwithregionaland localactors a.TerrestrialprioritysettingforSAPM

Extraordinaryprogress has beenmade towards making theDurban Visiona reality. In less than 5 years, theMEEFT and itstechnical and financial partners, haveidentified, raised thenecessary resources for, and negotiated withstakeholders toprotectapproximately5.5millionhectares ofprime biodiversityhabitat. Muchstill needs tobedone toensure thatprovisionaryprotectionbecomes definitive, thatthecreationprocess transitions intoeffectivemanagement,and thatthehuman, technical and financial resources necessaryforthesystem ofprotectedareas are inplace inperpetuity. Nevertheless, approximately5.5millionhectares ofan originallyplanned 6millionhavebeen determined and will beprotected. During thesame period, science has notstoodstill: new species have been discovered, our knowledge ofthreatened specieshas beenimprovedand taxonomieshave changed based onnew understandings ofecology,behaviorand genetics. Ensuring thattheSAPM protectsa representativesample ofthecountry’sbiodiversityrequires regular updating ofthepriority setting toidentifytheremaining gapsinbiodiversitycoverage withinthesystem.

A keydeadline foridentifying thefinal spatial configurationoftheSAPM isOctober 18, 2008. On this datetheinter-ministerial arrêtébetween theMinistryofEnergyand Mines and theMinistryof Environment,Waters and Forestswhichprovides temporaryprotectionfromlogging and mining activitiesinthepriorityareas will expire. Theprioritysetting groupistherefore working onfinalizing an updated versionoftheSAPM map,including priorityareas, touse as thebasisofnegotiations and decisions abouttheremaining new protectedareas tocreate.

In additionthecontributionofdata, analysisand staff time, MIARO isalsoproviding technical assistance (TomAllnutt)totheprioritysetting group.Thegrouphas adopted thefollowing methodologytoupdatethemap: • Manual refinementofthemap: o ANGAP-managed protectedareas withtheirextensions o Protected areas withtemporaryprotectedstatus o Protected areas proposed for2008 (identified and delimitedfrominformationsentby promoters) o KBAs o Priorityplantareas

In parallel tothemanual refinementprocess, theMARXAN analysiswill beredone. Thisprocess will allowus toidentifythecomplementarityamong themanual process, theMARXAN results, and the ZONATION output.

Page 12 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

A workshopwithnational-level scientistsand promoters was held inJune toverifythatall priority conservationareas appear onthemapand tojustifythose areas appropriately. Regional-level discussions are planned torefine themap.

Final resultsoftheprioritysetting activitieswill bedistributed inan electronicformatorDigital ConservationAtlas. b.W orkshopontheProgram ofWorkforProtected AreasoftheCBD MIARO staff helped toorganizea workshopontheProgram ofW orkforProtected Areas oftheCBD was held onApril28-30, 2008. RepresentativesofAfrican Statesthatare members ofCBD suchas Kenya, Malawi,Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Zambiaparticipated. Theworkshopfocused onecological gapanalysisforprotected areas systems, effectiveness evaluationforprotectedareas, and sustainable financing ofprotected areas. Thecase ofMadagascar was used toillustratethesteps required forecological gapanalysis. Problems regarding prioritizing wetlands and marine/coastal areas were alsodiscussed. Theworkshopcostswere covered byTheNature Conservancy,W WF and CI. c. Communication

ThroughCI’scommunications department,MIARO has putahuge emphasisoncommunicationof SAPM activitiesduring thisreporting periodusing mediaincluding TV, radio,newspaper articles, environmental events(W orld Days/International Days),meetings/conferences and printedmaterials. One ofthemostimportantand successful approaches has been theprovisionoftrainings, information and facilitationofcontactbetween journalistsand protectedarea promoters. Thishas resulted inthe almostdailyarticles onnew protected areas and related environmental issues thatare currentlyinthe printedpress.

Several films were locallyproduced toexplaintheprotected area creationprocess and theinvolvement bylocal communities inplanning and management:

• A 26-minutefilm was produced inMalagasythatexplains theSAPM process. Itisillustrated withfootage thatwas takenduring publicconsultations inAntenina intheCAZ. Thefilm has been used forpublicmeetings during publicconsultations, broadcastbyTVM and shown during W orld EnvironmentDayinMoramanga, Fianarantsoa, and Antananarivo. • An educationtour forjournaliststoIalamarina inCOFAV resulted ina 13-minutefilm produced byMBS, a national televisionstation, inadditionto3newspaper articles innational papers (Midi,Taratra, le Quotidien)and an online news site(Aody.mg). • A collaborationwiththepopular “Preuvepar six”televisionshowresultedinsix6-minutenews reportsonnew protectedareas, eachofwhichwas shown multiple times. Theshowisa competitionbetween teams ofyoung journalistswhomeachcover a story.MIARO provided stories, background informationand worked withpartners tofacilitatethelogistics forthe6 teams. Thesixprotected areas thatwere covered were Mahavavy-Kinkony,Daraina, Andranovato(COFAV),Menabe,restorationactivities linking forestfragmentswithinthe CAZ, and Anjozorobe. Eachreportfocused onthebenefitsofprotected areas tothelocal community.

A concise documentand mappresenting theSAPM and theprogress made towards making itareality was produced forthedistributionattheConventiononBiological Diversitymeeting inBonn. The documentwas alsoused fordistributiontoparticipantsattheMAP meeting organized bythe presidencyonJune 9-10.

Page 13 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

MIARO organizedW orld EnvironmentDay(June 5)activitiesinToamasina, Moramanaga, Fianarantsoa, Antananarivoand prepared communications materials foruse attheWorld Environment Daycelebrations organized inAntsiranana, PortBergéand Nosivolo. Thetheme ofW ED was climate change and a training sessionand relevantbackground informationand references were provided to journaliststoimprovethequalityofthereporting. MIARO alsoorganized theInternational BiodiversityDaycelebrations (May14)inToamasina. d. Refine marine conservationprioritysites based onnew species distributiondata

In additiontotheterrestrial prioritysetting, a similar exercise isneeded formarine protected area planning. As a keyfirststep,MIARO hired a local STTA (Faratiana Ratsifandrihamanana)tobuild up thedatabase onmarine species distribution. Fara isworking onmanaging and updating existing data including thedatabase ofPierre Vasseur onreef fishes. As a complementtotheworksupported by MIARO, theREBIOMA projecthas recentlyrecruiteda database manager whose responsibilitywill be thecoordinationofdatacollectionand tolead theanalysisofmarine conservationsiteprioritization. e. Supportthe elaborationofthe“Documentd’orientation”formarine and coastalPA

In April2008 MIARO contracted STTA fromAndrew Cookeand thebureau d’etude Resolvetodraft the‘Documentd’Orientationpour la créationetla gestiondes Aires Marines ProtégéesàMadagascar’ and the‘Manuel de Procédure pour la créationetla gestiondes Aires Marines ProtégéesàMadagascar’. Thisworkisa continuationoftheeffortsofDr. CharlotteDe Fontaubert(STTA previouslyhired by MIARO)whohad been working withtheCEP todevelopa national strategyforMPAs inMadagascar. Thetwodocumentsare still indraftform, and are targetedforcompletionbythenextsessionof parliament–tobeheld inSeptember. Thisworkisbeing carriedoutinclose collaborationwiththe revisionoftheCOAP as notedinsection1.1b.

SUB RESULTS MODULE: 1.3. Establishnew protected areas(5zones outside USAID priority zones) a.Technicalsupporttopromoters

In additiontothegeneral supportand documentationprovided toall promoters ofnew protected areas bytheMIARO team, some specifictechnical assistance was provided forprioritysites. Thetable belowsummarizes thestatus forsites thatwere supported.

Site Status Notes Complexe Theintentiondocumentofestablishing Mangoky-Ihotry theNew Protected Area Complex Mangoky-Ihotrywas submitted tothe DirectorateofProtectedAreas System. A training sessionfortheteam inthefield onvarious activitiestobeundertaken for thepreparationofthefinal decree of creationtookplace inFebruary2008. Bongolava Thelocal consultations are outstanding in thenew protectedarea “Corridor ForestierBongolava.” Complexe TheEnvironmental ImpactStudyand Mahavavy Social Councilisunderway.Theplatform Kinkony isalsoentraintocollectadditional

Page 14 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

informationatthelevelofcommunes and villages forthedevelopmentofthe ManagementPlan Complexe Thepreparationforobtaining thearrêté Ramena oftemporaryprotectionisunderwayto Ambodivahibeand Orangea. The preparations forobtaining Decree of creationare underwayforLa Montagne d'Ambre. NosyTanikely Thedraftarrêtéisalreadyavailable and waiting onthatsignature Ambalabe, Ibity Currentlytheteam isinDSAP prepare Theproblems ofmining inside these etRanobePK32 the TemporaryProtectionArrêté New ProtectedAreas were discussed withtheCIMF. FC Tsinjoarivo MIARO staff participatedata Mostrecently,Tsinjoarivowas communicationmeeting organized inthe identified as a prioritysiteforthe Vakininkaratra regionheld inAntsirabein establishmentofnew protectedarea themonthofMarch2008 topublicizeits as a resultofvarious biological richbiodiversityand thethreatsthat research.TheprojectSADABE led by weigh,regional achievementsin Dr. IrwinMitchell and histeam conservation. alerted theurgencyofsetting Thevarious sustainable development protectionofthesitefacing the activitiesunderwaywere presented and a pressures (irrational exploitation, fire, regional actionplan was developed. ..) In order toestablisha plan of conservationactivitiesatthesite,it was considered useful toshare informationand communicatethe achievementsnotonlyinand around Tsinjoarivo,butatthelevelofthe entire Region. Itwas considered useful tobring all stakeholders upto thesame levelofinformationand to see howparticipatoryregional perspectives fortheConservationof Biodiversityand environmental protection. Thisdayof communicationbroughttogether regional authorities and local stakeholders toTsinjoarivo,public services (MEEFT, Mine),and journalists. Bemanevika Theletters ofcommitmentby The cahiers de charge forthetransfer of stakeholders are alreadyavailable. The managementtothethree COBA are inventorybiological and socio-economic being finalized, iethatawaitsapproval studyare alreadymade and thescientific bytheDVRN (DGEEF). workshopisplanned forthemonthof Aboutsquares mining, a small portion June. Theoutline oftheprovisional ofBemanevikaoverlapswithmining boundaries are alreadyavailable and we are waiting forconfirmationat theServicedes Mines throughCIMF. However, TPF thinkassign thisparty

Page 15 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

tofacilitatetheprocedure. The simplified managementplan isbeing developed Manambolomaty Thedocumentofcreationinitiativefor Fortheoverlaysquare mining, there the temporaryprotectionisalreadywith isnoproblem butwe are waiting for theDSAP. There isstill updating the confirmationattheService des Mines managementscheme (ongoing)as the throughCIMF. DSAP suggested. b.Technicalsupporttothenewlyestablished DSAP and commissionSAPM TheDSAP was established inMarchand includes three Services: • Service Etudes etCréation • Service GestionetAppuisauxcommunautés • Service SuiviEcologique

TheDSAP ischarged withcoordinating, guiding, and facilitating theSAPM establishmentprocess in Madagascar. MIARO provides technical and financial supporttotheDSAP toimplementitsworkplan.

Specificsupporthas included thefollowing: • Consultantsand technical assistance todevelopmanagementand monitoring tools • Priority-setting support • TheCOAP amendment • Monitoring ofSAPM progress • Supportforcommunicationactivities

MIARO alsosupportspromoters during thenew protectedarea creationprocess, updates thepriority conservationsitesmap,and participates inmeetings oftheCIMF, CEP and oftheSAPM Commission. c. Internationalexchangeoncommunityparticipationin protected areaestablishmentand managementwithCI Andes team

An international exchange was organizedinApril2008 incollaborationwiththeCI Andes program. Madagascar participantswere selectedbased onthetopics tobecovered during theexchange, and included theDREEFT fromSofia, thehead oftheService d’Ecotourisme atMEEFT, theMIARO coordinatorforCAZ, and theDirectoroftheConservationStrategiesDepartmentatCI/Tana.

