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p4ges - Can Paying 4 Global Ecosystem Services reduce poverty?

Sharing p4ges results with local communities around Andasibe

Jacyntha Ambinintsoa writes ...

The p4ges teams have worked all over the Ankaniheny-Zahamena Corridor (CAZ). As we promised during the fieldwork our team has returned to all the sites for sharing the results of the research that we have done in their territory with the local people. See here and here for previous blogs about this. From 17/11/16 to 28/11/16 our last set of community feedback events were held in the southern of the Corridor Ankeniheny-Zahamena around Andasibe commune.

The team was composed by Raphali (biodiversity team) Josué (biodiversity team) Victor (wild harvested product team) Jean Charles (wild harvested product team) and Jacyntha (wild harvested product team). We begun with the Ambavaniasy village in the primary school building. About 30 persons were present and most of them were from local authorities. They appreciated the local community feedback as it is an opportunity for them to share their opinion about conservation issues. The chief of the Man And The Environment (MATE) sites gave a speech at the end of the restitution linking the results to challenges in the area concerning tavy.

Antsapanana – Andasibe was the second Fokontany where we made the feedback. The number of the attendees is also about 30 persons and most of them were also a local authority and some persons who participated during the research. We had a very interesting discussion at the end. For example the chief of the Marolaona village explained why the local population still using Tavy. He said that those people can growth many plants with Tavy: like rice, beans, vegetable and whereas on contrary of field rice which can only growth rice. It is clear locally of the importance of this activity to the local economy. Our results also confirm this of course.

The last restitution was done in Anevoka' village which is the nearest village from Maromizaha. About 25 people lead by the chief of the fokontany were attended the meeting. One person from GERP which is the responsible of Maromizaha protected area was also present. During the discussions time, he emphasized the need for sharing the information about Maromizaha from this research because they need it to help them to improve their management plan of the site. 

As always we were well received locally and they appreciated us making the effort to return and to share our leaflets giving all our research results.

Jacyntha Ambinintsoa, January 2017