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IMPACT PROMISE
Our Partners are carefully selected due to their high conservation impact
Partner Snapshot
Partner
Location
Category
- Community Support and Development
- Protected Area Management
- Ecosystem Restoration
Urgent Appeals
Date Founded
2005
Website
Partner Qualifications
About Fikambanana Bongolava Maitso
Fikambanana Bongolava Maitso is a non-profit organization, mainly run by farmers living around the Bongolava Forest Corridor Protected Area in Madagascar. Their mission is to contribute to the reduction of poverty in rural areas by promoting the conservation of biodiversity and natural resources. They support the economic development of rural communities and the conservation of the Bongolava Protected Area through sustainable management and community involvement.
Their Challenges
One of FBM's main challenges is preserving forest fragments against vegetation fires, agricultural clearing, and harvesting. The production of charcoal around the Protected Area and the cleaning of crop fields using fire are the main sources of vegetation fires. Over the last 10 years, the price of corn and black-eyed peas in the Sofia region has increased significantly, which has led to the expansion of cultivation fields. This has increased clearings throughout the Protected Area, further fragmenting the forests and reducing viable habitat for wildlife.
Their Approach
Members of Fikambanana Bongolava Maitso patrol the Protected Area daily for illegal activities. All offenses in the field are handled by judicial police officers of the DREDD forestry administration. Furthermore, FBM established firebreaks around forest fragments and actively fight fires that break out. In the sustainable use zone (buffer zone) of the protected area, they manage the production of crops that do not require forest clearing. This allows the occupants in the buffer zone to continue farming while preserving the remaining forest fragments.
Why They Need Your Help
Your support allows Fikambanana Bongolava Maitso to continue their work of preventing wildfires and illegal logging in the Bongolava Forest Corridor Protected Area, and to bring new, sustainable agricultural techniques to the area. FBM relies on donations to conserve the forest, increase environmental education among children and adults, and mobilize the chiefs and mayors of Fokontany to assist with outreach activities.