Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Hotspot
Madagascar
Briefing Book
Prepared for: Improving Linkages Between CEPF and World Bank Operations, Africa
Forum, Cape Town, South Africa—April 25 –27, 2005
MADAGASCAR AND INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS
HOTSPOT: MADAGASCAR
BRIEFING BOOK
Table of Contents
I. The Investment Plan
• Ecosystem Profile Fact Sheet
• Ecosystem Profile
II. Implementation
• Overview of CEPF’s Portfolio in the Madagascar and Indian
Ocean Islands Hotspot: Madagascar
o Charts of Portfolio
o Vision Maps
• Project Map
• List of Grants
III. Conservation Highlights
• E-News
• Other Highlights
IV. Leveraging CEPF Investments
• Table of Leveraged Funds
C E P F FA C T S H E E T
Madagascar
Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Hotspot
CEPF INVESTMENT PLANNED IN REGION
QUICK FACTS
The Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands biodiversity hotspot includes the
island of Madagascar and several neighboring island groups. The hotspot is
thought by many to be the world’s top conservation priority due to its
remarkable biodiversity and extensive deforestation. It is one of the 25 richest
and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth.
Only the continent of Australia has a higher
number of unique plant families than the
Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands
hotspot.
Often considered a mini-continent, Madagascar is famous for reptiles such as
chameleons and more than 50 different kinds of lemurs—unique primates
found only on the islands in this hotspot.
$4.25 million
Of the natural habitat remaining in the hotspot, under 2% is officially protected.
Madagascar is home to 178 species of frogs,
99% of which are found nowhere else. No
other amphibians are found on the island.
With 21% of all primate genera and 29% of
all primate families found in Madagascar,
the island of Madagascar is the single highest priority for conserving primate diversity.
Madagascar is the largest oceanic island
and the fourth largest island on Earth.
THREATS
Experts estimate that Madagascar has lost as much as 80 percent of its original
forest cover. Direct threats to biodiversity include agricultural expansion,
timber exploitation, uncontrolled livestock grazing, wood collection for fuel
and charcoal production, hunting, mining, wildlife collection and introduction of non-native wildlife species.
CEPF STRATEGY
Within the hotspot, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)
focuses on the island of Madagascar.
The CEPF strategy builds on a decade of conservation planning and projects
in Madagascar, such as the initiatives put forth under the auspices of the
National Environmental Action Plan and recommendations that emerged
from a workshop to determine conservation priorities in Madagascar. CEPF
supports the development of biodiversity corridors between existing parks
and reserves, as well as the creation of new corridors.
The CEPF focuses on the island of
Madagascar in the Madagascar and
Indian Ocean Islands hotspot.
1 91 9 M S TR EE T, N W, W A SH I N G TO N, D C 2 00 36 , U S A . 1 .2 02 . 9 1 2. 1 8 08 FA X 1. 2 0 2. 9 1 2 .1 04 5 U p da t ed : J a nu ar y 2 00 3
www.cepf.net
© Russell A. Mittermeier
CEPF investments support activities that focus the many disparate efforts at
work in the hotspot while making sure that the best and most objective
information is available to decision-makers at all levels.
The CEPF investment strategy, called an ecosystem profile, will be funded
over five years, beginning in 2001.
STRATEG IC FUNDING DIRECTIONS
The CEPF strategy for Madagascar ensures funding is directed where it is
needed most and where it can do the most good.
CEPF investments in the region are guided by six strategic directions. Each
project must be linked to one of these to be approved for funding:
1. integrating local groups and individuals in the management of protected
areas and reserves
2. private-sector conservation initiatives
3. biodiversity conservation and management training program
4. public awareness and advocacy
5. Biodiversity Action Fund
6. creation of a participatory monitoring and coordination network
ABOUT US
CEPF is a joint initiative of Conservation
International, the Global Environment
Facility, the Government of Japan, the John
D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
and the World Bank.
The partnership aims to dramatically
advance conservation of Earth’s biodiversity
hotspots—the biologically richest and most
threatened areas. A fundamental goal is to
ensure that civil society, such as community
groups, nongovernmental organizations and
private sector partners, is engaged in biodiversity conservation.
CEPF acts as a catalyst to create strategic
working alliances among diverse groups,
combining unique capacities and eliminating duplication of efforts for a coordinated,
comprehensive approach to conservation
challenges.
HOW TO LEARN MORE
For more information about CEPF and how to
apply for grants, please visit www.cepf.net.
