Forest Conservation in Madagascar: Past, Present, Future

Abstract

To be published in the upcoming book The New Natural History of Madagascar, edited by S. M. Goodman, published by Princeton University Press.At this critical time for the future of Madagascar’s biodiversity, we first review the past: touching upon conservation from pre- to post-colonial periods before focusing on the period which most dramatically shaped the country’s current conservation-related institutions and policies (1984-2009). Next the present: we examine evidence for the effectiveness (or otherwise) of the main approaches to forest conservation on the island. We look in detail at how conservation has conceptualized the link between environment and development in Madagascar, the impact of measures by conservationists to transform rural livelihoods, and the effectiveness of protected areas, community-based natural resources management, and the environmental impact assessment legislation. Finally, we look to the future and consider how pressures on Madagascar’s biodiversity, and the conservation community’s responses, are evolving and need to evolve. This is, of course, hugely ambitious. We are attempting to cover a significant chunk of history for a diverse mini-continent. We bring in literature from anthropology, political ecology, economics, and conservation science. We can only hope to do this incompletely.

Food insecurity related to agricultural practices and household characteristics in rural communities of northeast Madagascar

“…Greater extension services are required to disseminate these new technologies to a broader audience, with consistent, long-term monitoring and consultation to realize their potential, as exemplified in other countries (Styger et al, 2011). Madagascar has a new, national initiative to increase sustainable agriculture extension services, supported by the World Bank, which could realize these goals (Jones et al, 2021). Sustained skills development to strengthen the capacity of rural farmers to adopt new techniques coupled with innovations to adapt techniques to local contexts can increase farmer resilience to food stress.…”

“…Further, low yields in staple crops, especially rice, often do not sustain households throughout the year. Methods of agriculture that sustainably increase yields and regenerate degraded lands have not had widespread adoption in Madagascar, such as improved rice agriculture (Jones et al, 2021;Stoop et al, 2002) and agroforestry (Messerli, 2006;Rosenstock et al, 2019). Agricultural productivity is clearly an important factor to understanding smallholder farmer food security.…”

The macroevolutionary impact of recent and imminent mammal extinctions on Madagascar

“…We have shown it would take millions of years of evolutionary time for Madagascar to return to its natural pre-human diversity in species numbers, but with adequate conservation policy and action, the loss of the results of many more millions of years of unique evolutionary history of the island's mammals can be greatly reduced or largely prevented. These programs should include socio-economic amelioration for the Malagasy people with particular emphasis on rural livelihoods, reduction of forest loss in the remaining natural habitats, and a retooling of the protected area network including better control of artisanal and commercial resource exploitation, including hardwoods and animals for the bushmeat trade 58,59 .…”

Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity: Evolution, distribution, and use

“…Protected areas (PAs) are the central political and scientific accomplishment of Madagascar's conservation strategy. The network has been continuously developed since the first PA was established in 1927 (67)(68)(69)(70)(71). Our data compilation shows that the network now encompasses 10.4% of the land area of Madagascar, having grown by more than a third over the last two decades (Fig.…”