Madagascar - Climate Resilience through Park Biodiversity Preservation Project (PRCPB)

The Climate Resilience through Park Biodiversity Preservation Project (PRCPB) is the government’s response to the combined effects of climate change and human activities on the country's biodiversity. Madagascar boasts a rich natural heritage, with almost 5,000 km of coastline, 1.5 million square metres of exclusive economic areas, a network of protected areas covering more than 7.5 million hectares, including 2.5 million hectares of national parks and special reserves, home to exceptional biological diversity and endemic flora and fauna, which constitute to the country's natural heritage and wealth. This heritage has been deteriorating over time. According to climate change models, between 11% and 27% of habitats could be lost by 2080 if migration is possible, and between 17% and 50% if it is not.The project will be implementedon a pilot basis in three national parksselected as part of the Project Preparation Fund (PPF)-financed feasibility study, the results of which will be replicated acrossthe region. The priority of the project is tostrengthenconservation by involving local communitiesinmonitoring and protecting natural capital to minimise the harmful effects of climate change. In light of previous public action in this sector, local communitieswill needto play a leading role intheconservation ofnatural resources in a context of increasingly pronouncedclimate change and sustainable development. The project consists of priority actionsto be taken by the public authorities tocreate the right conditions and lay a sufficiently attractive groundworkfor private sector involvement in ecotourism, through investments that canreconcilethe interests of private operators withthe urgent need to preserve and conserve biodiversity, which represents a global heritage that belongs to both the present population and future generations. The revenue generatedfromtourism should also help fund efforts to protect and combat the destruction of natural resources, including addressing issues such as bush fires, deforestation, poaching, illegal logging and trade in precious and endemictimberspecies, etc.