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www.cepf.net
Ecosystem Profile
MADAGASCAR ECOSYSTEM
Of the
MADAGASCAR & INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS
BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT
FINAL VERSION
December 14, 2000
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 3
BACKGROUND: MADAGASCAR HOTSPOT ....................................................................... 4
BIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE MADAGASCAR HOTSPOT............................... 5
Levels of Biological Diversity and Endemism ........................................................................... 5
Levels of Protection for Biodiversity.......................................................................................... 7
The Ecoregions of Madagascar................................................................................................... 8
The Status of Protected Areas in Madagascar ............................................................................ 9
THREAT ASSESSMENT .......................................................................................................... 10
Agricultural Expansion ............................................................................................................. 11
Timber Exploitation .................................................................................................................. 11
Uncontrolled Livestock Grazing............................................................................................... 11
Fuelwood Collection/Charcoal Production............................................................................... 11
Hunting and Trade .................................................................................................................... 11
Corporate and Small-Scale Mining........................................................................................... 12
Ornamental Plant and Wildlife Collection................................................................................ 12
Introduction of Exotic Species.................................................................................................. 12
Policy-Making Practices ........................................................................................................... 12
Governance and Rule of Law ................................................................................................... 13
Training and Capacity............................................................................................................... 13
Limited Biodiversity Information ............................................................................................. 13
Disruptive Effects of Forest Fragmentation.............................................................................. 13
Lack of Conservation Benefits to Local Communities............................................................. 13
ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT INVESTMENT..................................................................... 14
National Environmental Action Plan .................................................................................... 14
Multilateral and Bilateral Donors ......................................................................................... 14
Foreign NGO Donors............................................................................................................ 15
Local Implementers .............................................................................................................. 15
Foreign Implementers ............................................................................................................... 16
CEPF NICHE FOR INVESTMENT IN THE REGION......................................................... 17
CEPF INVESTMENT STRATEGY AND PROGRAM FOCUS........................................... 18
SUSTAINABILITY .................................................................................................................... 21
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................... 22
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INTRODUCTION
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is designed to better safeguard the world’s
threatened biological hotspots in developing countries. It is a joint initiative of Conservation
International (CI), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Government of Japan, the
MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. CEPF provides financing to projects located in
biodiversity hotspots highly threatened regions representing only 1.4 percent of the planet’s land
surface, where some 60 percent of all terrestrial species diversity is found.
CEPF has been designed to build on the World Bank’s commitment to biodiversity
conservation and sustainable management, primarily implemented through the GEF and
channeled to governments. CEPF will complement the efforts of the World Bank and the GEF
to conserve biodiversity by providing a streamlined funding mechanism to a broad range of civil
society partners, including NGOs, community groups and private sector partners.
CEPF will further the overall goals of the Bank at the country level by offering an
opportunity to engage local communities and other stakeholders in biodiversity conservation and
ecosystem management. CEPF will also provide an important learning experience through an
innovative online grant system at www.cepf.net and by focusing on on-the-ground results and
experience. The site is designed to serve as a central node, disseminating lessons learned and
facilitating cross-regional information exchange on conservation successes. It will also promote
replication of successful projects by providing access to a wide range of resources designed to
aid project implementers in the biodiversity hotspots.
CEPF will strive to use lessons from other programs, particularly the GEF’s medium
grants procedure, to ensure that funds are provided expeditiously and with appropriate, costeffective levels of accountability. CEPF will also use the GEF national focal points to ensure
client country endorsement of the strategic direction of CEPF. CEPF is intended to complement,
rather than duplicate or overlap with, regular GEF activities.
CEPF will support strategic working alliances among community groups, NGOs,
government, academia and the private sector, combining unique capacities and eliminating
duplication of efforts for a more comprehensive approach to conservation challenges. CEPF is
unique among funding mechanisms in that it focuses specifically on biological areas rather than
political boundaries and will look at conservation threats on a corridor-wide basis for maximum
return on investment. This will be a significant contribution in Madagascar where much of the
investment has focused on safeguarding current levels of biological diversity within the existing
protected areas, but not necessarily throughout the whole corridor. The strategic directions of the
CEPF program are strongly linked to a thorough priority-setting process, and targets several gaps
in this larger strategy. Building on the collaborative processes already underway in the region
will allow not only for cooperation with the many nongovernmental, scientific and other privatesector participants, but also for the possibility of building the capacities of these various groups.
In addition, CEPF aims to disburse funds to civil society in a more agile manner, complementing
current funding available to government agencies.
Funds will be used to provide small grants to conservation projects managed by private, NGO
and civil society groups working in the critical ecosystems. Funding from CEPF directed at the
project level will leverage additional financial and in-kind contributions. By funding
conservation efforts in production landscapes, such as agricultural areas, CEPF has the potential
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to build broader-than-usual support for conservation measures from the agricultural community,
specifically encouraging agro forestry initiatives that maintain connectivity in corridor
landscapes.
In summary, CEPF offers an opportunity to promote the conservation of some of the
most important ecosystems in the world--places of high biodiversity and great beauty.
Conservation of these ecosystems is especially important given the values provided by healthy,
diverse ecosystems to agriculture, forestry, water supply and fisheries. These are critical to the
Bank’s efforts to alleviate poverty. CEPF will deliver assistance in an agile manner; it will
engage a wide range of local community groups, civil society organizations, NGOs and private
companies in addressing conservation needs.
BACKGROUND: MADAGASCAR HOTSPOT
The current set of priority biodiversity conservation needs for the Madagascar portion of the
Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Hotspot stem directly from the 1995 Conservation
Priority-Setting Workshop (CPW), which more than 100 of the world’s foremost experts in the
biology of Madagascar attended. These experts were organized into thematic groups (taxonomy,
paleontology, socio economics) in order to identify conservation and research priorities. This
workshop proved to be a catalyst for new efforts to address the severe threats facing
Madagascar's forests, such as the Second Environmental Action Plan (PE2) and the Global
Environment Facility (GEF) programs. Several significant recommendations were put forward as
a result of the priority-setting workshop, and these remain the initial priorities for new project
funding: to extend the protected area system, to develop biological research systems that function
beyond the existing protected areas, and to develop corridors of protected areas between
remaining blocks of forest and existing protected areas.
