Andranobe, Madagascar
1. Description of our ICCA
Andranobe ICCA, located in the Vakinankaratra Region, covers a mosaic of lakes, forests, and farmland. Our territory of life spreads over an area of 1500 ha, of which 116ha correspond to a lake and 28ha are forests. The Andranobe ICCA is made up of ten (19) villages including Anjanamasy, Androhafarihy, Antsongolava, Mandrosohasina, Rarihasina, Antanety, Ambavarano, Ambohitsokina, Tsarafara I, Tsarafara II, Morafeno, Ambodifefy, Avarabohitra, Ambodifefy, Ambohitsokina I, Ambohitsokina II, Tsiafahy, Ambohilefoka and Maroparasy.
For years, our community, made up of 1200 inhabitants, has developed a way of life strongly attached to our traditions and the collective management of our territory. Andranobe stands out for its combination of biodiversity conservation, maintenance of traditional and cultural knowledge, and strong community governance, ensuring a balance between conservation, livelihoods and cultural transmission.
2. Our history
The creation of our ICCA began with a crucial element which is Lake Andranobe. In the past, 12 brothers lived in the vicinity of Andranobe. The lake didn't exist yet, but there were just meadows, rice fields, water sources and dams. These 12 brothers agreed to set up another dam located in Ambodirano, currently called the village of Ambohitsokina. Water accumulated there, giving rise to the lake. Originally, they watched over the lake, which remains a common asset for the entire community to this day. These brothers were planning to raise fish there. These twelve brothers are considered to be the ancestors of the community of Andranobe. They then considered water as a community asset because each generation of these 12 brothers is considered as owners. Over time, the population continued to grow, giving rise to new villages. These generations formed the villages of Ambohitsokina, Tsarafara, Avarabohitra and Andohafarihy. Hence the name Andranobe, which means "Water of all" in Malagasy.
Events have also marked the history of Andranobe. In 1996, the TAMIA Association or TAtamo MIray an'Andranobe was created, in order to strengthen the monitoring of regulations related to fishing within our community as well as the promotion of our habits and customs. In 2004, we obtained a contract for the transfer of natural resource management from the Ministry of the Environment. In 2008, our community merged into the FIFIMPAVA Cooperative which attracted other associations to Vakinankaratra, including three lakes including Andranobe Andrefana, Andraikibakely and Tatamarina. The main objective at the time of creation was the conservation of the lake and the maintenance of local fisheries, in order to ensure the sustainable availability of resources for the community.
3. Community governance of our territory of life
Our territory of life contains a wealth of natural resources found in the lake and in the forests. Within the lake, we have about 20 species of fish. Regarding the flora, we have medicinal plants that are used on a daily basis for several years by our community, through our traditional knowledge. Our community is active in the protection of these resources because we feel ownership of the elements within our territory of life.
As a result, we have customary rules based on our traditions and beliefs. Our goal is to sustainably manage the resources of our territory while promoting our community identity. All decisions about our territory of life are made in consultation with our entire community in order to respect our taboos, our traditional practices and to allow for free, prior and informed consent.
Over the years, the management of ICCA has helped maintain sustainable livelihoods for fishers, farmers and artisans; strengthen social cohesion and respect for traditional knowledge; to improve family incomes and to transmit cultural and spiritual values to the younger generations.
4. Our needs and prospects
Although our community governance is efficient, we identify several priorities, including technical capacity building for ecological monitoring and data analysis; support for the official recognition of customary rights and community governance as well as partnerships for sustainable development initiatives and for access to finance or equipment (GIS, monitoring equipment, training).
In terms of actions, we plan to continue monitoring compliance with regulations related to natural resources in our territory of life to guarantee their regeneration; to develop new projects that generate sustainable income related to fishing, agriculture and crafts, respecting our traditional practices and to continue our commitments to the sustainable management of our territory of life.
This case study was originally published by UNEP-WCMC in 02/26. The content was provided by the custodians of this ICCA. The ICCA has been self-declared and has been through a peer-review process to verify its status. More details on this process can be found here. The contents of this website do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UN Environment Programme or UNEP-WCMC.