Thepurpose ofthisexchange was toreinforce knowledge and understanding ofprotectedarea managementbased ontheexperience oftheAndes (Boliviaand Peru). Specifically,theexchange focused onlocal communityparticipationinmanagementand use ofnatural resources, community ecotourism, and legal and policyframeworks.

Madagascar participantsare nowmembers ofCI’sglobal networkonprotectedarea management. All documentsand presentations fromtheexchange are available, and a presentationwill begivenforthe MEEFT and USAID atatime tobeagreed upon.

Page 16 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

SUB RESULTS MODULE: 1.4. Refine conservationpriorities in USAID priorityeco-regions a.Supportthe developmentofmanagementplanforallPAs in USAID priorityecoregions

CORRIDOR ANKENIHENY ZAHAMENA

A participatoryapproachwas adopted todevelopthemanagementplan and thesafeguards plan for CAZ. However, thetechnical committeeplaysan importantrole inpreparing these tools. Thethree DREEFT oftheCAZ (Aloatra-Mangoro,Analanjirofo,and Atsinanana)are members ofthetechnical committee. Subsequenttotheconsultations completedin2007,thefollowing activities havebeen implemented:

I. Analysis and consolidationofinformationcollected duringconsultations

Theteams implementing theconsultations used theconsultations guide withsome adaptations given local specificitiesand realities. Resultsindicated thatcertaininformationwas missing forsome communes, whichled toa modificationinthemethodologyused. In general, we were able todefine zoning atthecommunal level, communityperceptionofland use, and ideas forfuture use ofland and natural resources. Informationgathered atthelocal levelwas compiled electronically,whichprovides a global visionoftheCAZ initsentirety.

II. Reflectionondevelopingmanagementtools Thetechnical committeedefined themanagementunitsofCAZ (elementsrequired inthemanagement plan)using a setofcriteria. Muchoftheinformationneeded isalreadyavailable, buttoexpeditethe process, we havehired consultantstoassistwithconsolidating informationand finalizing these managementtools. Terms ofreference fordeveloping themanagementplan and thesafeguards plan are completebutawaiting approval fromthetechnical committee before theworkbegins. These managementtools should beavailable bytheend ofOctober 2008. b.Consultationand negotiationatthecommunallevel

CORRIDOR ANKENIHENY ZAHAMENA

As mentioned above,consultations tookplace inthe20communes oftheCAZ in2007. After compiling all thecollected information, certaininformationgapswere identifiedforthefollowing sites: • Didy,Morarano,Ambohibaryregarding managementtransfers and delimitation • Ambohimanana regarding mining permits • Anjahamana (Andranoharongana),Fito(Andasibeand Andranoharongana)regarding settlementsinside theprotected area • Lakatoand Beforona regarding thelimitsoftheAmbalabeprotected area proposed byMBG • Ampasimpotsy,Ambalarondra, Ambodilazana and Sahambala

Twointer-communal workshops(Ambodilazana, Fetraomby)onforestcontrolwere organized by Jariala, ERI, and MIARO. These workshopswill contributetoempowering local communities to controlillegal harvestinand around theCAZ.

CORRIDOR FANDRIANA VONDROZO

MIARO activitiesinFianarantsoafocused oncreating thenew protectedarea, COFAV, which primarilyinvolved communal-level consultations. These consultations include various sub-activities:

Page 17 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

• Informationsharing ontheevolutionofCOFAV during USAID Alliance meetings • Developing and adapting theguide onthenew protected area creationprocess (including local consultations)and providing training ontheuse ofthisguide topartners. • Training onsafeguard measures • Creating mapsforlocal consultations • Collecting socio-economicand ecological data • Holding local consultations atthecommunal level c. Datacollection Field-level datacollectionisa crucial stepbefore local consultations and informs thedevelopmentof various protected area managementdocuments. Itprovides a goodunderstanding ofthecontext.The consultations can thenservetovalidatecollecteddataand /oridentifyinformationgaps. d. Localconsultations Representativesofthefokontany,associations, NGOs, and local authoritiesparticipated inlocal consultations atthecommunal level. Themainobjectiveoftheconsultations istoensure stakeholder appropriationoftheCOFAV creationprocess. After objectivesand theprocess are communicatedto all, participantsare divided intosmall groups. Eachgroupdiscusses thefollowing points: ° Identifying resource use and/orsettlementsinareas tobepartoftheprotectedarea; ° Refining protected area boundaries ° Refining themanagementvisionfortheprotectedarea including zoning and managementrules atthelocal level ° Identifying livelihoodprojects/safeguard measures

Small groupworkisreportedtoall participantsand synthesized. Aftervalidation, representatives of eachentitysign theminutes ofthemeeting. Currently,consultations in18 of66communes havebeen completed. e. Conservationcontracts CI has developed and implemented conservationcontractsin5pilotzones oftheCOFAV (and with another5communities atCAZ).Theobjectiveistoensure local conservationactionatthelocal level, empower local communities todoconservation, and toprovide incentivesforthiswork. These pilot activitiesare generating positiveresultsand are likelytobeone ofthemainmechanisms forengaging communitiesinconservationactivities atthelocal managementunitlevelofthese protectedareas.

FACILITATE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TSITONGAMBARIKA NAP

Tsitongambarika: Documentsneeded toinitiatethecreationprocess forTsitongambarikaare completeand readytobesubmitted toDSAP. Theonlymissing piece isthecertificateofthelegal status fromthe Service de la Topographie and theService des Domaines.

TheTaskForce identifiedthefollowing keystepstoobtaindefinitiveprotectedstatus: ° Debriefoftheregional approval forcommunal actors inJune. During these meetings, we will provide mapstoeachcommune and presentthegovernance structure. Several members ofthe TaskForce haveexpressed theirwillingness toparticipatetechnically/financiallytocomplete thisactivity. ° TheJariala projectwill supportactivities related tomanagementofproductionzones inTGK in Mayand June 2008. Thissupportwill define FortDauphinand surrounding areas’woodneeds and theforestsurface area required torespond tothese needs. Based oninformationobtained,

Page 18 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

we will recommend changes totheproductionzones inexisting managementtransfers to ensure connectivityofthecore protectionzone oftheprotectedarea. ° Prepare a technical and financial proposal tobesenttoUSAID, RioTinto,and other financial partners.

Workcontinues ontheestablishmentoftheTsitongambarikaPA. ChloeW ebstercontinues toserveas theW CS MIARO pointpersonintheAnsoyregion, as well as member oftheTGK taskforce. Local actororganizational meetings continue tobeheld regularly,withJennifer TalbotofQMM/BirdLife taking theorganizational lead. In Mayof2008, JackTordoff ofBirdLife International traveled to Madagascar tohold organizational meetings atboththeNational and Local levels; theobjectivesof Jack’spassage were to(i)outline nextsteps, roles and responsibilitiesamong partner organizations, (ii) begindrafting thefull proposal totheEU forfunding toestablishtheTGK PA.. Birdlife International and MIARO continue toprovide technical assistance while Asityistheprotectedarea promoter.

SUPPORT TO AMBATOTSIRONGORONGO PA

PA ManagementPlan – Thedraftfinal versionoftheAmbatotsirongorongoPA environmental impactassessmenthas been validatedbythepartner organizations ofthePA steering committee- DREEFT Anosy,Service des Mines, 4 Mayors, ONE Anosy,QMM, Comitéde gestion).The Environmental ImpactAssessmenthas been senttotheO.N.E. forfinal validation.

BuildingthecapacityoftheManagementCommittee (COGE) Membersand developmentof anannualworkplan– An evaluationoftheCOGE 2007PTA, and achievementsrealized was carried out.Only30% ofplanned activities were realized; reportedlimitations and reasons forsubpar COGE performance centered ona general lackofmotivationonthepartoftheCOGE presidentand limited available funds. Toaddress thislimitedfunctionalityoftheCOGE, a permanentfacilitatorwas hired toworkwiththeCOGE onmanagementofthePTA. Thisfacilitatorwill workwiththeCOGE on developmentofa practical and achievable PTA for2008. There isalsoconsiderationofremoving the currentCOGE presidentand electing a new president.Developmentofa ‘cahier de charge’forthe utilizationofPA ZUCs and ZOCs has alsobeen realized.

Forestrestoration– W orkhas focused onmonitoring theestablishedtree nurseries. The establishmentofthese communitymanaged tree nurseriesisthefirststepininitiating a 5year forest restorationprogram thataims torestore over300 haofforestinthecritical corridors between the principal forestblocksofAmbatotsirongorongo,Ambohisampa, and Lavasoa. Restorationwill beon theorder of60haperyear and include theplanting of60,000 saplings. While originallyplanned to cultivate70,000 seedlings forrestoration, thevillage managed nurserieshas succeeded incultivating 150,000 seedlings. Theidentified sitesforrestorationhavebeen visited, communityteams havebeen established, and firstplanting will begininJune 2008. Theprogram continues tobebased ona 5year restorationeffort,withsignificantin-kind supportfromtheUK-based organizationRestoreUK

Additionaloutreachand communitysupport– Effortscontinue toworkwithlocal partner organizations inthedevelopmentofadditional outreachactivities tofurthersupportthecommunities engaged inmanagementofthePA. Activitiesinclude: trainings onimprovedagricultural practices, alternativeincome generating opportunities, improvedhealthand livelihoodactivitiesincluding family planning and AIDs awareness, identifying and securing funds fornecessarycommunityinfrastructure improvements. SupporttotheCOGE intheireffortstosecure seedlings forrestorationand reforestationprograms has alsobeen provided throughJARIALA/DREEFT and SNGF.

DEVELOPMENT OF APPROPRIATE MANAGEMENT STRUCTURES:CAZ,COFAV, ET TGK

Page 19 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

Working sessions onthepotential governance structures ofCAZ and COFAV were held. Discussions tended toward a co-managementstructure witha co-managementcommitteemade upofmanagement units, a directioncommittee, and an orientationentity. Given thecomplexityofthesituationatboth corridors, consultantswill behired todevelopscenariosregarding governance structures. The consultant(s)will workhand-in-hand withthetechnical committees.

Tsitongambarika: Themanagementstructure has been identified, whichisco-managementcomprised ofthree committees: • Le comitéde Pilotage (COP) • Le comitéd’Orientation et Suivi (COS),and • Le comitéde Coordination pourla Gestion de la forêtde Tsitongambarika.(KOMFITA) • Forlocal-levelmanagement,an autonomous managementstructure ateachcommune will be integratedintotheVoamieran’nytontoloiainina (EnvironmentGroup)as partoftheexisting Communal DevelopmentCommittees (ComitéCommunal de Développement CCD)

Terms ofreference forthe3committees havebeen completed, as well as an organizational chartfor theoverall managementstructure.

SUB RESULTS MODULE: 1.5.Developforestrestorationfunctions and procedures in USAID priorityeco-regions a.Developmentofanactionplanforreforestationin theAntongilbay(Masoala/Makira) landscapebased on10yearsofexperience in Masoala.

During March2008 international consultantLouise Hollowaywas contracted tocarryoutan evaluation ofrestorationeffortsintheMakira-Masoala landscape. Louise has vastexperience inthearea of communityforestresource management,and has beenworking onand off intheAntongilBayregion forover10 years inadditiontohersupporttothecommunityforestryactivities atAndasibe. The objectivesofLouise’sconsultancywere to(i)toevaluatetheactivities ofMasoala National Park corridorrestorationand protectioneffortstenyears aftertheywere started; (ii)toextracttechnical lessons thatcan bereplicated inother prioritizedforestcorridorsites; and (iii)todevelop/updatea frameworkforprioritizing critical forestcorridorsites intheMasoala/Makira landscapeand propose measures torestore/maintainthese corridors. b.MantadiaForestRestorationproject:SustainableLivelihoodActivities (SLAs) During thelaterhalf of2008, CI hired an international consultanttohelpre-stimulatetheSustainable LivelihoodActivities(SLAs)ofTAMS, mainlyinimplementing SLAs whichhad previouslybeen designed byLouise Holloway,withMIARO support.Theconsultantalsoworkedwithcommunitiesto helpthemtargetexisting sources offunding. As a result,theactivityproposal submittedtothenodes small grantsbyfour koloharena ofAndranolavavillage was approvedand iscurrentlybeing implemented under themonitoring ofthenewlyrecruitedSLA team.