Using the results of the CPW, and monitoring the implementation of the GEF programs
and PE2, the CEPF ecosystem profile outlines the biological importance of the ecosystem, the
current threats it faces, and the current level of investment toward conservation by different
donors, NGOs, and government agencies. Based on this review, a proposed strategic focus for
CEPF is presented that complements past recommendations and current conservation efforts.
This focus is summarized in an investment strategy aimed at delivering six main outputs:
1. mechanisms to integrate local groups and individuals in the management of protected areas
and reserves;
2. private-sector conservation initiatives such as plantation forestry and nature tourism;
3. support for biodiversity conservation and management training;
4. promotion of advocacy and awareness;
5. a Biodiversity Action Fund to respond to critical, unanticipated conservation needs; and
6. a participatory coordination network to ensure continuity of the overall program.
The purpose of the investment strategy is to facilitate effective participation by
nongovernmental and other private-sector organizations in the conservation of biodiversity in
Madagascar.
To be eligible for funding under this ecosystem profile, a project must not only contribute
to one or more of the strategic funding outputs, but must also meet the following general criteria:
1. Project execution must be within World Bank client countries that have ratified or otherwise
acceded to the Convention on Biological Diversity. (Madagascar meets this criterion.)
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2. Project funding may by no means result in the physical relocation of people, be used for the
purchase of land, be directed toward a government entity, or be used for the capitalization of
trust funds or similar financial instruments.
BIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE MADAGASCAR HOTSPOT
This hotspot is composed of the island nation of Madagascar and several neighboring island
groups: the Mascarenes, Comoros, and Seychelles in the western Indian Ocean. Seychelles,
Mauritius and the bulk of the Comoros are independent nations, whereas the island of Reunion is
a French overseas department and the Comorian island of Mayotte is a French overseas territory.
At 587,045 square kilometers (0.4% of the land surface of the planet), Madagascar is the largest
oceanic island and the fourth largest island on Earth. The island nation is located approximately
400 kilometers from the eastern coast of Africa and, via the process of plate tectonics, is believed
to have been isolated from other landmasses for more than 160 million years. This isolation has
resulted in a number of distinct evolutionary lineages and high levels of endemism among groups
of plants and animals that either were inhabitants of the original landmass before Madagascar’s
separation, or which colonized the “new” island later. This section in the ecosystem profile
provides a brief overview of the biological importance of the entire Hotspot region. However, at
this point CEPF will provide grant resources to projects within the boundaries of the nation of
Madagascar. Other areas of the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Hotspot may become eligible for
funding later.
Together, the other island groups add very little to the land area of the hotspot, yet they
make a significant contribution to its biodiversity. Reunion and the Republic of Mauritius,
which consists of the main island of Mauritius, Rodrigues, Round Island and a number of smaller
islands, are located approximately 900 kilometers east of Madagascar and cover 2,040 square
kilometers. The Comoros are located northwest of Madagascar in the Mozambique Channel and
cover 2,171 square kilometers. Seychelles, with four main granitic islands, Mahé, Praslin,
Silhouette and La Digue, and approximately 100 other granitic islands and coralline islets, covers
an area of 455 square kilometers. Combined with Madagascar, these island groups bring the
total area of the hotspot to 594,221 square kilometers.
In terms of the original extent of its native habitats, Madagascar and the Indian Ocean
Islands represents the 10th largest of the 25 biodiversity hotspots that have been identified by
Conservation International. It ranks 8th among the hotspots in terms of remaining intact habitat
(approximately 18% of the original extent), according to the most recent estimates of tropical
forest cover.
Levels of Biological Diversity and Endemism
High levels of biological diversity and endemism are found in Madagascar and the Indian Ocean
Islands, not only at the species level, but at the genus and family levels as well. Current
estimates put the number of plant species in Madagascar somewhere between 10,000-12,000, of
which more than 80% (8,000-9,600 or 3.2% of the world total) are endemic. These species are
represented by 160-181 families, of which 10 are endemic (Asteropeiaceae, Bembiciaceae,
Didiereaceae, Didymelaceae, Diegodendraceae, Kaliphoraceae, Melanophyllaceae,
Physenaceae, Sarcolaenaceae and Sphaerosepalaceae). Only the continent of Australia, more
than an order of magnitude larger than Madagascar, has more endemic plant families (13). Of the
island’s 1,289 genera, 260 (20%) are endemic. Regional levels of plant endemism in
Madagascar are also quite high. For example, 95%the plants of the southern spiny deserts are
5
endemic at the species level and 48% are endemic at the genus level, not occurring anywhere
else in Madagascar.
