Makira is ringed by over 350,000 hectares of community managed
lands that form a ‘green belt’ around the Park. WCS works in close
collaboration with a network of community associations (COBAs) in this
green belt and supports them to become active partners in the
conservation of the unique species and ecosystems within the Park
boundaries. To date 73 COBAs have signed contracts with the Government
of Madagascar to manage the forests in the green belt. The COBAs are the
entry points for WCS’s livelihoods activities and are the beneficiaries
of 50 percent of net revenues from sales of carbon credits.