CI has provided a granttoANAE tocoordinatetheSLA activitiesatAndasibeincollaborationwith the7local implementing associations. In additiontotheoriginal SLAs, ANAE istesting thefeasibility ofthezero-tiling technique oftencalled SCV intheTAMS zone. Recently,thefirstharvestofriceand corn produced withthese new techniques was promising compared tothetavyyield onthesame type ofland. Furthermore, there seemed tobeimprovementinsoilstructure and an increase intheorganic matterinthesoil.

Tocomplementtheoriginal SLA design, CI provided technical supporttoCIPALI and ANAE towrite a proposal fortheDevelopmentMarketplace grantprogram. Theproposal was toestablishwild silk

Page 20 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008 productionintheMantadia-Zahamena corridorarea tocomplementotherSustainable Livelihood Activities inareas around theforestcorridorrestorationzone. Theprojectwill increase thevalue of foreststocommunitiesand will enhance therestorationeffortsthroughtheinclusionofnativetree species thatserveas foodforthepupae. Itisalsoaimed atproviding sustainable revenue forthe communitiesinvolved inTAMS. Thewild silkprojecthas justbeen short-listedbytheW orld Bank.

Result Module 2: Managementeffectiveness forconservationareasimproved

MIARO RM2has provided majorassistance tonew protected areas (NPAs)oftheSAPM. TheRM2 team has expanded itssupporttoNPAs innorthern Madagascar. However, strengthening towards NPAs thathaveadvanced draftsofmanagementplans has beenalsoa majoractivityforthefirst semester.

SUB RESULTS MODULE: 2.1.Developand/orrefine conservationmanagementplans and otherthematic plans forprotected areasAND a.Managementplans fornew protected areas(NPAs)

RM2supported a capacitybuilding workshoponmanagementeffectiveness and management effectiveness assessmenttools forDSAP staff as well as PA promoters. Thisworkshopispartofa seriesofworkshopsorganized under theProgram ofWorkonProtected Areas oftheConventionon Biological Diversityinorder tofostertheimplementationofthisprogram. Thisprovided a good exposure tomanagementeffectiveness issues and standards, themostup-to-dateversionofTheNature Conservancy’sConservationActionPlanning tool(formerly5-S)and othertools nowavailable forthe SAPM. Theneed todevelopa masterplan fortheSAPM (as ANGAP’sPLANGRAP)was raised and discussed withtheDSAP as being keyforthefuture long-term foundationoftheSAPM, as well as the need toadaptthemanagementeffectiveness assessmentmethodologynowused byANGAP tothe whole SAPM.

TheRM2team has sofar provided assistance toMenabe-Antimena, Ranobe,Ankodida, Ifotaka-Nord and thethree NPAs inDiana, Oranjia, Montagne des Françaisand Ambodivahibewhichisa coastal (littoral dryforest)and marine protected area. New software called Miradiiscurrentlybeing used (see alsonextsectiononthis).

There has been a progressiveand interesting evolutioninmethodologyinhowtheNPAs issues are addressed. Beginning withMenabe-Antimena, essentiallyall stakeholders were involvedattheinitial analyses stages, butthisnarrowed toscientificand technical expertise onlywhen we moved into5-S. Thefinal documentisshaping upverywell and theFanamby/Durrell team isinthephase of incorporating lastmissing informationonthe“transfertde gestion”scheme. A final workshopaiming tomold thefinal versionisscheduled inJuly.

Then, thisexperience was used todeveloptheIfotaka-Nord and Ankodida plans, and a mechanism was setinplace bylocal W W F staff todiscuss theresultsand proposals regularlywiththeregionand local communities.

Forthenew northern sites, SAGE and CI havehelpedtoestablishthree commissions: (i)biodiversity and threats, (ii)social, economicand cultural (SEC),and (iii)managementand governance. An importantworkhas beendone onanalyses forduring twomissions (thefirstwas orientationand explanations),and theanalyses seem tobeessentiallycomplete. All three commissions meetand share ideas atleastonce oneverymission.

Page 21 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

TheRegionhas been presentformostofour analyses and atleasttwoofthefocal NPAs face a serious charcoal problem and all recognizethatonlya regional initiativecould solvethisissue. In addition, several commune mayors intheNorthjoined our team periodicallyand asked forsimilar supportfrom us foradditional sites thatare sacred, ingoodshapeand biologicallysignificant.These requestswere unsolicitedand atleastone mayorgotDREEFT endorsement.Thisseems tous (we discussed it regularly)an excellentopportunitytohaveMIARO helpDiana developa regional visionfor biodiversitythatcould beintegrated intoitsMAP. Foreachofthethree commissions, a personthat will writedown all theanalysisprocesses has beenidentified. Theywill then submittheirwritings toa PA expertconsultantthatwas hired speciallytoconsolidateall theappropriateinformationneeded for thedrafting ofthedocument.Dealing withtheanalysisperse, thebiodiversitycommissionhas finished elaborating theconceptual model fortheMontagne des FrancaisPA and has initiatedthethreatranking process. Thecommissionwill issue a memothatwill highlighttheimplicationofthesocial economic and cultural problematicinthedeteriorationoftheconservationtargets. Thispaper isveryhelpful in providing theSEC commissionwithbridging elementsitwill ground itsin-depthanalysison. In this way,thetwocommissions will notdriftawayeachother intheirapproaches.

Itisnotedthatthankstotheinclusivevisions ofall oftheNPAs teams, themanagementplans thatare emerging atpresentare alsoveryinclusiveand capture, thespiritofgrassrootsparticipationand co- management.Tothatend, themanagementplan design can still beimproved. b.Miradi: AdaptativeManagementSoftwareforConservationProjects

RM2team isintroducing new software called Miradithatgivesessentiallythesame resultsas the5-S approaches butismuchsimpler touse. WW F acquired thelicense forusing itand can transfer, through thelicense rules, therightstouse ittoall partners.

Currently,Miradiisa user-friendlyprogram thatallows nature conservationpractitioners todesign, manage, monitor, and learn fromtheirprojectstomore effectivelymeettheirconservationgoals. The program guides users througha seriesofstep-by-stepinterviewwizards, based ontheOpenStandards forthePracticeofConservation. As practitioners gothroughthese steps, Miradihelpsthemtodefine theirprojectscope,and design conceptual models and spatial mapsoftheirprojectsite. Thesoftware helpsteams toprioritizethreats, developobjectives and actions, and selectmonitoring indicators to assess theeffectiveness oftheirstrategies. Miradialsosupportsthedevelopmentofworkplans, budgets, and other tools tohelppractitioners implementand manage theirproject.Users can exportMiradi projectdatatodonorreportsor, inthefuture, toa central database toshare theirinformationwith other practitioners. Themaindifference between 5-S and Miradiresides in(i)theiruser interface and (ii)theirflexibilities.

As mentioned above,Miradihas a more accessible and comprehensible interface compared to5-S whichwas easilyelitistinitsdesign and approach.Moreover, Miradioffers some options thatwere absentin5-S. As an example, theviabilityanalysiscan becarried outintwoways, withecological attributeorinthesimple mode. Thisisa tremendous progress as formanyprotectedareas in Madagascar, precise and appropriatedataare often lacking soitisnotworthapplying a rigorous methods liketheecological attributemode inall cases. c. PNM-ANGAP sites and W orldHeritageSites Supporthas been given totheMinistryofEnvironment,W ater and Forests, and Tourism and PNM- ANGAP todeveloptheIntegratedManagementPlan fortheAla Atsinanana W orld Heritage Sites. During June, theprocess ofupdating theconservationtarget,threatsand strategicpriorities for Andohahela national parkwas completed. Thesame process will beadopted attheother 4 parksinthe World Heritage cluster. TheInterregional DirectionofPNM-ANGAP inToliara veryrecentlyalso

Page 22 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008 solicitedsupportfortheMikeaProtected Area ManagementPlan and MIARO RM2certainlywill comply. d. Governance and sustainability ThissectionislinkedtoRM1. Itisinteresting tonotice thattheissues ofsustainabilityare notlimited onsustained financing. Everyone startstorecognizethatgovernance and political/social buy-inis equallycritical tosustainability.All oftheNPAs thatMIARO issupporting are developing similar governance models, even ifthese are onlyan earlystepina more consolidatedstructure inthefuture. Governance and managementequal responsibilitywhichresultsinleveraging financing.

PNM-ANGAP and WW F, insouthwestMadagascar havegroupedtogetherNGO and community representatives from14 evolving protected areas programs inorder toexchange informationand experiences. A meeting ofthose on-the-ground practitioners tookplace lastyear and itishopedthat suchmeeting isorganizedannually.Theobjectiveofsuchmeetings istoprovide a platform forco- managementpractitioners toshare experience and provide training onspecificgovernance aspects.

All stakeholders are all muchmore wise and experienced inthese issues than lastyear, thanksto progress intheNPAs themselves. Thegovernance models foreachNAP nowneeds tobeadjustedto theconservationmanagementplans soas toensure thatthegovernance structure isadequatetoreach theconservationtargetsand goals statedforeachNAP. TheAnkodida protectedarea could provide a verygoodpilotforsuchan exercise, withitsPGC being virtuallycompletedand strong involvementof all governance stakeholders. e. DevelopenvironmentaleducationtoolkitsforusebyPA managementand teachersin park peripheries Effortsthus far havecentered ondevelopmentofa national environmental educationstrategythat promotes theSAPM, and theproductionand distributionofteaching aidmaterials tobeused by regional educationauthorities, teachers, and environmental clubsintheperipheral zones ofAPs and NAPs. Toward thisend, W CS engaged TaliKlien as an STTA toassistinthedevelopmentofthese materials.

Toward defining and developing a national strategyforenvironmental education, a national workshop was held onApril9atOLEP withthedirectcollaborationoftheDirectiondu Développementdu ReflexeEnvironnementale du MEEF and theBureau Programme EducationEnvironnementale du MENRS. Theobjectiveoftheworkshopwere to(i)identifytheenvironmental educationresources alread available fromand used bypartner organizations resources, (ii)identifythestrengthsand weaknesses ofthese various materials, (iii)makethese materials available ina more standardized forum, (iv)identifyareas inneed ofimprovementorareas were there iscurrentlya lackof material/information. Theworkshopincluded 32participantsfrom22organizations. Participating organizations, associations and/orinstitutions included MEEFT, MENRS, ONE, ANGAP, GTZ, ARPEGE, PBZT, WW F, CCEE, MBG, Madagascar Voakajy,CAS, GERP, Programme ANKOY, TANY MEVA, CI, W CS, REPC, UNESCO, WORLD BANK, and USAID. As a resultofthis workshop,theparticipating ministries MEEFT and MENRS statedtheirintenttocreatea National Committee ontheRelativeeducationtotheenvironmentCNERE thatwill facilitatetheexchange of informationinthearea ofenvironmental education.

Page 23 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

Teaching aidmaterials improvedand ordeveloped during thisreporting periodinclude:

Material Content Objective Posters onwater cycle, Updateand improveuponmaterials Demonstratethe Carboncycle, and produced byWW F throughouttheseries interdependence between foodchain ‘NyVoary’ ecological and human systems, and improvegeneral knowledge intheareas of environment,ecological systems, and human activities. Botanical flipcharts A flipchartbookthatprovided Improvetheunderstanding informationtoschools and clubsonthe ofMadagascar’sunique floral floral diversityunique toMadagascar. diversity Thebookwill select20representative species Nature guides Various guides thatcan beused by Promoteincreased outdoor teachers and environmental clubsto labsas an educational toolfor organizeand carryoutnature visits– out teachers and increase doorlabexperience. Les encadreurs de awareness ofMadagascar’s clubsetenseignantsserontles SAPM bénéficiaires. Le contenu décriera ce qu’il fautfaire avant,pendantetaprèsla visite nature.