The Mascarenes (Mauritius and Réunion) have 108 families, 323 genera and 955 species
of vascular plants, of which 38 genera and 697 species (73%) are endemic. Comoros has 136
families and 416 species, of which 137 species (33%) are endemic, and Seychelles has 93
families, 170 genera and 200-250 species, of which one family, 12 genera and at least 70 species
(35% of the lower estimate) are endemic. Together, these smaller islands add one endemic plant
family, 50 endemic genera and 904 endemic species to the figures for Madagascar, raising the
totals for the hotspot to 11 endemic plant families, at least 310 endemic genera, and 8,90410,504 endemic species. No other hotspot has this many endemic families, and only three -the
Tropical Andes, Sundaland and the Mediterranean- exceed this number of endemic plant species.
Comparative figures for terrestrial vertebrate groups are mixed, but no less impressive.
On Madagascar, while overall bird diversity is relatively low (only 250 species), 115 (46%)
endemic. Furthermore, there is a high rate of family-level endemism, with five bird families
(Brachypteraciidae, Leptosomatidae, Mesithornidae, Phillepittidae and Vangidae) restricted to
the island. Comoros has 91 bird species, of which 23 (25%) are endemic; the Mascarenes have
17 endemic bird species (seven on Réunion, eight on Mauritius and two on Rodrigues); and
Seychelles has 170 bird species, 11 endemic.
The recent global analysis of restricted-range bird species by BirdLife International
highlights the importance of the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Hotspot in its
identification of 11 Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs), six of which are recognized at the critical level:
West Malagasy Dry Forests, with eight restricted-range species (three endemic and four
threatened);
East Malagasy Wet Forests, with 23 restricted-range species (20 endemic and 14 threatened);
East Malagasy Wetlands, with nine restricted-range species (six endemic and four threatened,
including three critically endangered);
West Malagasy Wetlands, with seven restricted-range species (four endemic and five threatened,
including two critically endangered);
South Malagasy Spiny Forests, with 10 restricted-range species (eight endemic and two
threatened);
Comoros, with 18 restricted-range species (15 endemic and six threatened, including five
critically endangered);
Aldabra, with three restricted-range species (one endemic); Granitic Seychelles, with 12
restricted-range species (11 endemic and eight threatened, including four critically endangered);
Réunion, with seven restricted-range species (four endemic and one endangered);
Mauritius, with 10 restricted-range species (seven endemic and seven threatened, including four
critically endangered); and
Rodrigues, with two restricted-range species (both endemic and both threatened, one critically
endangered).
The list of critically endangered birds in the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Hotspot is
among the highest for any of the 25 hotspots identified by Conservation International. From
Madagascar it includes the Madagascar serpent eagle (Eutriorchis astur), Alaotra grebe
(Tachybaptus rufolavatus), Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata), Madagascar fish eagle
(Haliaeetus vociferoides), and Sakalava rail (Amaurornis olivieri). Comoros adds the Anjouan
Scops-owl (Otus capnodes), Grand Comoro Scops-owl (Otus pauliani), Mount Karthala white6
eye (Zosterops mouroniensis), Grand Comoro drongo (Dicrurus eminentissima), and Mayotte
drongo (Dicrurus fuscipennis). From Seychelles, the list of includes the Seychelles Scops-owl
(Otus insularis), Seychelles magpie robin (Copsychus sechellarum), Seychelles paradise
flycatcher (Terpsiphone corvina), and Seychelles white-eye (Zosterops modestus). And the
Mascarenes add five more: the pink pigeon (Columba mayeri), Mauritius parakeet (Psittacula
eques), Mauritius olive white-eye (Zosterops chloronothos), Mauritius fody (Foudia rubra), and
Rodrigues warbler (Acrocephalus rodericaus).
Of Madagascar’s 300 reptile species, 274 (91%) are endemic, as are 36 out of 64 genera
(56%). The Mascarenes add five endemic reptile species, Comoros 22 species, of which seven
are endemic, and Seychelles 15 species, of which 14 are endemic. The island of Aldabra is also
home to an endemic giant tortoise (Geochelone gigantea). Combined, the Madagascar and
Indian Ocean Islands Hotspot is home to at least 327 reptile species, of which 301 (92%) are
endemic. These figures rank an impressive seventh and fourth among the world’s hotspots,
respectively.
Frogs are the only amphibians found on Madagascar. Only one or two of the island’s 178
species are introduced 99% are endemic. Neither the Mascarenes nor Comoros have indigenous
amphibians, but Seychelles adds 12 species, of which 11 are endemic. Thus the entire hotspot is
home to 190 amphibian species, of which 187 (98%) are endemic. These figures rank
Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands Hotspot seventh among hotspots in terms of
amphibian diversity and fifth in terms of endemism, with the highest percentage of amphibian
endemism for any hotspot (except for Polynesia/Micronesia and New Zealand, which only have
three and four amphibian species, respectively).
While mammalian species diversity in Madagascar is not exceptional, 78 (67%) of the
117 species are endemic; excluding bats and introduced species, the level approaches 100%. The
Mascarenes add two endemic mammals to the hotspot total, Comoros another 12 species and two
endemics, and Seychelles another two species, both endemic. Overall, the hotspot ranks only
nineteenth out of 25 for mammalian diversity, but sixth in terms of mammalian endemism.
