Interactive Learning Center for coastal communities (IL3C)

Learn and disseminate knowledge to coastal communities in developing country for their better interaction with environment

The North-Est of Madagascar is ranked among the tropical coastal part that have the lowest adaptive capacity and very high vulnerability to climate change (Huelsenbeck, 2012, Burke et al., 2011; Cinner et al., 2009). The Nosy Ankao is among the small islands of New Protected Area of Loky Manambato suffering the effects of climate events. In fact, this island is oftenly exposed to tropical storms and cyclons which cause physical damage to coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove forests. Instead, these habitats, vitally important to fisheries, also act as natural physical barriers that reduce the impacts of climate hazards. However, people also intimately rely with these resources for their livelihoods which could increase the destructions of those habitats. Damage to these critical ecosystems leads to increased coastal vulnerability to sea level rise, strong winds, waves, and storm surges all of which cause shoreline erosion (Sheppard et al., 2005; Moberg & Folke, 1999).

Reducing non-climate anthropogenic stressors, such as overfishing, can help to foster ecological resilience to climate change within the marine environment (Colls et al., 2009), such as diversity of income sources, the level of education, participation in decision-making, ability to self-organize, and access to credit (e.g. Tompkins & Adger, 2004; Adger et al., 2005; Marshall et al., 2009; Andrade Perez et al., 2010; Busby et al., 2010).

The effects of climate change and anthropogenic pressure on ecosystems will continue to increase in severity over the next generation, and preparing for these changes now is imperative. One should consider both the human and the ecological systems to successfully foster resilience to climate change in vulnerable communities (Tompkins & Adger, 2004). Low levels of formal education inhibited both the recognition of the mechanisms that affect marine resources and the perception of ways to improve the condition of those resources. To enhance adaptive and mitigation capacity for coastal communities, we stand that formal and informal education for children, youth and adults is the base. IL3C will provide the community knowledge combining scientific and indigenous knowledge. It will foster initiatives encouraging environment-friendly behaviour with social, economic and conservation benefits.

Implementing IL3C in Nosy Ankao is following the two (2) following recommended pathways of climate change resilience:

• Creation of infrastructure to develop basic adaptive capacity which allows communities to further capitalize on good practices from other regions to build adaptive capacity (Marcus, 2001; McClanahan et al., 2008).  
• Diversification of income-generating activities to incorporate sources in events such as storms could contribute to household income.

In brief, IL3C is a center where coastal communities could acquire knowledge on climate change and its effects, natural resources management, income-generating activities by fun exercises, training and interactive tools. It will help them to have a wide range of choices to be more adaptive to climate change and to have a better interaction with their environment.

Our solution is innovative since it uses technology as interactive screen for youth, and social leaning videos and capacity building of fish farmers to enhance coastal communities capacities to adapt and mitigate on climate change.

Using communication technology to seed knowledge from other area (e.g Southwest of Madagascar). 

For the next 12 months our main goals is to implement IL3C in Nosy Ankao while collaborate and establish partnership with local stakeholders especially Time + Tide foundation and elaborate syllabus on activities provided by IL3C. 

Within five years, our aim would scaling up the learning center to regional level which would be beneficial for key villages around Nosy Ankao and in other vulnerable coastal village on climate change in Norht-East of Madagascar.

Before implementing IL3C, we are going to conduct local workshop asking willingness and enthusiasm of people to have this center. We will try to connect and interact with local stakeholders and beneficiaries as much as possible like schools, for example sensitize teachers to include activities of IL3C in their mandatory curriculum. Our approach is bottom-up, led by local population ideas. All our activities will be based on participatory approach and local farmers’ willingness to participate.

None because it is still an idea 

We are expecting more than 500 IL3C members in 2019 and the double in 2020. Additionally, in the next 3 years, 50% of youth will receive training and become learn-ambassador in Nosy Ankao and its surrounding villages. 

Our team is a transdisciplinary team composed by researchers and practitioners specialized on social sciences, agriculture, forestry, natural resources management, tourism, waste management, fisheries and livestock. We collaborated with research institutions (e.g : ESSA-Forêts) and organizations, but also government institutions.

We are registered as Non-Profit organization. Therefore, we have no sources of funding except for the contribution of team members as an annual fee of $ 3 per member and other on-going projects funds.   

We are applying to SOLVE because some of us are passionate and lived in coastal area with coastal communities and saw their difficulties. MFCC is an organization aiming at solving Sustainable Development Goals especially Life below water and life on land. And we argue that integration and use of technology are necessary to reach these goals. We hope receiving mentorship from SOLVE experts to carry out and execute our solution.

With its transdisciplinary expertise, SOLVE could help to overcome barriers:

• Language barrier because every learning-materials of IL3C should be in Malagasy but additionally in village dialect for better understanding.  
• Literacy rate is a challenge when most of rural communities have difficulties to manipulate technology tools.  
• Sensitizing adults reach IL3C as it will take time and could overlap with their income activities plan.  
• Fish farmers feel threatened because they think that we are from government “Fishery monitoring service” to penalize them concerning their fishery practices.   Behavioral change is a barrier because it takes time to adopt new behavior.