Environmental educationactivities thatfocused specificallyintheAnosyregionincluded: ° Thecreationofand supportto4 environmental youthclubsintheperipheral zone of AmbatotsirongorongoAP - l’EPP Mitriaky,EPP Sarisambo,EPP Ankaramena etCEG de Ranopiso. Theclubsfocused onprimaryand secondaryschoolstudentsand methodof establishmentand supportfollowfromtheexperiences ofyouthclubestablishmentinthe AntongilBayregionwhere there are nowover 15established youthclubs. ° Supporttoschools toward betterintegrationofenvironmental eductionmodules inclass curriculum. Effortsincluded developmentofeducationmodules focused specificallyon conservationthemes, holding environmental themed contest,educationoutreachonimproved nutritionand human hygiene, establishmentofschoolnurseries, establishmentofschool gardens, realizing nature visitswithprimaryand secondaryschoolstudents– throughtheyouth clubsystem. ° An environmental educationprogram planning workshopwas held during May5-12. The workshopservedto(i)introduce planned activities forthiscalendar year tolocal partner organizations and communityauthorities; (ii)mobilizeschools toward thecreationof environmental clubs; (iii)initiatea program ofenvironmentallythemed contestsamong the schools, (iv)inform thecommunityand schoolauthoritiesoftherecruitmentofa permanent animateur forAmbatotsirongorongo. ° Following fromthisplanning workshop,eachschooland clubwas askedtoproduce a program of workforthenextschoolyear. ThePOWs will befocused onrestorationefforts, tree nurseryestablishmentand communitygardens. ForAnkaramena etManisy04 haof communityland will betargeted forrestoration– withassistance fromQMM and DREEFT – witheffortsbeginning inJune. TheEPP ofAnena and Sarisambowill developcommunity gardens. Three (3)courses onbiodiversityare planned forincorporationintothecurriculums ofEPP Sarisambo,EPP Anena, EPP Ankaramena, EPP Midriso,EPP Manisyand CEG

Page 24 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

Ranopiso. Thedevelopedthemes will focus ongeneral environmental issues, flora and fauna of Ambatotsirongorongoand forestconservation. f.Developamarine ecologicalmonitoringtechnicalframeworkforANGAP

During March2008, BemahafalyRandriamanantsoa, W CS Marine conservationcoordinator, and Herilala Randriamahazo,W CS Marine Program director, undertookdivercertificationtraining in Mombasa Kenyawitha viewtoinitiatea MPA ecological monitoring training program inthesecond semesterofthisyear.

Field-based team developmentand training will takeplace during thesecond semesterof2008. g.Continuetodevelopadaptiveecologicalmonitoringpractices forPAs and NPAs including integrated community-based ecologicalmonitoring

Community-based ecological monitoring programs havebeendeveloped and integratedintothelocal managementactivitiesatseveral ofthenew protected areas withinSAPM. In additiontothewell established systems developedatAloatra, menabeand Baiede Baly,these monitoring activitieshave nowbeen established byCI inCAZ and COFAV, and MIARO, throughW CS, issupporting their establishmentinAmbatotsirongorongo. Communitymonitoring, along withpatrolactivities and habitatrestorationare emerging as one ofthebestwaysofengaging communitiesinconservation activitieswithintheSAPM.

In followuptorealized field-based training inecological monitoring, protocols thatwere introduced in theAmbatotsirongorongoPA trainings are being translatedfromEnglishand FrenchintoMalagasy. Theprocess oftranslationwas initiatedinApriland isstill ongoing. Thetranslatedprotocols will serve as a guide forcontinued community-based ecological monitoring.

SUB RESULTS MODULE: 2.2.Improveand fullyimplementannualprogrammatic work plans forprotected areas a.Developtrainingmodules forPA managersin collaborationwithREPC projectfollowing thetrainingneeds identified byPNM-ANGAP in 2006

REPC, incollaborationwithMIARO continued developmentoftraining modules forPA and NPA managers. Twomodules initiatedin2007are being finalized.

REPC and DGEEF are identifying twomore modules todevelop. A surveydone inAprilshowed the importance ofthefollowing modules forDGEEF: (1)Aires Protégées: planning and design; (2)Aires Protégées: implémentationetgestion. Theprioritymodules will bedetermined attheREPC/DGEEF training ofTrainers planned inMoramanga fromJuly1, 2008 toJuly4, 2008.

Free printed and electronicversions ofmodules alreadyproduced were disseminated topartners in Antsiranana, Mahajanga, and Maroantsetra inMay2008. REPC incollaborationwithW CS also continued theimprovementoftraining programs inbiodiversityconservationwithinDGEEF. Tothis end, since January2008, REPC has alreadyorganised several meeting withDGEEFT inorder to developpartnership. As a result,DGEEF, theGeneral Secretaryoftheministryoftheenvironment and REPC agree thatREPC will supportDGEEF inimplementing MEEFT training plan published in January2008. REPC will takeespeciallyincharge thetraining onbiodiversityconservation. REPC has alreadyidentified 15trainers fromDGEEF tobeincharge ofDREEF training. Occurring fromJuly1 toJuly4 2008, thetraining plan will beupdatedtointegratenew needs according tothenew structure

Page 25 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008 and theattributionofeachdepartmentofDGEEF. Atthesame time REPCwill trainDGEEF trainers onActiveTraining approachesand will finalise training implementationplan. b.AssistDGEEF /DSAP in developingevaluationsystem forSAPM There isa growing concern amongstprotectedarea professionals thatmanyProtected Areas around theworld are notachieving theobjectives forwhichtheyare established. Forthisreason, theWCPA frameworkaims toprovide some overall guidance inthedevelopmentofassessmentsystems to encourage standards forassessmentreporting. TheManagementEffectiveness Tracking tool(orIEG: Indice d’Efficacitéde Gestion)forms a partofa seriesofmanagementeffectiveness assessmenttools, as theRAPPAM (W WF)used toidentifykeyprotectedareas ofthreat.

FortheSAPM, thesystem iscomposed bysitesmanaged byANGAP (definitivestatus)and new protectedAreas. ANGAP alreadyapplies thisassessmenttoolforitsprotectedareas, and nowthere isa need touse thesame system fortheothers new protectedareas. Itshould benotedthattheIEG isone oftheofficial MAP indicators and therefore thissystemisrequired throughouttheSAPM.

ToadapttheIEG foruse inthenew Protected Areas we testeditsapplicationeventhoughmostnew protectedareas donotyethavethefinal protectionstatus. Thetoolwas tested onsixnew protected areas (Menabe central,Ankenihena- Zahamena,Bongolava,Corridor Fandriana Vondrozo,Montagne des Francais, Mahavavy- Kinkony).

Theresultsare mentioned inthetable above.

IEG Results for each Sites PA Ankeniheny-Zahamena 34.78 Menabe Central 31.18 Bongolava 25.00 Corridor Fandriana- Vondrozo 31.52 Montagne des Francais 23.91 Mahavavy-Kinkony 32.61 Table 1: Results of IEG for the training sites

Theresultsshowthatthetoolcan beapplied evenwithoutwaiting forfull protection. Therefore the nextstepisforthisassessmenttotraintheDSAP initsuse as well as theoperators ofeachnew protectedarea. Then a strategyforregular annual monitoring needs tobedeveloped withDSAP. This workwill beconducted inthesecond semester of2008.

Result Module 4: Sustainable FinancingMechanisms Mobilized and Operational

SUB RESULTS MODULE: 4.1.Expand and developmanagementcapacityofMalagasy EnvironmentalTrustFunds/Foundations

4.1.1LONG-TERM SUPPORT AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO TANY MEVA FOUNDATION FOR INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, STRATEGIC PLANNING, AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW SUSTAINABLE FINANCIAL MECHANISMS

Fortheperiodunder consideration, theMIARO contributioncontinued tofocus ontheincrease of TanyMevaresources suchas money,skills, informationand networking. A consultantwas hired by

Page 26 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

TanyMeva– under therecommendationofthenewlyformed TanyMevaboard – toassistinthe drafting ofa new 5year strategicplan forthefoundation. Thisworkisongoing.

Resultsachieved during thisperiodare thefollowing: a.Assistnew boardasrequired tosupportitsoperations and ensurethateffectivegovernance structureis in place. Provide trainingand assistance asneeded

During thelastcalendar year, theTanyMevaBoard was presentedwitha draftinvestmentstrategythat updatesthecurrentapproach,whichisnotdelivering optimum returns. Thestrategyoutlined moves theBoard should consider toimprovethereturns onTanyMeva’scapital and protectitagainsterosion ofvalue. Draftterms ofreference were writtentopermitthecontracting ofa managementfirm to reviewTanyMeva’scurrentstructure and operations and recommend structural changes and develop manuals consistentwiththenew operational thrust.Thisconsultanthas nowbeen hired – withthe supportofMIARO. Theprogram ofworkofthisconsultantisongoing. b.Provide trainingand orientationtoecosystem service markets,especiallytheemerging marketforvoluntaryemissionreductions.

WiththesupportofMIARO, TanyMevahosted a forestcarbonworkshopduring May13-21withthe UK-based organizationBioclimateResearchand Development(BRD)and theirprogram ‘Plan Vivo’. Plan Vivooffers a methodologyfordeveloping community-centricforestcarbonprojectsas well as access tomarketsand buyers. GiventhePlan Vivostructure and potential forcapacitybuilding, developmentofa Plan Vivoprojectmaybea useful approachforTanyMevaas partofitssustainable financing portfolio. Theprogram would fitwell withthecurrentreforestationthrustsofthe organizationand takeadvantage ofTanyMeva’sstatus as a trustfund.

ThroughPlan Vivo,companies, individuals orinstitutions wishing tooffsetgreenhouse gas emissions can purchase voluntaryemissionreductions (VERs)viatheprojecttrustfund – inthiscase established throughTanyMeva– oftheoffsetproject. These VERs are intheform ofPlan VivoCertificates. The projectuses thePlan Vivomanagementsystemtoregisterand monitorcarbonsequestrationactivities implemented byfarmers. Local promoters helpfarmers todraw uptheirown workplans, known as Planes Vivos~ forforestryoragroforestrysystems thatreflecttheirown needs, priorities and capabilities. These are assessed fortechnical feasibility,social and environmental impactand carbon sequestrationpotential. Viable plans are registered withtheTrustFund and an agreementforthe supplyofcarbonservices viatheFund issigned. TheTrustFund thenprovides farmers withfinancial and technical assistance toimplementfarm orcommunity-scale forestryand agroforestry developments, onthebasisofthecarbonthatwill besequestered. While anyactivitythatcan produce quantifiable reductions ingreen house gas emissions and promotesustainable livelihoods can beused ina Plan Vivoproject. However, thefocus oftheTanyMevaprogram ofworkwithPlan Vivofocused onrestorationand reforestationefforts

TheTanyMeva-led workshopincluded participantsfrom13local partner organizations and associations: FenoAla – Analamanga, ONG RINDRA - Alaotra Mangoro,ONG Capricorne – Atsimo Andrefana, ONG Baiboho– AtsimoAndrefana, AssociationFiombonantsoaMandroso– Analamanga, AssociationFiombonantsoaMandroso– Analamanga, Commune Rurale Ambongamarina – Analamanga, AssociationTAFITA Ankotrofotsy– Menabe, l'associationLTF Mangarivotra – Menabe, AssociationFTV Antsoha– Menabe, AssociationMahavelo– AtsimoAndrefana, AssociationBeahitse – AtsimoAndrefana, AssociationFITAMI - Alaotra Mangoro.

Page 27 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

Followupfromthisfirstworkshopwill come throughthedevelopmentofa portfolioofPlan Vivo projectsthatTanyMevawill submittoBRD forevaluation. Community-based Plan vivoproject activitiesmaybeginas soonas thisfall. c. Provide additionalsupporttoenhance thequalityoftheTanyMevawebsitetobringittoan internationalstandard

Technical assistance continues tobeprovided toTanyMevaformediamaterials and website development.

4.1.2.LONG–TERM SUPPORT AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO MADAGASCAR FOUNDATION FOR PROTECTED AREAS AND BIODIVERSITY (MFPAB) FOR INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Thekeyresultsare: • The Foundationhas secured theapproval and managementofthedebtrelief agreement between theGovernmentofFrance and GovernmentofMadagascar, thus current commitmentssurpass thefoundation’sself-setgoal of$50Millioncapital. • DevelopmentofDraftPrioritizationPlan pending finalization. • DevelopmentofDraftStrategicPlan pending finalization. • DevelopmentofDraftCommunicationDocumentpending finalization.

