Developing a Resilient Co-Management Arrangement for Protected Areas: Field Experience From the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor in Madagascar

Abstract

In 2003 Madagascar committed to tripling its land in protected areas to conserve its unique biodiversity and essential ecosystem services. Implementing this commitment involved creating a new legal framework, selecting sites, establishing resource use rules, and developing governance arrangements. The Ankeniheny-Zahemana Corridor (CAZ) is among the most advanced in its establishment as a protected area with a co-management governance arrangement. Through literature review, we identified nine elements of good governance: clear resource governance goal, coherent institutional structure, clear rules, participation, transparency, monitoring, enforcement, equity, and transfer of authority. We analyzed the CAZ co-management system to explore the possibilities for improved governance at CAZ. Although the CAZ governance structure was not designed to address the nine theoretical elements of good governance, we found that it has emerged to respond to several of them. Additional research is needed to assess how to make changes that might improve governance based on these elements.

Keywords:

• planning
• collaborative management
• co-management
• governance