On the Order of Development: A Case Study of Community-Based Natural Resource Management in Vondrozo, Madagascar L. JAMILA

Abstract

Despite the omnipresence of the term ‘sustainable development’ in policy arenas, methods of its successful implementation have been less widespread. As a general research inquiry this paper addresses the question of how social and economic development can proceed alongside environmental conservation. Specifically, the paper questions whether community-based natural resource management is an appropriate means to increase the welfare of a population while simultaneously protecting natural resources. A theoretical discussion regarding sustainability, beginning with the Brundtland report, offers a critical view of the poverty-environment nexus, leading into the introduction of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) as a method of combining development and conservation efforts. This paper draws on a case study of CBNRM in the Fadriana-Vondrozo Forest Corridor (COFAV) in Madagascar, concluding that CBNRM in Madagascar is a positive step in making the system more resilient to systemic change. Among the challenges that exist are the transfer of knowledge and complex roles of governance, which lead to an unpredictable future for CBNRM in Madagascar.