Madagascar’s primates are unquestionably the most prominent group of mammals native
to this hotspot. Although it is only one of 92 countries in the world with wild primate
populations, Madagascar is responsible for 21% (14 out of 65) of all primate genera and 29% (5
out of 17) of all primate families (Cheirogaleidae, Lemuridae, Megaladapidae, Indriidae and
Daubentoniidae), making it the single highest priority area on Earth for conserving primate
diversity. All 36 primate species and 54 taxa currently described are endemic to the island, two
species almost certainly having been introduced by man to neighboring Comoros. Eleven
species of Madagascar’s lemurs are considered critically endangered: the white-collared lemur
(Eulemur fulvus albocollaris), Sclater’s lemur (Eulemur macaco flavifrons), golden bamboo
lemur (Hapalemur aureus), Alaotran gentle lemur (Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis), broad-nosed
gentle lemur (Hapalemur simus), red ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata rubra), silky sifaka
(Propithecus diadema candidus), diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema diadema), Perrier’s
sifaka (Propithecus diadema perrieri), Tattersall’s sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli), and crowned
sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi coronatus).
Levels of Protection for Biodiversity
According to Conservation International’s hotspot analysis, the remaining natural habitat in the
Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Hotspot consists of approximately 59,038 square
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kilometers of tropical rainforest, tropical dry forest and xerophytic vegetation, only about 10% of
the original extent of the vegetative cover. Of the remaining natural habitat, only 11,546 square
kilometers, or just under 2%, is in officially protected areas. By far the largest amount of
remaining habitat and most significant national system of protected areas within the hotspot are
found in Madagascar; therefore it is the focus of this section and of the subsequent CEPF
investment strategy.
The Ecoregions of Madagascar
Based on an action plan recently released by Madagascar’s Association Nationale pour la
Gestion des Aires Protégés (ANGAP), the national agency responsible for management of
protected areas, the country can be divided into a series of Ecoregions and Transition zones
which correspond roughly to earlier domains based on floristic composition.
The Eastern Ecoregion covers 115,617 square kilometers and is characterized by
lowland rainforest occurring between sea level and 2,000 meters. It extends along Madagascar’s
east coast from just north of Sambava to Fort Dauphin. Only 35,229 square kilometers (30%) of
this ecoregion’s original forest cover remains; the largest remaining tracts are found in the
northeastern and southeastern extent of its range. This is perhaps the richest region in
Madagascar in terms of species diversity, as shown by studies of vascular plants and terrestrial
vertebrates, and it is also characterized by local centers of endemism (e.g., the Masoala
peninsula, the Andringitra massif and the regions of Andasibe and Zahamena).
The Central Ecoregion covers 170,887 square kilometers and is a heterogeneous
ensemble of moist and dry formations that parallel the Eastern Ecoregion, extending westward
across Madagascar’s central plateau. This part of Madagascar has been largely deforested or
modified by human activities; as a result, only 11,929 square kilometers (7%) of its original
habitat remains intact.
The Northern Mountains Ecoregion, an area spanning 20,935 square kilometers,
corresponds to the northern limits of the former Central Domain and is an area of high endemism
for anthropods, amphibians, reptiles and rongeurs. It includes two geographically distinct high
mountain regions, Tsaratanana and Marojejy. Approximately 8,664 square kilometers (41%) of
this ecoregion’s original forest cover remains intact.
The Northern Transition Zone is a relatively small area (5,524 square kilometers) of
mixed forests growing above 800m and stretching coast to coast in a thin strip across northern
Madagascar. This transition zone includes the Sambirano Domain, as well as the northeastern
limits of the Central Domain. Approximately 1,028 square kilometers (19%) of these forests
remain in their original condition.
The Western Ecoregion is the largest of Madagascar’s ecoregions, extending over an
area of 211,045 square kilometers. It is a vast zone of dry deciduous forests on Madagascar’s
western coastal plains and limestone plateau, ranging from sea level to 800 meters and covering
the area from Antsiranana in the north to Morombe in the southwest, as well as a smaller block
in the extreme northern part of the country which represents a major center of plant endemism.
The bulk of this ecoregion is characterized by a dry season of almost seven months and, along
with the eastern lowland forests, should be considered among the most endangered forest
ecosystems in Madagascar. Unfortunately, only 31,372 square kilometers (15%) of the Western
Ecoregion’s original forest cover remains intact. Included within this larger region is the
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Analavelona Transition Zone, a tiny fragment of moist forest with characteristics of the Central
Ecoregion.
The dry forests of the Southern Ecoregion cover an area of 57,721 square kilometers
and are characterized by deciduous thicket or thorn scrub. They extend southward from
Morombe along the coast, covering much of Madagascar’s southern tip from sea level to 400
meters. Rainfall in this region is sparse and irregular. As a result, these are the driest forests in
Madagascar and this is the region popularly referred to as the spiny desert. An estimated 19,131
square kilometers (33%) of the Southern Ecoregions original forests remain intact.
The Status of Protected Areas in Madagascar
Madagascar’s national system of nature reserves (Réseau National des Aires Protégés) is
composed of 46 protected areas representing three categories: 15 national parks, 8 integral nature
reserves, and 23 special reserves. The table below provides information on the status, size,
management and location of protected areas within the major ecoregions of Madagascar.
A recent analysis conducted by Conservation International has identified the following 23
protected areas as most important to the conservation of threatened lemur diversity in
Madagascar. These areas are indicated by an asterisk (*).
