Novel governance for forest landscape restoration in Fandriana Marolambo, Madagascar

In 2003 forest landscape restoration (FLR) work began in Madagascar and a national working group for FLR was created. Over the course of the following years, the implementation of an FLR project in Madagascar's Fandriana-Marolambo landscape was shaped by, and in turn influenced, governance, specifically tenure rights and stakeholder engagement. This case study describes this evolution and provides an account of governance arrangements set up to facilitate project implementation and longevity. Whilst initially the forest administration was at the core of the landscape's governance, over time, recognizing the critical role of local communities, a shift has occurred which has placed communities living in the landscape at the center. Today, 13 years later, the government of Madagascar has committed to restoring 4 million hectares by 2030 under the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative; lessons from this project should be upscaled to support this ambitious commitment.