Project for reinforcing protected areas and local development in the Diana “KOBABY” region

Initiated by the French development agency (AFD), the “KOBABY” project strengthens protected areas and encourages local development in the Diana region in Madagascar. It is part of the dynamic created by the creation of new protected areas (category V and VI of the IUCN) in the country, and by pilot initiatives implemented in the region. Its general objective is to contribute to structuring and strengthening governance and management of the protected areas in the Diana region and to protecting land and marine ecosystems while improving the living conditions of local populations.

Two major specific objectives have been defined: to structure and strengthen governance of the protected areas for sustainable management of natural resources in the Diana region and to strengthen, promote and perpetuate the protected areas as pivotal aspects of strategies for sustainable regional development.

In the long term, the KOBABY project aims for sustainable regional development and will contribute to increasing the ecosystems’ and societies’ resilience to climate change. To do this, following an in-depth consultation process, we defined 26 dedicated activities structured around the following three components: strengthening and structuring governance of the protected areas, promotion and sustainability, and coordination and support for the project owner.