What CETAMADA does

Cétamada is a Malagasy non-profit association founded in 2013 and headquartered on Île Sainte-Marie, Madagascar, with a secondary office in Antananarivo. It works to protect marine mammals, marine fauna, and marine habitats in Madagascar and the wider Indian Ocean through four integrated pillars: supervised responsible blue ecotourism, scientific research, environmental education, and community development. Its mandate to supervise marine megafauna observation (cetaceans, whale sharks, rays, sea turtles, and dolphins) is formalised under interministerial arrêté n°33626/2023, co-signed by three national ministries.

The association's core scientific programme uses photo-identification of humpback whale flukes, underwater hydrophone acoustic recording, drone-based photogrammetry, CATS multi-sensor camera tags, satellite telemetry, skin biopsy collection, and respiratory microbiome analysis to study cetacean populations and migrations. Data is consolidated in the national Cétanet database and contributed to the global HappyWhale platform. Active research projects include MYSTRAL (regional humpback whale migrations with GLOBICE Réunion), HOME (sea turtle habitats in northwest Madagascar, with CEDTM, Kélonia, WCS, Madagascar National Parks, and Université d'Antananarivo, funded by INTERREG Indian Ocean), WIOCOR (seagrass conservation at Nosy Be), Souffles (whale respiratory microbiome), and Marine Debris monitoring.

Commercially, Cétamada generates revenue through individual donations processed via Mobip aid, annual membership fees, a whale-adoption programme, and ecotourism-related partnerships with 12 hotel operators across Sainte-Marie, Majunga, and Tul éar that host ecovolunteers and apply its observation charters. Community development is delivered through the Anjaranay Community Centre co-founded with Swiss association Solférino, offering training in sustainable agriculture, beekeeping, crafts, and hospitality. The organisation employs 16 staff, is governed by 5 volunteer board members, and runs global ecovolunteer and scientific internship programmes in addition to two concurrent PhD research tracks launched in 2025.

Name

CETAMADA

Legal name

Cétamada

Website

https://cetamada.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cétamada is a Madagascar-based non-profit association that protects marine megafauna through four integrated pillars — supervised ecotourism, scientific research, environmental education, and community development — and operates under a formal interministerial mandate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Whale Watching & Marine Mammal Tours (THAAAIAC), Marine Wildlife & Coastal Nature Tours (Whale/Dolphin Watching, Sea Kayaking) (THAAAEAD), Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH), Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Marine conservation services
• Cetacean research programs
• Responsible ecotourism management
• Environmental education outreach
• Coastal community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Antananarivo

HQ country

Madagascar

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The primary revenue stream comes from individual donations made through the association's online payment platform. Donors can support general conservation activities or specific projects.
2. Membership fees: Annual membership fees charged to supporters who join the association, providing access to a members area on the platform.
3. Ecotourism partnerships: Cétamada partners with hotel operators and tourism companies for its ecovolunteering programme, receiving indirect revenue through structured partnerships that generate operational support and resources for field missions.
4. Whale adoption programme: The association offers a whale adoption programme where supporters can symbolically adopt individual whales, contributing financially to ongoing research and conservation activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cétamada is a Malagasy non-profit association that protects marine mammals, marine fauna, and marine habitats in Madagascar and the Indian Ocean through an integrated model of responsible blue ecotourism oversight, scientific research (humpback whales, whale sharks, dolphins, sea turtles), environmental education, and community development. It supervises marine megafauna observation activities under interministerial decree n°33626/2023, trains tourism guides, runs ecovolunteer and scientific internship programmes, and operates a whale adoption and membership scheme.