Finalizationofa communicationstrategydepends largelyontheStrategicPlan as well as the Prioritizationcriteriaand will bolstertheimplementationofboth. Thisisalsoan updateofa prior communicationplan (from2005)thatwas launched fortheinitial years oftheFoundationand is intended tolaythebasisforthecoming years. Based onthecommunicationplan, communicationand marketing prioritieshavebeendrafted throughtheend oftheyear 2008.

DevelopPrioritizationpolicy:Finalizingand implementingselectionand prioritizationofPAs forFoundationsupport.

MIARO provided technical assistance tothefoundationtodevelopa frameworkthatassess each protectedareas, and based mainlyonthree criteria: (1)Biodiversityand viability(2)Managementand governance (3)Labels. Following these three categories, an analysiswas done fortheprotected areas oftheSAPM thathad alreadyobtained final and temporarystatus. Throughthisanalysis, we triedto classifyseparatelythesites withfinal status (ormanaged byANGAP)and thesites withtemporary status.

FortheProtectedAreas withfinal status we used thethree criteriawhereas fortheprotectedareas with temporarystatus, we onlyused thetwocriteria(biodiversityand viability,and Labels),because forthe protectedAreas inadvanced stage ofcreationthedataare notquitesure and thiscould bias our analysis.

Itisimportanttonotethatthedatawe used forthisevaluationcomes fromdifferentsources as the Database ofMIARO, IEFN data, ForestCover, KeyBiodiversityAreas, ImportantBirds Areas, ANGAP reportsand surveysofoperators working withnew protected areas sites. However, forthe New Protectedareas there isa need toimprovethedata, as knowledge onspecies isincreasing through more completespecies inventoriesand better databases.

Theresultsofthisanalysisprovide theFoundationwitha ranking systemfortheirinvestmentsin protectedareas.

Page 28 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

SUB RESULTS MODULE: 4.2.Buildoneffortsmade and cooperatewithotherEP3 actorsto strengthen potentialsources ofincome forforesthabitatconservation

4.2.1.TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO THE WORKING GROUP ON SUSTAINABLE FINANCING – DEVELOPMENT OF A SUSTAINABLE FINANCE FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF INITIATIVES FOR FINANCING FOREST CONSERVATION IN A RANGE OF PROTECTED AREAS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIVITY

TheresponsibilitiesoftheComitéCDIFiDe havelargelyfallen tothenew Service de Pérennisation Financière thatisdirectlyunder theSG inMEEFT and istaskedwithensuring thefinancial sustainability oftheenvironmentas a whole and inparticular ProtectedAreas.

TheChefde Service, Abdoul CheikhAbdallah,Directeur des Etudes and Coordonnateur Général des Projetsoftheformer MinistryofTourism, has been appointed. Three highlymotivatedagentsfromthe DepartmentofW ater and Forestand fromtheMinistryofTourism havejoined theteam. MIARO has hired a technical assistant,HenriRabesahala, toadvise and accompanytheSPF team in theimplementationoftheAAH approachtosustainable financing ofenvironmental actions in Madagascar. Theobjectives oftheteam are twofold: tomakesure thefunding needs oftheMAP’s environmentcommitmentare metand toincrease thepercentage offunding fromsustainable financing instruments.

TheimmediatetargetsofSPF include theconsolidationofall actions forthedevelopmentof sustainable financing instrument,theidentificationofthecostsand available funding oftheMAP activities, and thedevelopmentofa strategytofill inthefunding gap.Those constitutethenextstepof theunit.

Themainchallenges ofthisactivitypertaintothesetting upoftheunit,including securing itsbudget, supplying equipmentsfortheofficeand training theteam. Besides, thelimited access totheMinister and theSecretaryGeneral could sometime become an impedimenttoa fastdecisionmaking process. MIARO will continue toprovide technical assistance as well as separatetraining fortheSPF.

4.2.2.UNDERTAKE BIODIVERSITY ECONOMIC ANALYSES AND ORGANIZE FORUMS TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF THE VALUE OF CONSERVATION IN MADAGASCAR

An analysisofecosystem service values and thepotential fordeveloping ecosystemservicepayments was completed during 2007. Thefinal reportofthese analyses has been submitted and issubmitted in conjunctionwiththisreport.

WCS produced a shortfilm onthevalue ofMadagascar’snatural capital and itscontributiontothe economicdevelopmentofthecountry. Thefilm was projected during therecentlyheld ‘Presidents Round Table’onprivatesectorinvestmenttothecountry. Twohundred copiesofthefilm were also made available fordistributiontoall participantsoftheround table meetings.

Thefollowing are keyachievements:

• A consulting team completed thefield researchinselectedsitessurrounding Fianarantsoaand thefinal reportsare pending finalization. • Theconsulting team included informationrelevanttotheupdating oftheMatrixonPES activitiesinMadagascar.

Page 29 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

• A second site,intheregionnear Toamasina, was identified formore in-depthstudies related to implementing a PES mechanism. Terms ofReference havebeen draftedfora consultantto carryoutthestudyand completean assessmentofthePES Matrix.

Undertakebiodiversityeconomic analyses and organizeforums toincreaseunderstandingof thevalueofconservationin Madagascar:PA-BAT assessment.

ThePovertyAssessment-BAT isa new tooldevelopedbyWW F, Equilibrium and partners aiming to helpcollateinformationonthefull range ofcurrentand potential benefitsofindividual protected areas. Itisa contributorymethodologyfortheoverall ArgumentsforProtectionseries, butisalsoa stand- alone toolthatwill beofwider use totheprotectedareas community.ThePA-BAT has beenprimarily designed foruse byprotected area managers toworkwithstakeholders toidentifyimportantvalues and thebenefitsthattheybring toa range ofstakeholders, fromlocal toglobal.

ThePA-BAT can alsobeused bylocal communitiestoidentifyvalues/benefitsand byprotected area advocates, suchas NGOs, tohelppromotetherange ofbenefitsa protected area can bring.

We translatedthequestionnaire inFrenchversionsothatitcould beeasilyused bymanagers of protectedareas. An Excel versionisalreadyavailable and readytouse and fordisseminationforthe assessmentofeachProtectedArea. MIARO plans toprovide training intheuse ofthistoolsothatit can beadopted intandem withtheIEG monitoring tool.

4.2.3. DEVELOPMENT OF CARBON RELATED PROJECTS FOR FOREST RESTORATION AND FOREST CONSERVATION a.Makira In preparationofselling verifiedemissionreductions (VERs)fromMakira, WCS continues towork withSmartWoodoftheRainforestAlliance tocompletetheprojectdesign verificationusing Climate, Communityand BiodiveristyStandards (CCBS).A pre-evaluationoftheMakira projecthas been completed bySmartWood, and field-based verificationeffortswill takeplace during thefall of2008. MIARO isalsonegotiating withW inRockInternational toestablisha VCS methodologyfortheGOM REDD efforts. WinRockwill developtheVCS methodologythroughfield workintheMakria, CAZ and COFAV. National trainings will beheld, allowing fortheestablishmentofa national team that, withtheVCS, could carryoutverificationeffortsas new REDD programs come online.

In May,a landmarkarrangementbetween theGOM and W CS thatgivesW CS – throughtheMakira CarbonCompany – theauthorizationtomarketthean estimated9.1 milliontons ofCO2equivalents (CO2e). Thisagreementwill resultinatleast75%ofall proceeds going tosupportconservationand communitydevelopmentintheMakira region. In additiontheobjectiveistouse funds tostrengthen Governmentcapabilityas well as thecarbonfinancing capabilitiesofTanyMeva. WCS alsohas receivedsignificantinterestfroma varietyofbuyers inthemarketing ofMakria’sCO2e.

On anotherfront,theGovernmentgrantedCI therighttoraise funds fortheequivalentof300,000 tons ofCO2efromMakira through2010. Itisagreed thatCI will receivedonations inexchange for thegovernmentretiring thecredits. Thedonations, minus marketing, legal and managementcostswill beprovided toW CS as a grant. While there havebeen delaysinthesigning ofthiscontract,itis expected tobesigned before theend ofJuly,afterfinal legal review.

Page 30 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008 b.BiocarbonFund – MantadiaZahamena A BiocarbonFund team visitedtheprojectstakeholders and activities inthefield atTAMS lastMarch and latermetwithvarious stakeholders atthedecisionmaking levelinAntananarivo.Thefield visit allowed theteam tolearn aboutthecomplexityoftherestorationtechniques and therelated approaches thatneed tomeetthecommunity,thedonors and theCDM requirements. Italsohelped them tounderstand thehighcostofecological restorationdespitetheeffortofminimizing costinthe projectdesign. Thevarious meetings inAntananarivohelpedmovetheWorld bankand CELCO’s procedures forunblocking theEP3funding fortherestorationactivities. One ofthemostimportant decisions agreed onwas thesimplificationofthefunding flowtothefield. Currently,new contractsare being negotiated between CELCO (themanager oftheWorld Bank’sEP3funds)and theFacilitating Agents(FAs).AnotherimportantdecisionistherecruitmentoftheTAMS coordinatorwhowill deal withtheoverall supervisionofTAMS and will ensure coordinationwithdonors and TAMS staff whether atnational level orfield level. In themeantime, CI, along withtheprojectmanager, isupdating theprojectdocument(PDD)and istransposing thedataneeded intothenew TARAM tool(TARAM istheequivalentofan ExcelversionofthePDD). c. Avoided deforestationtheCAZ carbonproject TheGOM and theBiocarbonFund signed theERPA (Emissions ReductionPurchase Agreement)for theavoided deforestationcomponentoftheproject(fora total ofapproximately$1.5million).Both partiesagreed onthedisbursementof$100,000 ofupfrontpaymentonsignature ofthecontractand uponthedeliverybytheGOM ofa plan fortheuse ofthispayment.Another $200,000 isexpected uponthevalidationofthePDD bytheDesignatedOperational Entity(DOE). d. Readiness PIN MIARO staff, along withother members ofthecarbongroup,provided assistance totheSG toprepare a Readiness-ProjectIdea NotefortheForestCarbonPartnershipFacility,a new W orld Bank-managed fund. TheR-PIN covered capacitybuilding activities withintheMinistry.Selected RPINs will be announced inParisinearlyJuly. ThegovernmentofMadagascar has receivedan invitationforthe REDD focal pointtoattend themeeting and presentthecountry’seffortsonREDD thus far.

4.2.5.ENABLE ENVIRONMENTAL ACTORS TO OBTAIN INCREASED BUDGETARY ALLOCATIONS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL SECTOR THROUGH HIPC/PRSP BUDGETARY ALLOCATIONS AND NON-HIPC DEBT BILATERAL DEBT FOR NATURE SWAPS

Thesigning ofan agreement(C2D-Contrat Désendettement Développement)between theGovernmentof Madagascar and theGovernmentofFrance was completedinJune 2008. Theagreementprovides a debtreliefofapproximately¤26Millionoverfiveyears. 50% ofthese funds will beprovided tothe capital fund oftheMFPAB (Madagascar FoundationforProtectedAreas and Biodiversity). SUB RESULTS MODULE: 4.3. Stimulateinvestmentforbiodiversityconservation

4.3.1.PROMOTE SITE- BASED FUNDING FOR AP PARTICULARLY W ITH “NON-TRADITIONAL DONORS"(ZOOS AND ZOO CONSORTIA) LINKED W ITH MARKETING STRATEGIES AND BUSINESS PLANS OF THE TWO CONSERVATION FUNDS AND THE PROTECTED AREAS

WCS continues initscollaborationwithZooZurichinitssupportoftheMasoala National Park. Zoo Zurichhas recentlyrenewed itsagreementwiththeGOM as well as withW CS forcontinued support ofthePark,whichprovides a minimum paymentof$100,000 perannum.

Page 31 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

As technical supporttotheestablishmentoftheTsitongambarikaPA, WCS and partner organizations CARE and BirdLife International are collaborating ona EASA submissiontotheEU forfurther financial supporttotheestablishmentofTGK.