Protected Area
Created
Area
Govt
Region
8/7/971
10/19/91
12/31/97
12/18/97
7/19/62
12/18/97
7/25/89
760
312
605
574
815
722
230
Toliara
Fianarantsoa
Mahajanga
Mahajanga
Fianarantsoa
Toliara
Toamasina
Eastern and Southern
Eastern and Central
Western
Western
Central
Western
Eastern
1/11/89
5/19/981
3/2/97
100
601
2,300
Toamasina
Antsiranana
Toamasina
Eastern
Northern Mountains
Eastern
Midongy-Sud
Montagne d’Ambre *
Ranomafana
*
Tsingy de Bemaraha 4
Zahamena4
12/18/972
10/28/58
5/27/91
8/7/971
8/7/97
1,922
182
416
666
414
Fianarantsoa
Antsiranana
Fianarantsoa
Mahajanga
Toamasina
Eastern and Central
Central
Eastern
Western
Eastern
Integral Nature Reserves
Betampona
*
Lokobe
12/31/27
12/31/27
22
7
Toamasina
Antsiranana
Tsaratanana
Tsimanampetsotsa
Tsingy de Bemaraha *
Tsingy de Namoroka *
Zahamena
*
Zombitse-Vohibasia2
12/31/27
12/31/27
12/31/27
12/31/27
12/31/27
12/18/97
486
432
854
217
225
172
Antsiranana
Toliara
Mahajanga
Mahajanga
Toamasina
Toliara
Eastern
Northern
Transition
Zone
Northern Mountains
Southern
Western
Western
Eastern
Central and Western
Special Reserves
Ambatovaky
Ambohitantely
Ambohijanahary
10/28/58
2/12/82
10/28/58
601
56
248
Toamasina
Antananarivo
Mahajanga
Eastern
Central
Central
National Parks
Andohahela
Andringitra
Ankarafantsika 3
Baie de Baly
Isalo
Kirindy-Mitea
Mananara-Nord
Mantadia
Marojejy
Masoala
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Ecoregion
Authority
ANGAP
WWF
ANGAP
ANGAP
UNDP/
UNESCO
ANGAP
WWF
ANGAP/
WCS
ANGAP
ANGAP
ANGAP
CI
ANGAP
ANGAP
ANGAP
ANGAP
CI
WWF
ANGAP
9
Analamazaotra
Analamera
Andranomena
Anjanaharibe-Sud
Ankarana
Bemarivo
Beza-Mahafaly
Bora
Cap Sainte Marie
Forêt d’Ambre
Kalambatrita
Kasijy
Mangerivola
Maningoza
Manombo
Manongarivo
7/21/70
2/20/56
10/28/58
10/28/58
2/20/56
9/10/56
6/4/86
2/20/56
10/24/62
10/28/58
4/24/59
9/10/56
10/28/58
2/20/56
12/5/62
2/20/56
8
347
64
321
182
116
6
48
18
48
283
198
119
79
53
327
Toamasina
Antsiranana
Toliara
Antsiranana
Antsiranana
Mahajanga
Toliara
Mahajanga
Toliara
Antsiranana
Fianarantsoa
Mahajanga
Toamasina
Mahajanga
Fianarantsoa
Antsiranana
*
2/20/56
12/14/65
422
5
Mahajanga
Toamasina
Eastern
Western
Western
Northern Mountains
Western
Western
Southern
Western
Southern
Central
Central
Western
Eastern
Western
Eastern
Northern
Mountains
and Northern Transition
Zone
Eastern and Central
Eastern
Pic d’Ivohibe
Tampoketsa-Analamaitso
9/16/94
10/28/58
35
172
Fianarantsoa
Mahajanga
Eastern and Central
Central
Marotandrano
Nosy Mangabe
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
ANGAP
ANGAP
ANGAP
WWF
ANGAP
ESSA
ANGAP
ANGAP
ANGAP
ANGAP
ANGAP/
WCS
WWF
Table 1. Status, size, management, and location of protected areas within major ecoregions of Madagascar
1: established originally as an Integral Nature Reserve
2: established originally as a Classified Forest
3: currently an Integral Nature Reserve; proposed National park, but not yet decreed
4: portion of former Integral Nature Reserve that has been upgraded to National Park status
(*) Protected areas of major importance for threatened lemur conservation
ANGAP:
CI:
ESSA:
UNDP:
WCS:
WWF:
Association Nationale pour la Gestion des Aires Protégées
Conservation International
University of Antananarivo, Department of Water and Forests
United Nations Development Program
Wildlife Conservation Society
Worldwide Fund for Nature
THREAT ASSESSMENT
There are several direct threats to ecosystem function and species diversity in Madagascar,
including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
agricultural expansion;
timber exploitation;
uncontrolled livestock grazing;
fuel wood collection/charcoal production;
hunting;
corporate and small-scale mining;
ornamental plant and wildlife collection; and
introduction of exotic species.
Estimates of forest destruction indicate that as much as 80% of Madagascar's original forest
cover has disappeared in the 1,500-2,000 years since the arrival of humans. The human
population is now about 15 million and growing at about 3% each year (doubling every 20-25
years), and Madagascar is one of the most economically disadvantaged countries in the world.