Product overview

Cétamada est une association malgache de protection des mammifères marins opérant selon une approche intégrée et durable à travers quatre volets principaux : l'écotourisme bleu responsable (encadrement des opérateurs touristiques pour l'observation des baleines, requins-baleines et tortues), la recherche scientifique (photo-identification, acoustique, biopsies, suivi par drones et balises satellites via les projets MYSTRAL, HOME, Souffles, WIOCOR et Déchets Marins), l'éducation environnementale (interventions scolaires, sensibilisation villageoise, bibliothèque Sianala), et le développement communautaire (Centre Anjaranay). L'association propose également des programmes de volontariat scientifique et d'écovolontariat, ainsi qu'un programme d'adoption de baleines. Les données collectées alimentent la base nationale Cétanet et la base mondiale HappyWhale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Responsible Blue Ecotourism (Écotourisme Bleu Responsable) Regulated supervision and training programme for ecotourism operators conducting whale, whale shark, dolphin, and sea turtle observation in Madagascar, conforming to interministerial arrêté n°336626/2023. The service is delivered to tourism operators and partners through Cétamadé-trained guides.
• Cetacean Scientific Research Programme (Recherche Scientifique sur les Cétacés) Scientific research programmes using photo-identification, acoustic recordings, skin biopsies, squame collection, and satellite telemetry to study humpback whales and other cetaceans in Madagascar. Research outputs are published in international journals and feed into global databases.
• Environmental Education Programme (Éducation Environnementale) Educational activities delivered to schools and coastal communities, including school visits, village awareness sessions, and the Sianala library at the Anjaranay Community Centre. The programme targets children and young people from primary schools to universities in Sainte-Marie and beyond.
• Community Development Programme (Développement Communautaire) Community development support through the Anjaranay Community Centre in Sainte-Marie, providing free training in sustainable agriculture, beekeeping, crafts, and responsible blue ecotourism to local community members. Co-founded with Swiss association Solférino.
• Ecovolunteer Programme (Programme d'Écovolontariat) Volunteer programme enabling participants to contribute to research, responsible ecotourism, environmental education, and community development missions for nine continuous weeks alongside the Cétamadé team. Volunteers are recruited globally and hosted by partner hotel operators.
• Scientific Internship Programme (Stage Scientifique) Internship programme welcoming students from around the world to participate directly in the association's research projects, including whale observation and monitoring, acoustic recordings, photo-identification, and biological sampling.
• Whale Adoption Programme (Adoption de Baleines) Symbolic whale adoption programme allowing supporters to financially contribute to ongoing scientific research and conservation activities by adopting individual whales.
• MYSTRAL Project Regional research project aimed at improving knowledge of baleen whales in the tropical and southern Indian Ocean, studying migrations and strengthening conservation strategies at the regional scale in collaboration with GLOBICE Réunion.
• HOME Project - Madagascar Component (Habitats Of Marine TurtlEs) Joint project studying how sea turtles use coastal habitats in northwest Madagascar to improve conservation strategies, co-led with CEDTM and supported by INTERREG Indian Ocean funding.
• Whale Blows Project - Respiratory Microbiome (Projet Souffles) Innovative research programme assessing humpback whale health through genetic analysis of bacteria present in whale blows, collected non-invasively via drones or sterile hand-held devices. Launched in 2018.
• WIOCOR Project - Seagrass Meadows (Herbiers Marins) Project promoting conservation and sustainable management of seagrass meadows at Nosy Be, studying their role for sea turtles and implementing awareness and responsible blue ecotourism strategies.
• Marine Litter Monitoring Project (Projet Déchets Marins) Marine litter monitoring and waste management education project in Sainte-Marie, combining scientific research, environmental awareness, and green entrepreneurship support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mandated role in supervising all marine megafauna observation activities across Madagascar under interministerial charter
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Solférino (Swiss Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCétamada co-founded the Centre communautaire de formation et de santé Anjaranay at Sainte-Marie with Swiss association Solférino. The centre provides free training in sustainable agriculture, beekeeping, crafts, and hospitality to the local community, supporting economic diversification away from marine resource extraction.
• CNRS and university research institutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCétamada collaborates with CNRS scientists, the University of Antananarivo, MNHN (Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle), and Sorbonne Université on joint research projects including humpback whale photo-identification, genetic analysis, and acoustic monitoring.
• Ministry of Tourism and ArtisanatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ministry of Tourism and Artisanat of Madagascar is one of three ministries that signed interministerial arrêté n°33626/2023, formally mandating Cétamada's role in supervising marine megafauna observation activities.
• Ministry of Fisheries and Blue EconomycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy co-signed the interministerial charter governing responsible marine megafauna tourism in Madagascar, formally recognising Cétamada's supervisory role.
• Ministry of Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Madagascar is a signatory of the 2023 interministerial charter on marine megafauna observation, working with Cétamada on conservation policy.
• CEDTMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEDTM (Centre d'Étude et de Découverte des Tortues Marines) jointly leads the HOME (Habitats Of Marine TurtlEs) project — Volet Madagascar — with Cétamada, focused on understanding and protecting sea turtles in the northwest marine protected areas of Madagascar.
• KéloniamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKélonia is an institutional partner supporting the HOME project, contributing expertise and resources for the study and conservation of sea turtles in Madagascar's northwest marine protected areas.
• WCS Madagascar (Wildlife Conservation Society)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWCS Madagascar is a partner in the HOME project, contributing to the management of marine protected areas and the study of sea turtle populations in northwest Madagascar.
• Madagascar National ParksmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMadagascar National Parks collaborates on the HOME project to improve the management of marine protected areas and reinforce conservation strategies for sea turtles in northwest Madagascar.
• Université d'AntananarivomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Antananarivo is an academic partner in the HOME project, providing scientific expertise and supporting the training of Malagasy partners in marine turtle research methodology.
• GLOBICE Réunion (MYSTRAL project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCétamada partners with GLOBICE Réunion on the MYSTRAL project, a regional initiative to study humpback whale migrations, acoustic diversity, and cetacean populations across the south-west Indian Ocean, including sub-Antarctic islands (Crozet and Kerguelen).
• HappyWhale (global cetacean database)majorTechnology or IntegrationPhoto-identification data collected by Cétamada is contributed to the HappyWhale global database, enabling cross-regional matching of individual humpback whales and supporting international migration studies.
• Partner hotel operators (Voaara, Soanambo, Samaria Lodge, Hotel Lakana, Natiora, Vohilava, Boraha Village, Princesse Bora, Libertalia, Maningory, Antsanitia, Paradisier)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCétamada partners with 12 hotel operators in Sainte-Marie, Majunga, and Tuléar. These partners host ecovolunteers, provide sea vessels and logistics for field missions, and apply the observation charters for responsible marine megafauna tourism. In return, Cétamada trains their staff as specialised marine guides.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kélonia: Réunion observatory and care centre for marine turtles, partner in the HOME project. Similar profile: marine reptile research, public education, and policy engagement on responsible observation practices.
• CEDTM (Centre d'Étude et de Découverte des Tortues Marines): Reunion-based sea turtle research and education centre that co-leads the HOME project with CETAMADA on sea turtle habitats in Madagascar. Comparable as a small Indian Ocean marine NGO combining field research, education and ecotourism engagement.
• GLOBICE Réunion: Réunion-based cetacean research NGO that partners with CETAMADA on the MYSTRAL project studying humpback whales in the south-west Indian Ocean. Directly comparable in mission (cetacean research + conservation + public outreach), geography (Indian Ocean islands) and methods (photo-identification, acoustics).

