MIHARI: Networking coastal communities to manage Madagascar's small-scale fisheries sustainably

MIHARI is a network that brings together the vulnerable coastal communities of Madagascar and helps them manage their marine resources and take their future in their own hands. In the five years since the network’s... [ view full abstract ]

MIHARI is a network that brings together the vulnerable coastal communities of Madagascar and helps them manage their marine resources and take their future in their own hands. In the five years since the network’s establishment, MIHARI has grown quickly into one of Africa’s largest and most active civil society networks advocating for the fundamental human rights of small-scale fishing communities.

In 2003, Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) in response to community needs began work with fishing communities on the concept of Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) in Madagascar. LMMAs are nearshore water areas that are fully or largely managed by coastal communities that are empowered to create and implement management rules.

However, due to remoteness, the majority of Madagascar LMMA communities have limited opportunities to communicate and share with each other. Inspired by the Pacific LMMA network, in June 2012 Madagascar’s first national LMMA forum brought together community representatives from 18 LMMAs with the aim to address isolation issues and problems through peer-to-peer learning and sharing of experiences. This event resulted in the creation of Madagascar’s national LMMA Network called: “MIHARI”. The  MIHARI network currently includes over 100 individual LMMA and spans more than 14% of the island’s coastline.

The MIHARI network works to link isolated coastal communities to allow community leaders and  small-scale fishers to share ideas and successful models through peer-to-peer learning and to impact national policy development. The core network activity lies in exchange learning and experiences across Madagascar’s growing movement of communities developing marine and fisheries management initiatives through the organization of exchange visits and forums. 

One of  the most significant event for MIHARI and really marked the emergence of the network as a civil society movement was the National forum that was held in the southeast of Madagascar in July 2017. One of the key outcome from that national forum was the adoption of three motions addressed directly to the Government of Madagascar by the communities. These texts were prepared by the communities, voted in plenary session and ratified by MIHARI’s president.

MIHARI is critically important for 2 reasons: firstly because it is the only voice representing and bringing concrete support to small scale fisheries in Madagascar, and secondly because it has the potential to be a powerful example nationally and internationally in terms of what a well organized civil society movement can accomplish.