The 90-hectare Andranobe Lake and surrounding 45-hectare Ambohitsokina watershed are essential to the communities they support; together the two supply locals in central Madagascar with essential resources such as fish and potable water, which in turn support their livelihoods and household dietary needs.

In 2004, facing the deterioration of Andranobe Lake, which provides the basis for fishing and agriculture livelihoods, four communities in central Madagascar came together to form the community-based organisation Vondron’Olona Ifotony Tatamo Miray an’Andranobe (VOI TAMIA). Known simply as TAMIA, the name roughly translates from Malagasy to mean Local Community Organisation. Since 2004, TAMIA has served as a platform to restore the lake’s water level and quality, remove invasive aquatic species, and repopulate fish stocks. The collective vision to restore and maintain the health of this vital ecosystem is what continues to drive the successful efforts of VOI TAMIA today.

This year, in recognition of TAMIA’s contributions to the sustainable management of the Andranobe Lake and its surrounding watersheds using customary governance systems for over 15 years, they were awarded the prestigious Equator Prize. Awarded to outstanding local communities and indigenous peoples, the Equator Prize recipients of 2020 have been chosen for their leadership on local sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities. Read the full story about this award-winning project supported by SGP.