4.3.2PROMOTE GREATER PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN CONSERVATION THROUGH DEBT AND EQUITY FINANCING FOR COMMERCIALLY VIABLE BIODIVERSITY BUSINESSES AND ENTERPRISES IN MADAGASCAR

WCS has continued todevelopa community-integratedprogram toproduce conservationcottonin peripheral landscapeoftheMikeaNational Park,southwestMadagascar. Thisprogram was funded by MIARO initsearlystart-upphase. Theprogram has nowreceived significantprincipal funding and has engaged withtheassociationODER – a Malagasymanaged cottonproducing organizationthathas significantexperience withorganiccottonproductioninthenorthwestofthecountry.A WCS team is situatedintheTulear region, and has begun developmentof(i)atraining center, (ii)acommunity outreachand engagementprogram, (iii)60haofland fororganiccottonproduction - during thisnext coming cultivationseason. The5year program will establishproductionoforganiccottonas a means ofpromoting sustainable land use managementand reduced anthropogenicthreatstotheforestofthe southwest.Theprogram aims toensure bothproductionofcottonas well as themanufacture ofa Malagasyconservationcottont-shirtforexport.WCS iscollaborating withEdun, OrganicExchange and a hostofother partners. W CS withassistance fromtheW orld Bankhas recentlysubmitteda large funding proposal totheJapanese Social DevelopmentFund toallowforthecontinuationforthis multiyear program.

In collaborationwithJariAla, WCS has supportedthethe‘MusicW oodCoalition’.W ithan interestin promoting privatesectorsupporttoconservation, theMusicWoodTour was a first-stepinitiativeto establisha program forcommercial harvestofprecious hard woods tobeused intheconstructionof musical instruments. Theharvestwould bebased ona certificationscheme introduced throughthe Tropical ForestTrust(TFT).Thevisitwas co-sponsored and co-financed bytheUSAID-funded JariAla projectwhichsupportsreforms inMadagascar toimprovesustainable forestmanagement.The manufacturers are all members oftheGreenpeace MusicW oodCoalitionwhoare working together to increase theavailabilityoftraditional woods used bymusical instrumentmanufacturers thatcan be certifiedtotheexacting managementstandards oftheForestStewardshipCouncil(FSC).TheTropical ForestTrustworksdirectlywithbusinesses tolinkthem withsustainablysourced timber productsand certifiable supply-chains. Themechanism oftransparent,certified, sustainablyextractedhard woods would bring a revenue return directlybacktotheCOBAs thatengage intheprogram. MusicWood partners include: Greenpeace, TFT, and representatives ofMatinGuitars, GibsonGuitars, and Taylor Guitars.

DEVELOP AND PROMOTE DIVERSE, QUALITYECOTOURISM PRODUCTS THAT REPRESENT A VISION OF THE GLOBAL ECOTOURISM STANDARD IN AND AROUND KEYPROTECTED AREAS IN MADAGASCAR. The mainachievementovertheconsidered periodwas thecompletionoftheconcessioning framework documents(concessioning contractand its cahier des charges),and theirpresentationduring two workshops, onthe5th and the8th ofMay.

The objectives oftheworkshopswere to: • Presentand discuss theproposed concessioning contractand its cahier des charges (specifications) totheMinistry(restrictedtechnical workshopofthe5th ofMay)and torepresentativesofthe privatesector(publicworkshopofthe8th ofMay). • Presentthesiteselectionprocess and theproposed prioritypilotsites forhighquality ecotourism investments.

Page 32 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

Thefirstrestrictedworkshopwas convened between theMEEFT and all directpartners inthe promotionoftheconcessioning initiative(MIARO members, IFC, ANGAP).Thesecond workshop included, inadditiontothe5th ofMay’sparticipants, representativesofthelocal privatesector, identifiedas potential concessionaires. Thecontentoftheconcessioning frameworkdocumentsraised noobjectioneitherbytheMEEFT ortherepresentativesofthelocal privatesector.

Withregards tothepriorityparks, four clusters ofparkshavebeen identified: • Eastern Cluster(Masoala/NosyMangabe;Mananara-Nord/NosyAtafana); • Northern Cluster(Ankarana/Montagne d’Ambre); • Central Cluster(Andasibe-Mantadia);and • Northwestern Cluster (Îles Radama/Sahamalaza).

Following theranking oftheparksinpriorityorder, twofield missions were successfullyundertaken by IFC, CI, WCS and ANGAP toidentifysites attheparklevel, inMantadia-Andasibe,Ankarana- Montagne d’Ambre and Îles Radama-Sahamalaza(IFC and ANGAP only),foreachtypeoftargeted investor(Segment1: high-end, low-volume ecotourism operators; Segment2:high-end, medium- volume hoteloperators; Segment3:“best-of-range”local operators).Several sites were identifiedin eachoftheassessed parks.

ECOTOURISM CARBON OFFSET Surveyconducted bythevalue chainanalysisprocess showed thatsome touristsare interestedtosee and learn thelivelihoodofcommunities living around theAndasibeReserve. Conservation International envisages toassess thefeasibilityofthecreationofa livelihoodtour withintheTAMS area where touristswill see boththerestorationcomponentand livelihoodaspectsoftheproject.This will alsoallowthem tooffsettheircarbonfootprintatleastfortheMadagascar portionoftheirtrip. Suchmoneywill provide a long term additional funding fortheTAMS activities. Theprojectwill contributetothefinancial need ofTAMS. Meetings were held withANAE and theFAs whowere enthusiasticaboutit.Also,theSG oftheMEEFT found theprojectinteresting and transmitted the conceptnotetotheDirectorGeneral oftheTourism Department.Currently,CI and ANAE are supporting a Malagasyresearchertodeveloptheconceptfurther. .

USAID ALLIANCE ACTIVITIES

USAID Alliance activitiesduring thissemesterwere focused onactivitiesrelatedtonew protectedareas establishmentwiththeregional technical committees (cf RM1.4).especiallyforCAZ and COFAV corridors and thestocktaking process undertaken byUSAID forthesecond quarter.

In thestocktaking exercise, MIARO team isactivelycontributing inarticles publicationprocess, throughoutreflectiondevelopmentonseveral themes inworking groups, and taking thelead onarticles related toSAPM. Itshould benotedthatthestocktaking issubstantial additional workthatwas not planned forintheannual workplan. Thisiscausing delaysintheimplementationofsome activities, particularlysince itisnotonlyMIARO staff thatare affected.

Atthenational level, four themes related totheSAPM developmentwere defined: “Prioritysetting”, “Sustainable financing”,“New categoriesand governance types”and “Benefitstocommunities”.

In theEcoregions ofToamasina, Fianarantsoaand Anosy,theMIARO team isalsoinvolvedin regional working groups, other than “SAPM themes”dealing withspecificthemes toeachecoregion.

Page 33 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

Thefirstsetofstocktaking articles are supposed tobesubmittedbyJune 30, and officiallypresentedin a national workshopinmidaugust.

III. PROBLEMS AND CONSTRAINTS ENCOUNTERED

RESULT MODULE 1: ECOLOGICAL LINKAGES ESTABLISHED AND MAINTAINED

° During thefirsthalf of2008, nonew protected areas receivedtemporaryprotectedstatus. Several new protectedarea creationprocesses were initiated and submittedtoDSAP, butdelays haveoccurred intheprocessing ofthese requests. Delayshavealsooccurred due tothelengthy process ofnegotiating withthemining sector. ° Theinter-ministerial arête17914 will expire onOctober 18, 2008. Yet,several priority conservationsiteshavenotyetreceivedtemporaryprotectedstatus. Themapattachedtothe arêtewill beupdatedand will serveas thebasisfordiscussions withother sectors, butwe must makeeffortstoconservethese sites as quicklyas possible. ° Theproposed amendmenttotheCOAP was notsubmitted tothegovernmentinMay2008 as originallyplanned and has been rescheduled forSeptember2008. Thisdelaywas atthe minister’srequest. ° Several new protectedarea teams havealreadycompletedlocal consultations and datacollection necessaryforthedevelopmentofthePAG and PGES. However, problems still existregarding thedevelopmentofthese documents. Thisisan issue as these documentsare required for definitiveprotected status. ° Several prioritysites currentlyhaveneither promoters norfunding tomoveforward withnew protectedarea creation. ° Resultsobtained bythetaxonomicgrouponidentifying prioritysites fornew protected areas havenotbeen sufficientlycommunicated tovarious actors atthenational and regional levels. Thiscontributestomisunderstanding and inaccurateinterpretations onthepartofsome stakeholders. ° COFAV: Thisreporting periodhas coincided withvarious electoral campaigns, whichresulted invarious delaysinactivityimplementation(e.g., publicconsultations could havebeen misinterpreted as political movements).Thus, nopublicconsultations were conducted during these campaigns. ° Thefunding fromtheW orld BankforTAMS isstill blocked and, hence, planting ofthe remaining trees inthenurseries- whichcurrentlyare suffering - as well as theproductionof new plantshavetobehalted. CI has provide additional funding totheprojecttorelievethe problems butultimatelytheEP3funds will beneeded toplantatthescale required bythethe project.Thiswill havean impactontheflowoftheexpectedcarbonrevenue as theprojectwill failtogeneratethetimelycarboncreditsas planned. Theprojectstill alsoexperiences theever- changing requirementsoftheCDM secretariatwhichbecame everstricter. Onlytheland that will beplantedshould bedefined as theprojectarea, forcing TAMS toreduce thearea presented inthePDD. Also,theminimum sizeofindividual planting plotsisnowrequired to beatleastone hectare whereas aggregationofsmall plotsused tobeacceptedas long as the whole bunchexceeds thehectare. ThetemplateversionofthePDD was changed and the projectdocumentneeds tobeupdated accordingly.

RESULT MODULE 2: MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS FOR CONSERVATION AREAS IMPROVED

RM2has been solicitedtobemore extensiveinNPAs support,taking onmore sites. These must include thethree USAID focal ecoregions, including CAZ and COFAV. In addition, several commune mayors intheNorth(RegionofDiana)joined theteam periodicallyand askedforsimilar supportfrom

Page 34 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

MIARO foradditional sitesthatare sacred, ingoodshapeand biologicallysignificant.These requests were unsolicited and atleastone mayorgotDREEFT endorsement.

RESULT MODULE 4: SUSTAINABLE FINANCING MECHANISMS MOBILIZED AND OPERATIONAL

Implementing a watershedPES mechanism isquitecomplicated. Manydiscussions withpeople experienced withPES projectshighlighted theimportance ofhaving a strong basisforimplementation, socially,scientificallyand economicallytoensure an effectiveproject.These discussions clarified the process butalsoillustratedthatthere are still manystepsintheprocess ofassessmentbefore getting to implementation. Ensuring an effectiveplan forassessmentand implementationiscritical howeveris more complicatedthan initial thoughtand will add unexpected time delay.

There was a significantdelayinthe“installation”ofthenew service ofsustainable financing thatwas part ofthebroader restructuring process fortheMinistryas a whole thatsetbacktheprocess somewhat. Thisprocess isquitepolitical insome dimensions and complicated and requires a highdegree of collaborationwithpartners. Gathering all relevantinformationand studies thatsupport implementationhas been lengthy. In addition, ONTM islaunching a similar studyintothepossibility ofusing a fee onairtransportationtofund ONTM and tourism related activities thatcould reduce the amountcollectedfortheenvironment.

Theabsence ofMinisterial decision-making onspecificissues related totheconcessioning framework remains a majorconstraintfortheadvancementofactivities. Examples ofsuchissues include: who should bethefinal conceeding authority?Whatconcessionfee structure istheMEEFT infavour of? Whatmechanism forredistributionoftheconcessioning fee revenues doestheMEEFT envisage?