10
Agricultural Expansion
In Madagascar, the production of rice, coffee, vanilla and spices accounts for about 80% of the
national economy, and this exerts continual pressure on remaining forested areas. For the most
part, the country’s lateritic soils, with their low fertility, are not well suited to such agricultural
uses and experience high levels of erosion annually. According to World Bank estimates, some
US$100-300 million of future agricultural potential is lost each year in Madagascar due to soil
erosion.
Rice cultivation is the primary source of livelihood for 70% of the country’s population;
indeed, the Malagasy have the greatest per capita rice consumption of any country on Earth.
Paddy rice is grown in the valleys and low plains in a few major agricultural centers and
represents nearly three-fourths of the national rice production. Dry rice, while representing less
than a third of the annual production, is grown throughout the country and often on deforested
slopes in more mountainous areas. In the normal tavy process used in dry rice cultivation,
natural vegetation is cleared and burned. The resultant ash provides sufficient nutrients to
otherwise poor soil to allow for a season or two of crop production, after which the soil becomes
exhausted and the farmer moves on, leaving the original plot to lay fallow and regenerate.
Unfortunately, the average fallow time in much of Madagascar is far less than that required to
regenerate nutrients, and this results in a net loss of both original vegetation and arable land.
Current national estimates of forest loss due to shifting cultivation in Madagascar are on the
order of 2,000 square kilometers per year.
Timber Exploitation
At present, logging is actually a relatively minor threat to Madagascar’s remaining forest
ecosystems, as it is traditionally practiced with low levels of mechanization. Chainsaws are
seldom used, and transport within the forest is most often by human or animal traction.
However, if foreign companies are allowed to acquire concessions or if international donors
increase support for sustainable forest management in Madagascar, logging could quickly
escalate to a major threat.
Uncontrolled Livestock Grazing
This is a problem in Madagascar, where a cattle-raising tradition was imported centuries ago
from East Africa, and today there are at least as many cattle in Madagascar as there are people.
Cattle grazing affects natural forest ecosystems through the clearance of vegetation, the annual
burning to encourage new grass growth, and overgrazing in general. These problems are
concentrated in the west and south, where cattle are the principal source of wealth.
Fuelwood Collection/Charcoal Production
Every year, large areas of natural forest in Madagascar are destroyed to provide fuelwood and
charcoal for cooking. This problem is especially severe in the spiny desert forests of the south,
where roadside charcoal stands are a common sight and help supply the needs of people living in
distant towns.
Hunting and Trade
Bush meat hunting is a major threat in Madagascar, especially for a number of the larger species.
Certain lemurs e.g. the ruffed lemurs (Varecia spp.), the true lemurs (Eulemur spp.) and the
sifakas (Propithecus spp.) are heavily affected, and even smaller species such as tenrecs, small
carnivores, and a variety of birds are hunted as well. The radiated tortoise, which is protected by
11
taboo in local culture, is sent in large quantities to Tulear and illegally to Réunion, where it is a
prized delicacy. The large Madagascar side-necked turtle, found only in the rivers and lakes of
the west coast, has been hunted to extinction in many areas. Overall, hunting should probably be
considered a greater threat than the wildlife trade, since it affects many of the larger, more
endangered species.
Corporate and Small-Scale Mining
Madagascar is rich in valuable minerals and gemstones. As a result, it has attracted foreign
attention for such valuable resources as titanium, which is mined on a commercial scale. It has
also attracted itinerant miners in search of gold, sapphire and other precious stones. These events
have had serious impact in areas such as Daraina (site of a proposed protected area) and existing
parks and reserves such as the Ankarana Special Reserve.
Ornamental Plant and Wildlife Collection
The unique biota of Madagascar attracts an illicit and illegal trade in native plants and animals.
Among vertebrates, reptiles and amphibians are the most heavily poached, and the scale of this
trade is estimated at millions of dollars annually.
Introduction of Exotic Species
The introduction of invasive plants and animals is by far the most serious threat to native wildlife
in the smaller islands of this hotspot. Introduced feral animals and game species have been
particularly detrimental to island flora that had evolved no defenses against browsing and
trampling by pigs (Sus scrofa), goats, cattle, deer (Cervus timorensis), rabbits and hares
(Oryctolagus cuniculus and Lepus nigricollis), rats (Rattus rattus), monkeys (Macaca
fascicularis) and giant African land snails (Achatina fulica and A. panthera). Wet forests seem
to be more susceptible than dry forests to invasion and degradation by exotic species.
In addition to the proximate threats described here, there are a number of indirect, but equally
serious, threats to ecosystem functions and species diversity, especially in Madagascar, the
principal focus of this profile. These include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
policy-making practices;
governance and rule of law;
training and capacity;
limited biodiversity information;
disruptive effects of forest fragmentation; and
lack of conservation benefits to local communities.
Policy-Making Practices
In the parks and forestry sectors, the Malagasy governments practices of policy-making pose a
threat to effective conservation. The National Association for the Management of Protected
Areas (ANGAP) has no legal mandate to police the country’s 46 parks and reserves, which cover
approximately 17,187 square kilometers, or about 3% of the country. This authority rests with
the Ministry of Water and Forests (MEF), which is principally concerned with managing logging
practices in Madagascar’s extensive national system of more than 250 classified forests and
forest reserves, which cover an area of approximately 40,000 square kilometers, (about 7% of the
land area) and no doubt harbor at least as much of Madagascar’s biodiversity as the ANGAPmanaged network, including a number of species of threatened plants and animals that are
currently unprotected.
