This presentation by Hanta Rabetaliana from the World Mountain People Association shows the main issues in mountain development, different projects taking place there and recommendations based on the experiences with those projects.

1. Building Climate Change Resilience
in Madagascar Mountains.
Global Landscapes Forum session
Hanta RABETALIANA
World Mountain People Association
Madagascar

2. MADAGASCAR
• 40% country mountainous (700m – 2 700m above see
level);
• 80% population in mountain areas
• 100% water come from uplands
• 60% rice production in lowlands
• National Strategy for Sustainable Mountain
Developpement was written and implemented since 2002
• Forest cover still remain in mountain areas (10% of the
national territory)
• The National Adaptation Plan of Action written in 2006
but very few projets/programmes implemented because of
lack of reglementation.

5. Main Issues in Mountain
Development
• No specific policy /law/regulation on
mountain development
• Several projects/programmes implemented
but no coordination in
watershed/water/forest/soil management
Action Plans;
• The majority of the Climate Change
projects/programmes focus on feasability
studies and forest conservation activities

6. GIZ projects
• > 0 : German Cooperation project: Schema
d’Amenagement Communal (SAC)
– Participative and Grass roots process of the
Development of a Municipality based on natural
resources management and risk disaster management
planning, validated at local/central government level.
This process promote de facto cooperation between
all sectors (agriculture, forestry, water, mining, …)
– Donors provide technical expertises and local
communities and Municipalities pay for the others
costs;
– Duration of the planning process (7 months)

7. World Bank Projects
• < 0 : Bassin-versant Perimetre Irrigue and
Cellule de Prévention et Gestion des Urgences
– Top down project where Regions, Municipalities
and local communities are beneficiaries not
shareholders;
– Majorities of the investments in lowlands despite
the important risk of landslides, floods and
permanent soil erosion that threaten crops and
degradate of irrigation and drainage works
(canals, dams, ....)

8. AMCC project
• A feasibility study of a forest corridor conservation
and income-generating activities based on sustainable
use of natural resources (community based low impact
logging and medicinal/dyer plants gathering, bee
keeping, fresh water fish production, rice production…)
• Forest corridor of 35,000 hectares (= water tower) in a
mountainous area providing water to 20,000 ha paddy
fields.
• Stakeholders = 20 community-based forest
management associations. Two are considered as a
model : tracability, low impact logging activities, social
investments (hospital and school constructions).

9. Conservation International projects
• Carbon credit projects (DELL) related to the
conservation of the two biggest forest
corridors in Madagascar (> 70,000 ha);
• No economic impacts on local communities in
charge of forest conservation (without any
compensation)
• The Ministry in charge of Forests is
considered as a beneficiary not a leader of
the process.

10. RECOMMANDATIONS
Madagascar has started a decentralization process in 2004 (22
regions and 1 990 municipalities) but financial resources
management and decision making are still very centralized.
Priority at international level should focus on regional/local
development planning (= integrated approach) taking into
consideration disaster risks which are very high in mountains
(erosion, landslides, floods, …), natural resources
management and food security (four dimensions) in order to
enhance the resilience of mountain communities to disasters
and give them opportunities to be shareholders of their own
development (ex: WB,GIZ , AMCC, UNDP projects)
International Cooperation should focus more on sustainable
use of natural resources and give more responsibilities to
communities and local authorities (Municipalities, Regions) .