The Aspinall Foundation, in collaboration with Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, are taking the first steps for an improved management of the freshwater ecosystems of the Ambato-Boeny-Maevatanana region. The team will involved actively the local communities in a participatory assessment of values of the sites for biodiversity and local livelihoods, leading to a prioritisation of wetlands and forests based on biodiversity indices, threats, and community-based conservation opportunities. The project will then focus on a selection of sites to to design and implement, with local communities, appropriate natural resource management and biodiversity conservation strategies. At the same time local community associations and livelihood groups will be supported to improve their capacity to function during and after this project.