ANTANANARIVO — U.S. Ambassador Robert T. Yamate announced USAID’s ‘Hay Tao’ program today, the first significant piece of a new Conservation and Communities Project (CCP). Hay Tao is the largest U.S. environmental investment in Madagascar in nearly a decade and represents the U.S. government’s strong commitment to preserving Madagascar’s unique environmental heritage.

The announcement was made at an event celebrating World Wildlife Day.

“USAID has a long history of supporting environmental programs in Madagascar and we are so thrilled to be launching such a sizable program,” said Ambassador Yamate. He added that the U.S. commitment to Madagascar’s environment, “is now stronger than ever.”

Hay Tao, a five-year activity valued at $23 million USD, will be one of two major activities under a Conservation and Communities Project (CCP) operated by USAID. CCP will focus on strengthening and empowering local communities to lead the way on managing nearby natural resources ‘from reefs to rainforests to regulators’.

The project will provide environmental protection while simultaneously lifting the fortunes of local communities by giving those communities a bigger say in the management of their local resources and promoting sustainable community development and the creation of related jobs.

This announcement is the U.S. Government’s first sizeable funding announcement of environment support for Madagascar since the 2009 coup resulted in the suspension of support.

Hay Tao, which means ‘know-how’ in Malagasy, is the knowledge management portion of CCP and will develop tools and approaches for community-led development. It will be implemented by Pact, an international development organization that will lead a consortium of partners, including the World Resources Institute and the U.S.-based University of Rhode Island - Coastal Resources Center.

Introducing ‘Wildly Beautiful’ – Counter Wildlife Trafficking Campaign

The World Wildlife Day event also featured the announcement of ‘Wildly Beautiful’, a counter-wildlife trafficking campaign. The campaign was developed with funding from the U.S. Embassy, led by USAID, and with the support and participation of the Ministry of Environment, Ecology, and Forests; the Ministry of Tourism; Madagascar’s Customs Service; as well as eight national and international conservation partners.

The ‘Wildly Beautiful’ campaign features posters, brochures, postcards, and social media activities, carrying anti-wildlife trafficking messages. Each of the campaign items are targeted to specific audiences and will be distributed all across Madagascar to hotels, school, local community offices, customs departments, and ports-of-entry.

People who spot one of the ‘Wildly Beautiful’ items are encouraged to participate in the campaign by taking a photo with the poster, brochure or postcard, sending the photo to info.madagascar@usaid.gov with ‘Wildly Beautiful’ in the subject line, and then sharing the photo on social media.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the U.S. Government’s preeminent foreign assistance agency. USAID Madagascar officially opened its field office in September of 1984. In 2017, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided approximately $83 million in development assistance plus $19 million in emergency assistance to the Malagasy people, with programs that include investments in health, food security, environment, and governance programs. For more information on USAID Madagascar and our projects, visit www.usaid.gov/madagascar.