IV. RECOMMENDED SOLUTIONS

RESULT MODULE 1: ECOLOGICAL LINKAGES ESTABLISHED AND MAINTAINED

Guide onSustainable Use – Thisguide needs toinclude a chapterthataddresses thequestionofuse at a ratethatdoes notexceed theregenerationrates ofthespeciesinquestion. Itshould alsoprovide guidance on(a)precautionaryrates ofuse and (b)monitoring ofuse and regenerationofspeciesused. A consultantisneeded tocompletethese activities. ° Prioritization– Theprioritysetting groupneeds todevelopdocumentsand tools onthe prioritizationtocommunicateatall levels oftheworkthathas been completed and theresults achievedbythegroup. ° New ProtectedArea Creation– Given theobjectivesoutlined inthe Programme Generale de l’Etat for2008 forthesurface area ofnew protectedareas tobecreated, theDSAP and theCIMF need toacceleratetheprocessing ofapplications and requests, especiallyas concerns those sites thatoverlapwithmining permits. ° COAP – In order tosubmittheproposed COAP amendmentand new decree totheNational AssemblyinearlySeptember2008, othersectors and stakeholders need tobeconsultedas soon as possible, missing elementsneed tobeintegrated intotheamendment,and theproposed decree needs tobefinalized. ° ConservationActionGrants(CAG)–MIARO iscurrentlyissuing CAG toprovide funds to supportpromoters orother organizations implementactivities thatsupportSAPM. TheCAG will alsosupportpromoters toestablishnew protected areas. ° In order torelievethesuffering ofplantsinthenurseries and those thathad been planted, CI provided ANAE a small amountoffunding toallowtheminimum required maintenance activitiesbothinnurseries and intherestored areas. CI and ANAE are nowworking on

Page 35 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

updating theprojectarea bythedeletionofrestorationplotsless than 1 hectare insizeand others thathavepotential conflict.ThePDD isalsocurrentlyupdated according tothelast changes withintheprojectand thelatestinternational requirements. Meetings held inTana and inthefield during theBiocarbonFund missionbroughtpromising solutions tothefunding problem ofTAMS. Themaindecisions and therelated courses of actions are alreadydealtwithintheachievementsectionabouttheBiocarbonFund visit.

RESULT MODULE 2: MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS FOR CONSERVATION AREAS IMPROVED

Concerning CAZ, theissues seem tobeverysimilar tothose inDiana. MIARO prioritizesand the RM2team will attempttoprovide support,based ondirectives. There isan excellentopportunityto haveMIARO helpDiana developa regional visionforbiodiversitythatcould beintegrated intoits MAP. Finally,based onexperiences gained throughtheplanning process, RM2isalsolooking forward toimproving thePG design.

RESULT MODULE 4: SUSTAINABLE FINANCING MECHANISMS MOBILIZED AND OPERATIONAL

Having a clear understanding ofthemanyfacetsofa watershed based PES projecthas allowed forthe developmentofmore targeted Terms ofReference and ActionPlan. Throughthese effortsprogress will bemore focused onattaining resultsthatcontributetoprojectimplementationand will assistin future progress.

There has been close collaborationwiththe service since thathas resulted intherevisionoftheAction Plan. Re-orienting activities, incollaborationwiththe service, will facilitateprogress especiallywith activitiesthatinvolvethegovernment. In additionthetechnical assistanthired as partoftheMIARO projectforsustainable financing has provided furthersupportand been activelyinvolvedinthe process. Ensuring a solidbase ofstudyand argumentonall relevantsubjectsshould ease theprocess ofimplementation. CollaborationwithONTM will likelyreduce theamountthatwill bededicated to theenvironmenthowevera jointplan forimplementationcould makethecase stronger. Similarlyit could provide an opportunityforcost-sharing and studiesthatcutacross sectors.

Theinterventionofa seniormemberofMIARO seems necessarytopushfordecision-making atthe Ministerial level, especiallyif, as projected, thefirstinvestmentbya Segment1 operatoristobesecured byDecember 2008.

V. DISCUSSIONS OF OBJECTIVES NOT ACHIEVED

RESULT MODULE 1: ECOLOGICAL LINKAGES ESTABLISHED AND MAINTAINED

° During thefirsthalf of2008, nonew protected areas receivedtemporaryprotectedstatus. Several new protectedarea creationprocesses were initiated and submittedtoDSAP, butdelays haveoccurred intheprocessing ofthese requests. Delayshavealsooccurred due tothelengthy process ofnegotiating withthemining sector. ° Forthe«délégationde gestion», JARIALA hired a consultantfortheelaborationof a decree fortheglobal framework.During thefirsthalf of2008, itwas planned todevelop“the texte d’applicationde délégationde gestion”fortheSAPM butitwas notdone because theDecree is notyetavailable. ° We planned tosupporttheDSAP toestablisha communicationplan onSAPM. W e will prepare theToRduring thesecond half of2008 and presentittoDSAP before hiring a local STTA.

Page 36 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

° Fortheautoevaluationofnew protectedareas managers teams and theidentificationoftraining needs, we triedfirsttoapplytheframeworkofassessmentofthemanagementforsome new protectedareas, even iftheyhad notalreadythefinallystatus ofprotection. Forthesecond half of2008, we will involvetheDSAP intheprocess and theoperators ofeachnew protectedarea and developa questionnaire fortheassessmentofprotected areas under thetemporarystatus. ° For1.5,noworkwas carried outduring thefirstsemester2008 issued totherestructuring at theDGEEF, particularlytheabsence oftheDirectorGeneral forWater and Forests. Themain consequence ofthisgapisthelackofnon-strategicdecisiontakenregarding theforest restoration. TheappointmentofGérard Rambeloarisoa, whowas incharge oftheforestrestorationwithin MIARO, tothepostofDirectorGeneral ofW ater and Forests, mayfacilitatetheadvancement ofthisstrategy.

RESULT MODULE 2: MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS FOR CONSERVATION AREAS IMPROVED

Forthemanagementplanning guide, itisimportanttolookforward totheappropriationofpromoters and DGEEF /DSAP ofthecurrentsystem and methodologybefore finalizing thisimportanttool. In addition, NPAs are currentlytaking advantage oftheintroductionofthenew software (Miradi)and RM2would liketocapitalizetheuse ofthis, and then will integratetheprogram as a standard accompanying elementtothemanagementplanning process.

RESULT MODULE 4: SUSTAINABLE FINANCING MECHANISMS MOBILIZED AND OPERATIONAL

Theimplementationofa green fee isstill verypromising yethas been encumbered bythere- organizationoftheMEEFT, theneed toworkcloselywithpartners, theneed toaddress as many potential concerns thatwould blockimplementationbefore launching an official effortand a need to coordinatewiththetourism sectorthatisalsotargeting a similar fee. These elementshaverendered the process longer butintheend will makefora stronger case infavorofimplementation.

TheworkonPES isadvancing however itismore complicated than firstexpected. A team sentto Fianarantsoawas delayed significantlyand thefeasibilityofa watershedbased PES mechanism in Fianarantsoawill beverychallenging toimplement.In lightofdelaysa second sitehas been identified intheEastern RegionofMadagascar forfollowupand thefollow-upisbeing prepared. The incorporationoflocal informationintothematrixofPES mechanisms adds an importantdimensionof understanding totheoverall pictures ofPES possibilities inMadagascar and theupdatedmatrixis pending finalization.

VI. LESSONS LEARNED

RESULT MODULE 1: ECOLOGICAL LINKAGES ESTABLISHED AND MAINTAINED

Theimplicationand theleadershipoftheMinister ofEnvironment,W aters and Forestinthe implementationoftheSAPM are veryimportantforexample fortheCOAP amendment.

RESULT MODULE 2: MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS FOR CONSERVATION AREAS IMPROVED

TheDiana Regionexperience has been interesting, inpartbecause oflessons learned inprevious planning exercises. A goodintegrationoflocal stakeholders has been noted and helpful.

Page 37 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

Itishowever clear thatdue tothestaff shortage inMIARO forthesupporttoNPAs management planning process; itisdifficulttosatisfyall theneeds withinthesetting upoftheSAPM.

RESULT MODULE 4: SUSTAINABLE FINANCING MECHANISMS MOBILIZED AND OPERATIONAL

The“buy-in”ofthegovernmentofMadagascar isimperativetolaunching successful government campaigns. In thisregard thedevelopmentofthesustainable financing service can beviewed as a significantachievement.Furthersoifthegoal issustainable financing thatisrelativelyindependentof outside support. In thecase ofgreen fees itmaysometimes slowtheprocess toensure thatthe respectivegovernmentpersons are onboard butover time having thesupportofthegovernmentisfelt tobeintrinsictosuccess.

In relationtodeveloping a PES activitybased onwatersheds has shown thatestablishing thelink between a “consumer”ofwaterand a natural resource thatcan bemanaged bya targetaudience isvery complicated. Theprocess isfurther complicatedifconsumers are relativelypoor. Thescientificlink has been understoodtobea critical partoftheprocess and isnotas evidentas one mightinitially imagine. There isstill significantpotential forthedevelopmentofsucha projectbutensuring theright conditions forimplementationhas been deemed a crucial elementoftheprocess.

VII. ACHIEVEMENT TABLE

Thistable summarizesall activitiesrelatedwithintheworkplan 2008 submittedatthebeginning ofthe year.

RESULT MODULE 1: ECOLOGICAL LINKAGES WITHIN AND BETWEEN LANDSCAPES ESTABLISHED AND/OR MAINTAINED BYEXPANDING BIODIVERSITY HABITAT CONSERVATION

SubRM Activities Performance AnnualTarget Actual2008 Perspective2008 Indicator 2008 (Semester1) (Semester2) 1.1 Promotethe Categories and Categoryand Thetrend ofthe Categoryand definitionofpolicyand managementoptions governance ofat categoryand governance ofnew legal parameters forthe ofnew protected least5new governance ofthe protected areas which establishmentofnew areas whichform the protected areas new protected areas is had thetemporary protected areas “systeme d’aires determined determined protectionon2005 protégées” will bedetermined implemented definitely.Thesame forsome new protected areas which had thetemporary protectionin2006. Definitive“Decretde 1,3millionhaof Thelocale Atleast9new creation”forthe new protected consultations are protected areas will “systeme d’aires areas have generallydone for9 havedefinitivestatus protégées de definitivestatus new protected areas Madagascar” and thepreparationof promulgated PAG, PGES isin progress. Stakeholders at Regions, A communicationon A communicationon provincial, regional communes SAPM was organized SAPM will be and local level well fortheRegionof organized inItremo, informed on” Vakinankaratra, the Anadabolava, and Systeme d’Aires RegionofDIANA other new protected Protégéede (Ambodivahibeand areas Madagascar”and Orangea), “land use planning”

Page 38 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

1.2.Identifyand Mapofurgent Atleast2terrestrial The“ schema global The“ schema global promotepotential new conservationpriority sites, marine/ZH d’amenagement”of d’amenagement”will protected areas in available and validated thefollowing new beavailable for consultationwith bystakeholders protected areas are Itremo,Anadabolava regional and local actors (regional and local available and validated and other new level) bystakeholders: protected areas Ambodivahibe, Orangea Prioritysitelist Theupdateofthe Themapofpriority (terrestrial, marine mapofprioritysites sites will bevalidated and freshwater) forthecreationof and thenegotiation improved forall new protected areas is withtheMinistryof Madagascar byusing inprogress Energyand Mines will appropriateanalytical befinished. tools forplanning and database ofkey biodiversity Communicationplans TheToRwill be atregional and established and and national level available presented toDSAP and operational before hiring a local STTA.

Reportage conducted 3films onSAPM Atleast1film on forall new protected were produced and new protected area created one reportage by areas established radioand television Elaborating and 1 basisof updating ofkey communicationon messages System of protected areas updated Training and 2trainings completed informationfor withjournalists 3training or differentvectors of workshopsinnew communicationon protected areas new protectareas system General awareness Leafletcompleted and raising onnew distributed inEnglish protected areas and French 1 poster creationconducted at 1 leaflet differentlevels (National, Regional and Local) 1.3.Establishnew Biodiversity Atleast2terrestrial Corridorforestier These twonew protected areas conservationpriorities sites, marine/ZH Bongolava, Montagne protected areas will validated throughthe des Français havethedecree of process of creationbefore the consultationwith end of2008. local partners

Page 39 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

New protected areas Atleast2terrestrial Thepreparationof 5new protected areas outside USAID sites, marine/ZH theDecree of outside USAID priorityecoregions creationisinprogress priorityecoregions will created forthefollowing new becreated protected areas outside USAID priorityecoregions: Lokia- manambato, Makira, Corridor Anjozorobe- Angavo, MenabeCentral, Montagne des Français. Capacityneeds forthe Atleast4terrestrial Theframeworkof DSAP will beinvolved managementofnew sites, marine/ZH assessmentofthe intheprocess and also protected areas managementwas thepromoters ofeach identified applied forsome new new protected area protected areas, even and a questionnaire iftheyhad notalready will bedeveloped for thefinallystatus of theassessmentof protection protected areas under thetemporarystatus.

