Meet the women protecting the endangered forests of Madagascar
Meet the women protecting the endangered forests of Madagascar Women in the Menabe region of Madagascar are joining the growing national conservation movement. Traditionally, women have been excluded from conservation work, but that is starting to change. Menabe Antimena is a protected area that runs along the west coast of Madagascar, spanning landscapes of giant baobabs, salt-water mangroves, and expansive wetlands. This incredibly diverse area is home to some of the world’s most unique and threatened animals, including the Hawksbill turtle, Verreaux’s Sifaka, and Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur. With its primary feature being dry forests, Menabe Antimena has suffered significantly due to deforestation. 52% of Menabe forests were destroyed between 1985 and 2000, and this trend has continued to present-day, with 7% of the protected area being lost in 2017 alone. The main threat to Menabe Antimena today is deforestation caused by fires, which are further exacerbated by the extreme drought the country is facing. As Madagascar has one of the highest poverty rates in the world, the Malagasy people are in a desperate situation. Famine, drought, and a lack of economic opportunities force people to leave their homes in search of new agricultural areas. Through fire, people clear the forest cover to convert previously wild areas into corn and peanut plantations, which is having disastrous consequences for the wildlife of the island. Furthermore, corruption in the government is making matters worse. Government officials are reportedly selling natural resources taken illegally from the forests for their own profit. If these trends continue, it is possible Menabe Antimena will disappear entirely by 2050. However, the increased conservation efforts that began in 2022 from a variety of groups in Madagascar is shining hope on this situation, making the preservation of Menabe Antimena seem more possible than ever before. Our Conservation Partner, Association Fanamby, is working closely with members of a local conservation group known as KMMFA (Komity Manokana Miaro ny Faritra Arovana, which translates to The Special Committee to Conserve Protected Areas). KMMFA members are locals with a deep understanding of the land and the cultures of the area. Traditionally, women have been excluded from conservation work in Madagascar, but KMMFA is unique in that many of its members are women. In recent years, we have begun to see more and more women of Madagascar participating in and leading critical conservation work, giving us increased hope for the future. KMMFA members act as rangers of Menabe Antimena, patrolling the region and reporting illegal activities to Association Fanamby, who will then work alongside local authorities to take action. Increased patrols have been absolutely critical to improving the conservation strategy of this area. Since 2017, there have been no more fires in the area, largely due to the collaborative work of KMMFA and Fanamby. KMMFA members also help manage indigenous tree nurseries, where they care for thousands of seedling trees. They then plant the young trees around the protected area, beginning the restoration of the lost forests of Menabe Antimena. Several organizations, including Conservation Allies and our Madagascar Partners, as well as USAID Mikajy, are working to provide alternative, sustainable forms of income in Madagascar. This is an essential piece of the conservation puzzle, as without an alternative way to support themselves and their families, local people will be left will little other choice than to continue to destroy the last remaining wild habitats of Madagascar in search of food and income. By combining reforestation efforts, regular patrols, increasing access to conservation technology, and sustainable development solutions, Menabe Antimena, and the wildlife that lives there, can still be saved. You can become a critical part of the safeguarding of this unique biodiversity hotspot, and together with our conservation partners in Madagascar, we will continue to fight for a bright future in Menabe Antimena.
A Major Conservation Discovery is Made in one of Madagascar’s Oldest National Park
Conservation drones uncover why one of Madagascar’s oldest National Parks is being destroyed In 1927, Ankarafantsika National Park received its official designation as one of Madagascar’s first protected areas. The 418,000 acre park is located on a spectacular escarpment that protects one of the last remaining expanses of tropical forest in northwest Madagascar. It is home to many unique species found nowhere else on earth, like the Long-tailed big-footed mouse and the Mongoose lemur. Importantly, the National Park is a vital water source that supplies freshwater to some of the most productive agricultural lands in the country, the rice paddies that surround the park. Despite the global importance of Ankarafantsika for biodiversity and agriculture, the National Park has been destroyed at an unprecedented rate. Approaching its 100 year anniversary as a protected area, over 227,800 acres of forest have been destroyed (76,100 acres in just the past two decades), while 190,700 acres remain at immense risk of wildfires given the increasingly longer dry seasons and illegal activities. Recognizing the severity of the situation, several local and international NGOs have rallied to the crisis at Ankarafantsika National Park, initiating fire watches and rapid response “Green Brigades” composed of Park staff, the local community, police officers, and national military to constantly patrol the park, apprehend arsonists, and put out fires. It was believed that the fires were being set to clear forest for the local cattle (zebu), though patrollers noticed they rarely encountered zebu inside the park. Recently, a patrol led by the Fosa Association and Conservation Allies made a startling discovery during a field mission to evaluate the Ankarafantsika forest. The goal was to understand the possible origins of over 240 fires and 545 deforestation alerts that were reported between October 1-31, 2023 by Global Forest Watch and to capture the arsonists responsible for the degradation of the park. Madagascar Conservation Officer at Conservation Allies, Manitra Rajaonarison, noted, “We walked an average of six hours each day to reach some of the areas most impacted by fires. Once on site, our drone was deployed and used to survey the extent of the damage and search for arsonists over a wide area. During one reconnaissance flight, the drone located a major illegal campsite hidden in a vast Raffia palm forest.” Raffia palms have the world’s longest leaves, reaching over 80 feet long and 9 feet wide. They are the source for raffia fibers, which are woven to create rope and textiles, such as decorative mats, baskets, hats and shoes. The harvesting of raffia leaves is very lucrative, particularly for international export. Manitra added, “Typically, patrollers would head directly to where fires were spreading and try to put them out, but patrollers did not know who was setting the fires. At first we thought that the illegal Raffia palm collectors were not the source of fires, but we quickly realized that they were setting numerous fires to distract and divert the patrol teams away from their illegal activities.” Further aerial drone surveillance and on-foot surveys by Manitra and the team uncovered a pattern of fires set 1-2 km away from illegal Raffia palm collecting camps. Finally, we have uncovered the principal threat to Ankarafantsika National Park and can redirect and intensify our efforts to protect the forest. With patrols targeted at the Raffia arsonists, what remains of the park can be saved. We are more hopeful than ever that by 2027, Ankarafantsika’s 100th anniversary, significant progress towards successfully protecting and restoring Ankarafantsika National Park will have been made.
Latin America Ecotourism Initiative
$50,000 in awards for environmental impact, employment creation, and funding conservation.
The 3rd International Ranger Awards
Recognizing the incredible rangers who dedicate their lives to protecting the planet.
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