The Soatiry community-based organization: a supportive commitment to mangrove restoration in the Melaky region

Posted on 15 July 2024

The communities of the villages of Ankelilaly, Belambosy and Nosimboro, came together to found the community-based organization named: "Soatiry" in 2016.

These villages are located in the Manambolo delta (commune of Masoarivo, Melaky Region) where the populations live mainly from agriculture and small-scale fishing. Since its creation, "Soatiry" (*that grows well in English) has been committed to the sustainable management of fisheries, mangroves and tropical forests. Since December 2020, the association has ensured full management of the natural resources around their villages thanks to the transfer of management by the Malagasy state. Since 2019, the association has restored around 262 hectares of mangroves out of some 3940 hectares of mangroves around the three villages.

According to Alex Philibert, president of the "Soatiry" community-based organization, the area still has surfaces that can be restored: "We won't wait until 2025 to restore. We will restore all the degraded mangroves that can be restored in 2024", he maintains. A strong motivation that once again demonstrates these communities' ongoing commitment to preserving their precious mangroves.

In this noble mission, the communities of the three villages benefit from technical support from WWF and financial support from the Agence française de développement, notably through awareness-raising sessions on mangrove restoration and sustainable management. To date, the CBO (Commununity-based organization) " Soatiry" has 210 members, over half of whom are young people and women.