USAID Mikajy Annual Report FY18

The activity fosters partnerships with communities, civil society, government, and the private sector to reinforce capacity for conservation, improve livelihoods through conservation-friendly enterprises, and empower communities to advocate for and participate in the governance of land and natural resources. The activity is implemented in three landscapes: Antananarivo, Mamabaie, and Menabe, with a focus on advancing critical administrative and technical start-up tasks, mobilizing and onboarding key personnel, and overseeing programmatic coordination with USAID/Madagascar, the USAID Hay Tao Activity, and key stakeholders working in the Menabe landscape. The main achievements of the first part-year (May to September) include project establishment in the capital, recruiting the majority of the project team, mobilizing subcontractors, undertaking initial field assessments in both landscapes, producing a report on potential value chains, participating in a planning workshop, establishing an active presence in Menabe, securing offices in both target landscapes, establishing contact with prospective project partners, launching a first operational subcontract, and developing the first annual work plan and other key deliverables. The major challenge of the reporting period was the rampant deforestation of the Menabe-Antimena protected area, threatening a significant part of the biodiversity the activity seeks to conserve, and the absence of leadership to address the problem. Other challenges included the need to revise strategic approaches and key results of the activity as a result of the planning workshop with Hay Tao and USAID Measuring Impact, ensuring complementarity with Hay Tao, and the high administrative workload of the start-up phase, which hindered operationalization. To address these challenges, the activity implemented several solutions, including dynamizing the Menabe Emergency Plan process, dedicating a major team effort to preparing the annual work plan, establishing robust coordination mechanisms with Hay Tao, and mobilizing additional administrative capacity. For MaMaBaie, the main achievements in the period were the field assessment, the resulting value chain assessment by NCBA CLUSA, undertaking field missions to contact key stakeholders and secure an office, defining the respective roles of WCS and Tetra Tech within Mikajy, and engaging with Madagascar National Parks as a potential collaborating entity. The activity also made significant progress in the Menabe landscape, including conducting field assessments, establishing an active presence in the region, engaging in the Menabe Emergency Plan working group, launching a first subcontract with Durrell in support of community patrolling, and addressing questions to the US regional legal officer to determine the procedure for USAID Mikajy to support forest officer, police, or military support to park patrolling. However, the activity faced challenges in Menabe, including deforestation and the absence of leadership to address the problem. The activity has established a strong foundation for its implementation, with a clear understanding of its goals, objectives, and strategies. The activity has also established partnerships with key stakeholders, including communities, civil society, government, and the private sector, and has made significant progress in advancing its objectives. However, the activity faces significant challenges, including deforestation, the absence of leadership, and the need to revise its strategic approaches and key results. The activity's success will depend on its ability to address these challenges and implement its strategies effectively. The activity will need to continue to build its capacity, establish strong partnerships with key stakeholders, and implement its strategies in a way that advances its objectives and contributes to the conservation of biodiversity in Madagascar.