Guide for“new Guide Theguide for“new Theguide will be protected areas” implemented protected areas” validated and creationand creationand distributed topartners. management management elaborated and elaborated and available available 1.4. Refine conservation Visionofbiodiversity Theconsultationwith Re-negotiationwill be priorities inUSAID conservationavailable local partners was done and thelimitsof priorityeco-regions and biodiversity done forthe20 thenew protected area conservationpriorities communes ofCAZ. adjusted. validated throughthe Re-Negotiationwill process of beorganized insome consultationwith communes. local partners Theconsultationwith Theconsultationwith local partners isin local partners mustbe progress for done before theend COFFAV. of2008 Plan de gestionof Thenecessary PAG and PGES of corridorelaborated elementsforthe CAZ will be and implemented elaborationofPAG elaborated. havebeen collected during thelocale consultations. A consultantwill be hired toelaboratethe PAG and theToRare available New protected areas Thepreparationof CAZ, Kodida, Ifotaky inUSAID priority theDecree of and ecoregions created creationisinprogress Ambatotsirongorongo forthefollowing new will havetheDecree protected areas in ofcreationbefore the USAID priority end of2008 ecoregions: CAZ, Kodida, Ifotaky, Ambatotsirongorongo

Page 40 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

Capacityneeds forthe managementofnew protected areas identified 1.5.Developforest Forestrestoration restorationfunctions and strategyestablished procedures inUSAID Actionplans TBD priorityeco-regions developed inpilot zones A networkofforest 3workshopsinthe 1 practioner’s restoration region workshoporganized practitioners established Number offield 2exchanges 2exchanges organized exchange between 4 organized practitioner's

RESULT MODULE 2: MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS FOR PROTECTED AREAS MANAGEMENT IMPROVED SubRM Activities Performance Annualtarget Actual2008 Perspective2008 Indicator 2008 (Semester1) (Semester2) 2.1. Developand/or Number ofPAs with 20 refine conservation updated plans (Stationforestiere à managementplans and completed usage multiple other thematicplans for d'Antrema, protected areas. Manambato-Daraina, Makira, Couloirforestier AnjozorobeAngavo, CorridorAnkeniheny- Zahamena, Nord Ifotaky,Kodida, 33(3additional Ambatotsirongorongo, sites: Ankodida, MenabeCentral, 52 Ifotakaand Menabe Mandena, Ambato Central) Atsinanana, Tampolo, Analalava, Corridor forestier Bongolava, CorridorFandriana- Vondrozo,Montagne des Francais, Corridor forestier Mahavavy- Kinkony, Amoron'Onilahy,Lac Alaotra, Andreba, Allees des Baobabs, ComplexeMikea) 2.2.Improveand fully Number ofPAs with 20 implementannual monitoring and (Stationforestiere à programmaticworkplans evaluationsystems in usage multiple forprotected areas place d'Antrema, Manambato-Daraina, 33(3additional Makira, sites: Ankodida, Couloirforestier 50 Ifotakaand Menabe AnjozorobeAngavo, Central) CorridorAnkeniheny- Zahamena, Nord Ifotaky,Kodida, Ambatotsirongorongo, MenabeCentral, Mandena, Ambato

Page 41 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

Atsinanana, Tampolo, Analalava, Corridor forestier Bongolava, CorridorFandriana- Vondrozo,Montagne des Francais, Corridor forestier Mahavavy- Kinkony, Amoron'Onilahy,Lac Alaotra, Andreba, Allees des Baobabs, ComplexeMikea) 2.3.Developan Number ofPAs with appropriatesystem of business plans business plans and 52 0 52 marketing programs for protected areas

RESULT MODULE 4: SUSTAINABLE FINANCING MECHANISMS OPERATIONAL SubRM Activities Performance AnnualTarget Actual2008 Perspective2008 Indicator 2008 (Semester1) (Semester2) 4.1. Expand and develop Increased investments Additional funds TanyMeva TanyMeva managementcapacityof in and conservation mobilized to foundation foundation MalagasyEnvironmental impactsofTanyMeva supportmodels for - Ongoing review of - TM isrestructured TrustFunds/Foundations and oftheMadagascar managing additional TanyMeva and keymanuals Biodiversityand “sites de structure produced Protected Areas Trust conservation” - Training workhop - A portfolioofforest Fund onPlan Vivo carbonprojects SPF identified - Supporttothe - Prioritysites newlycreated SPF identified forTM throughthehire of supportincommunity an expertin managed PA sustainable MFPAB financing consultant - Strategicdocuments MFPAB finalized - Increase ofcapital - Proposal for secured throughthe MacArthur grant C2Dagreement developed - Firstdraftof - Prioritizationpolicy PrioritizationPlan, developed and StrategicPlan and operational Communication Document developed

4.2.Build oneffortsmade Increased revenues for One additional - PES studyin - Sustainable financing and cooperatewithother foresthabitat mechanism inplace selected sites activities better EP3actors tomobilize conservation, from and operational by around coordinated within potential sources of diverse sources and theend oftheyear Fianarantsoa MEEFT income forforesthabitat financing mechanisms - TestofthePA - Policyand conservationand forthe BAT Tool programmaticactions système des aires - Pre-evaluationof identified protégées (outside theMakira carbon - Organizea ANGAP parks) projectby biodiversityoffset SmartWood meeting/workshop - Signing of - Legal and agreementbetween operational PES theGOM forthe assessmentcompleted sale ofupto9 - PES workshopheld milliontons ofCO2 - Makira carboncredit

Page 42 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

- Negotiationofan certified throughVCS upfrontof$300,00 - Feasibilitystudy fortheCAZ completed for avoided COFFAV deforestationupon - Monitoring theachievementof methodology thepayment developed forTAMS conditionality - CarbonREDD - Signing ofthe strategydeveloped C2Dagreementfor withtheGOM an amountof¤26M - Airtransport dedicated to surcharge accepted by environmentsector theMinistry

4.3.Stimulateinvestment Increased private Twoadditional - Renewal of - New partnership forbiodiversity sectorinvestmentin conservation/ecoto agreementbetween withsitefunding conservation environmental urism-related GOM and theZoo agreed on conservation businesses Zurich - Concession operational - Engagementof frameworkpolicy ODER tomanages validated and pilotsite organiccotton selected production - Organizationof theMusicWood Tour - Productionofthe concessioning framework documents

VIII. NEXT STEPS

Thispartsummarizesall activities related withintheworkplan 2008 submittedatthebeginning ofthe year.

RESULT MODULE 1: ECOLOGICAL LINKAGES WITHIN AND BETWEEN LANDSCAPES ESTABLISHED AND/OR MAINTAINED BYEXPANDING BIODIVERSITY HABITAT CONSERVATION

• Givetechnical supporttothepromoters ofnew protectedareas outside and inUSAID priority Ecoregions toprepare thetemporarystatus and thedecree ofcreation. • Discuss withtheDSAP aboutthereconciliation, approval, and distributionofthevarious protectedarea creationtools developed bytheSAPM Commissionand alsothecommunication plan onSAPM. • Prepare theToRforthetechnical aspectsoftheGuide tosustainable use ofnatural resources and hire a local STTA. • Prepare documentsand tools ontheworksrealizedand resultsobtained byprioritizationgroup and distributetostakeholders atnational and regional level. • Validatethemapofprioritysitesforthecreationofnew protected areas and negotiatetothe MinistryofEnergyand Mines. • Concerning theamendmenttotheCOAP, additional consultationofother sectors and stakeholders mustbecompleteduntilmidaugusttoensure theamendmentissubmitted intime fortheparliamentarysessionofSeptember2008.

Page 43 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

• Fortheidentificationofcapacityneeds forthemanagementofnew protected areas, DSAP will beinvolvedintheprocess and alsothepromoters ofeachnew protectedarea and a questionnaire will bedevelopedfortheassessmentofprotected areas under thetemporary status.

RESULT MODULE 2: MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS FOR PROTECTED AREAS MANAGEMENT IMPROVED

Thefollowing nextstepswill beaddressed forthesecond semester 2008: • Completethesupporttothemanagementplanning process and presentthemanagementplans intheirfinal design. Thiswill concern NPAs insouthern and westernRegions (Menabe- Antimena, Ankodida and Ifotaky),those innorthern (Montagne des Français, Oranjiaand Ambodivahibe). • Contributeinsupporting othersites inpriorityecoregions (CAZ and CoFaV forinstance as well as sites insouthwestern Madagascar, suchas PK32Ranobe,Amoron’iOnilahyand others) • Supportthesetting upofgovernance structures and tools inpriorityNPAs, those mentioned above,and anyissues related totheEIA and communities safeguard. These will expand the managementplan process. • Finalizethenew managementplanning guide byintegrating theMiradisoftware and theissues ofcategoriesand safeguard. • AssistDSAP inelaborating monitoring strategies thatwill beled bythenew Service du Suivi Ecologique. • AssistDGEEF /DSAP indeveloping an evaluationsystemforSAPM.

RESULT MODULE 4: SUSTAINABLE FINANCING MECHANISMS OPERATIONAL

TanyMevafoundation • Currentrestructuring effortsoftheTanyMevaFoundationwill becompletedbefore theend of theyear and updated keymanuals will beproduced subsequently. • Following thePlan Vivotraining and theinterestofcommunities toimplementforestrycarbon project,TanyMevaisexpectedtohavea portfolioofprojectstosubmittothePlan Vivo Foundation. • ApartfromMakira, W CS will workwithTM toidentifyotherPA sitesthatfitfora community- based management. MFPAB • Thecurrentdraftsofstrategicdocuments(strategicplan and communicationdocument)will be finalized and validatedbytheend of2008. • Toimproveitsfundraising capacity,strategywill bedevelopedand relatedproposal will be submittedtoMac Arthur • Prioritizationpolicywill bedevelopedand will beoperational toallowobjectiveselectionof PAs thatdeservefunding priority.

Technicalsupporttothe Committee oftheDurbanvisiongroup • Continuous supportwill beprovided totheServicede PerennisationFinanciere withinthe MEEFT toensure better coordinationofthemultitude ofongoing sustainable finance initiatives either throughmeeting orworking groups

Page 44 Maintaining Biological Integrity of Critical Biodiversity Habitats SEMI-ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008

Increasetheunderstandingofthevalueofconservationin Madagascar • MIARO will organizea eventonbiodiversityoffsetand will continue thesupportofexisting pilotoffsetprojects • A workshoponPES will beheld and before theend oftheyear, legal and operational assessmentofPES system will becompleted

Carbonrelated project • The Makira REDD projectwill beVCS certified whereas feasibilitystudywill beconducted for theCOFFAV toimplementREDD carbonproject • TheTAMS monitoring methodologywill bedevelopedand relatedplotsinstalled • TheMadagascar REDD strategywill becompletedwiththesupportofMIARO and FCPF • TAMS support • Finalizationand signature ofcontractbetween theEP3fund manager and thefield Facilitating Agents • Recruitmentoftheprojectcoordinator • Resuming ofplanting activities and plantproduction • Sending oftheoperational use ofthe$100,000 upfrontpaymentbytheGOM • Continue theprocess onthedevelopmentoftheMadagascar REDD strategy • Beginplanning sessionand training provided thattheprojectisapprovedbytheW orld Bank

Green taxes • Air transportsurcharge decree will besubmittedtotheNational assemble and approved, and acceptedbystakeholders

Site-based fundingforPA from non-traditionaldonors • Extend orrenew partnershipwithZooZurichand seeknew partnershipthatcan supportthe conservationofbiodiversityimportantsites

Greaterprivatesectorparticipation • Concessionframeworkpolicyvalidatedand selectionofpilotsite

Page 45