Marine conservation efforts often overlook the gendered dimensions of environmental governance, yet inclusive and care-based approaches are essential to sustaining both ecosystems and livelihoods. This research explores how gender equity and collaborative care practices shape the governance and effectiveness of locally managed marine areas (LMMAs) in Madagascar. Drawing on fieldwork with coastal communities and Indigenous fishers, the study highlights how power dynamics, cultural norms, and caregiving roles intersect with marine conservation strategies.

Rather than framing conservation as a technocratic or enforcement-driven process, this work advocates for inclusive governance that centers the lived experiences and contributions of women, elders, and community caregivers. In doing so, it provides an alternative model of marine protection that strengthens social cohesion and ecological outcomes alike.

Led by Dr. Mez Baker-Médard, this project contributes to a growing body of feminist political ecology research that reimagines what effective, just, and community-rooted marine governance can look like.