Broad incumbents

• Sea Shepherd Global: International marine conservation organisation with cetacean and marine wildlife protection campaigns. Comparable in marine megafauna mission, though operating through advocacy and enforcement rather than ecotourism supervision.
• Ocean Conservancy: Global ocean advocacy and conservation organisation working on marine wildlife, pollution and policy. Comparable on marine megafauna and habitat conservation themes but at much larger institutional scale and without CETAMADA's local ecotourism-supervision focus.
• WWF Madagascar: Country office of a global conservation organisation working on Madagascar's marine and coastal ecosystems, including fisheries management and marine protected areas. Comparable mission, far larger institutional footprint.
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Madagascar: Global conservation NGO with a large Madagascar programme covering marine protected areas and sea turtles; partner in the HOME project alongside CETAMADA. Overlaps on marine megafauna and MPA management but operates at significantly greater scale.

Emerging players

• Blue Ventures: Community-based marine conservation organisation with operations in Madagascar focused on coastal fisheries, mangroves and marine protected areas. Comparable in integrating community development with marine conservation, though less cetacean-focused.
• Madagascar Whale Shark Project: Niche research initiative focused on whale sharks around Nosy Be and the Mozambique Channel. Highly comparable in subject (marine megafauna around Madagascar) and use of citizen science and ecotourism partnerships, though narrower in species scope than CETAMADA.

Others

• Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (MNHN): French natural history museum collaborating with CETAMADA on cetacean research (photo-identification, genetics). Comparable as a long-standing cetacean research institution, though it operates on a national-scale academic mandate rather than field NGO model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cetamada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CETAMADA