The Importance of Women (3)

Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy (Madagascar) has a particular interest in ocean governance, indigenous communities and human rights defense. In 2014, she was awarded the United Nations-Nippon Foundation fellowship program with the... [ view full abstract ]

Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy (Madagascar) has a particular interest in ocean governance, indigenous communities and human rights defense. In 2014, she was awarded the United Nations-Nippon Foundation fellowship program with the UN-DOALOS (Division of Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea) in New York. She did her research at the University of British Columbia - Vancouver that focused on strategies to be implemented to insure the sustainable management of the coastal and marine resources of Madagascar. From this research, she learned a lot about the importance of local management and how the involvement of the main actors affected increase the impact on the management. Convinced that coastal communities are the future of the fisheries in Madagascar, she presented an implementation of a tool that will enable them to manage the country’s resources, with the support of the government and the ONGs that work with them. She currently coordinates Madagascar’s LMMAs (Locally Managed Marine Areas) Network called: MIHARI Network. This network enables LMMAs communities to exchange experiences, enhances capacity building in terms of management, represents their voices and evaluates the options to ensure their financial security.