Strengthening CSO-private sector collaboration: Lessons from Madagascar

Supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), IUCN NL and partners in Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius and the Seychelles are guiding ecosystem-based adaptation and conservation projects in this biodiversity hotspot – a group of islands with incredible species diversity and extremely high rates of endemism. In a series of articles we are highlighting some of these powerful projects.

Header photo: Partnership Workshop © CEPF

At the recent mid-term assessment workshop in Antananarivo, Malagasy organizations INDRI and Miarakap, working together with Kinomé under a large grant by CEPF, shared valuable insights on how civil society organizations (CSOs) and the private sector can work together to support inclusive and sustainable development. The speakers highlighted the need for strong, long-term partnerships that go beyond small, isolated projects to bring lasting change in cities, rural areas, and coastal regions.

Presentation at the midterm assessment 2025 © CEPF

Five key sectors with potential for collaboration

They identified five key sectors with high potential for collaboration:

Agroecological Value Chains: Improve land and marine production, make land access easier, and encourage responsible investment.
Carbon Projects: REDD+ and ARR offer strong potential, but success depends on better regulations and fair sharing of benefits with local communities.
Sustainable Cooking Solutions: Speed up adoption through tax breaks, subsidies, and joint investment by different partners.
Ecotourism: Support eco-friendly tourism that creates jobs and protects nature, with help from both public and private actors.
Large-Scale Reforestation: Make reforestation part of business models, using agroforestry, sustainable charcoal, and carbon credits guided by clear rules and strong community involvement.

Five conditions to make CSO-private sector partnerships work

To make these partnerships work, five conditions were highlighted:

Support and motivate businesses with better financing options, international investment, and short-term tax incentives to help them grow.
Connect businesses and NGOs by combining the technical knowledge of NGOs with the business skills of the private sector.
Include local communities through dialogue, awareness-raising, and trust-building, making sure everyone, regardless of gender or status, is involved and fairly treated.
Improve the business environment by increasing government support, improving roads and transport, ensuring fair competition, and strengthening security.
Promote applied research to develop practical solutions like land restoration, clean cooking, and aquaculture through partnerships with Malagasy and international research institutes.

When CSOs and private companies share values, use their different strengths, and create solutions together, they can make a real and lasting difference for Madagascar’s people and environment.

Video: mid-term assessment workshop in Antananarivo

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About the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Conservation International, the European Union (EU), Fondation Hans Wilsdorf, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Canada, the Government of Japan, and the World Bank. Its fundamental objective is to ensure that civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.

Thanks to funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) through AFD as an accredited entity for the GCF, and from the EU through AFD as a fiduciary agent, CEPF has established and manages a 10-year program of US$50 million to support civil society organizations in promoting ecosystem-based adaptation in Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot. Under the auspices of the Ministries of Environment in the Comoros, Environment and Sustainable Development in Madagascar, Finance, Economic Planning and Development in Mauritius, and Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment in the Seychelles, the program’s activities are being implemented in the Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles. Madagascar receives additional support from the Franklinia Foundation for the conservation of Madagascar’s endangered trees.

Regional Implementation Team

CEPF has enlisted a consortium of nongovernmental organizations to be its regional implementation team (RIT) in the hotspot. Coordinated by IUCN NL, the RIT includes SAF/FJKM for Madagascar, ID-ONG for Comoros, FORENA for Mauritius and SeyCCAT for Seychelles. These organizations are working with CEPF to implement a five-year conservation strategy for the hotspot and build local civil society capacity.