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IMPACT PROMISE
Our Partners are carefully selected due to their high conservation impact
Partner Snapshot
Partner Name
Makirovana Association
Location:
Makirovana-Tsihomanaomby Protected Area (Northeastern Madagascar)
Appeal Category:
- Community Support and Development
- Protected Area Management
- Wildlife Conservation
Key Species:
- Sanford’s lemur
- Crowned lemur
Challenges And Threats:
- Violent retaliation from illegal gold miners
- Destruction of homes and conservation infrastructure
- Ongoing threats to Indigenous forest defenders
- Illegal mining within Protected Area
Actions:
- Rebuild 88 destroyed family homes
- Restore conservation facilities and tree nurseries
- Strengthen community-led forest patrols
- Provide emergency support for displaced families
The Challenge
The Makirovana-Tsihomanaomby Protected Area protects critical habitat for Critically Endangered lemur species and countless additional species. An Indigenous community has co-managed this forest for generations through the Makirovana Association, a local grassroots organization and Conservation Allies partner.
In November 2025, community patrols discovered illegal gold miners operating inside the Protected Area. Police arrested two miners, who promised not to return. In retaliation, a larger group of miners launched a violent attack on villages around the Protected Area.
The miners targeted families directly involved in forest protection. They destroyed homes, threatened residents, and kidnapped one Association member. Many families evacuated to temporary shelter in nearby Sambava city. The violence escalated when miners returned and burned 88 family homes, the village chief’s house, and all conservation facilities including ten native tree nurseries and reforestation sites.
Local authorities responded by deploying more than 60 armed officers who have begun making arrests. The kidnapped conservationist was safely released. However, the community has lost nearly everything and needs immediate help to rebuild their homes and restore the conservation infrastructure that protects this biodiverse landscape.
Urgent Solutions
The Makirovana community needs immediate support to rebuild and continue protecting this critical forest habitat. Your donation will fund:
Rebuild Homes: Construct 88 new homes for families who lost everything while defending their forests, allowing them to return from temporary shelters and resume their lives.
Restore Conservation Infrastructure: Rebuild ten native tree nurseries and reforestation sites that were burned, ensuring conservation work continues without interruption.
Strengthen Community Patrols: Provide equipment, training, and operational support for patrols that protect the forest from illegal mining and other threats.
Emergency Family Support: Provide immediate assistance to families currently displaced in Sambava, including food, supplies, and temporary housing needs.
Enhance Security: Work with local authorities to improve safety measures for Indigenous forest defenders and ensure their rights as stewards of this landscape are protected.
Restore Livelihoods: Help families rebuild the sustainable economic activities disrupted by the attack, providing long-term stability for conservation efforts.
Why Your Donation Matters
Your donation directly supports Indigenous people who have risked their safety to protect endangered wildlife and one of Madagascar’s most biodiverse forests. The Makirovana community faces an immediate crisis that threatens both their homes and the Protected Area they manage.
The $15,000 fundraising goal will enable the Makirovana Association to rebuild destroyed infrastructure and continue their conservation work. Your support provides displaced families with new homes so they can return to their land. It restores years of conservation work lost when nurseries and reforestation sites were burned.
This support also sends a clear message: communities defending forests against illegal activities are not alone. Your donation helps ensure that violent intimidation does not succeed in driving Indigenous stewards away from the landscapes they protect.
The Makirovana people have shown commitment to their forests despite facing violence. By helping them rebuild, you enable them to continue protecting habitat for biodiversity found nowhere else on Earth. Your donation helps them recover from this attack and continue their role as forest defenders for future generations.