12
Certain bilateral donors have encouraged the MEF to generate resources by entering into
more commercial logging, a disastrous scenario in a region where so little habitat remains and so
many other threats are present. An alternate strategy would be for the MEF to redesignate its
highest-priority forest reserves as biodiversity conservation reserves (ZODECOs), in return for
which international NGOs would find the resources to carry out this conversion and to manage
these protected areas in the long term. Pending legislation, focused on changing the MEF from a
logging ministry to a more potent force for biodiversity conservation, should help advance this
process.
Governance and Rule of Law
Government services are inadequate throughout large areas of Madagascar. Where government
is present, it is often severely underfunded, such that legislation regarding resource management,
e.g. banning tavy and the use of brush fires is largely moot. The uneven application of existing
laws can cause community resentment and actually result in the opposite of the intended effect of
legislation.
In the realm of protected areas and forestry, ambiguous policy-making can threaten effective
conservation. Because ANGAP has no formal legal mandate to police parks and reserves,
attempts by NGOs to improve protected-area management have resulted in a confusion of roles
and responsibilities. This situation illustrates the need for more targeted support of NGO efforts
to strengthen protected areas.
Training and Capacity
Few formally trained protected-area personnel and biologists can be found in Madagascar;
therefore much of the conservation work is done by expatriates. This problem, however, can
also be viewed as an opportunity to foster partnerships between Malagasy scientists and
expatriates who continue to work on conservation projects in Madagascar.
Limited Biodiversity Information
A small national scientific community and limited facilities for field research constrain the
gathering and processing of important biodiversity data in Madagascar. Most of the country’s
remaining natural forest formations are found in remote areas, to which access is limited, timeconsuming and expensive, and this has caused even basic inventory processes to lag behind
conservation planning. Information from long-term ecological studies is even more limited.
Disruptive Effects of Forest Fragmentation
The overall process and extent of forest fragmentation is itself a major and growing threat to
Madagascar’s biodiversity. Many of the country’s forests are already so fragmented that their
long-term contribution to ecosystem function and species diversity is questionable.
Lack of Conservation Benefits to Local Communities
The lack of tangible benefits to local communities from ongoing conservation activities
ultimately undermines the long-term success of these activities. Some of the most profitable
enterprises, for example- including nature tourism and the medicinal plant trade- largely or solely
benefit foreign entrepreneurs. Without appropriate models for community integration and
benefit sharing, local support for conservation projects is unlikely.
13
ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT INVESTMENT
National Environmental Action Plan
In 1991, the government of Madagascar approved a 15-year National Environmental Action Plan
(NEAP), to be implemented in three five-year multi-donor coordinated programs. Under the first
phase, PE1, several new institutions were created, such as the National Office of the
Environment, ANGAP, and the National Small Action Fund for the Environment. In addition,
the capacities of the existing Forestry Department were augmented. PE1 assigned a high priority
to the conservation of biological diversity based on the existing national system of protected
areas, and to development assistance from NGOs for surrounding communities. Key products of
PE1 were the Scientific Priority-Setting Workshop for Madagascar, a biodiversity data-driven
exercise conducted under the direction of Conservation International in 1995, and the subsequent
Participatory Options and Priorities Process, a series of workshops intended to build consensus
for conservation action among local stakeholders. Both products set the stage for PE2.
PE2 was launched in 1997 as a US $150 million effort, and is still in progress. Major foci
of this second phase include the protection of watersheds and existing protected areas, improved
management of classified forests and forest reserves, the development of a “corridors” approach
to ecosystem conservation, the transfer of resource stewardship to communities, and
environmental policy reform at the national level. However, a recent midterm review of PE2
noted continued environmental destruction and only moderately successful results at developing
field programs.
It is important to note that there has also been a heavy emphasis on sustainable
development activities at the community level as part of PE2, as opposed to mainstream
biodiversity conservation. A change in strategy is required to effectively address biodiversity
conservation.
Multilateral and Bilateral Donors
Donors to NEAP include the World Bank, the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), German Technical Assistance (GTZ), German Infrastructure
Development (KfW), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Global
Environmental Facility (GEF). This group has formed a Multi-Donor Secretariat to coordinate
the deployment of international financial resources.
The World Bank: The World Bank has referred to itself as the lender of last resort for
PE2. Its environmental portfolio includes watershed protection, park protection and forestry.
The Bank administers one part of the GEF’s input to PE2 concerning national parks and forest
management.
UNDP: UNDP support of PE2 is targeted to the identification of regional conservation
problems and to marine conservation efforts.
UNEP: UNEP/GEF has finalized a PDF B that will shortly result in a project to be
implemented in Madagascar called “In-situ Conservation of Crop Wild Relatives Through
Enhanced Information Management and Field Application.” This project will result in increased
production of crop wild relatives to be used to improve native crop productions. Information
gleaned from this project will aid countries to identify priority conservation actions and areas.
14
GEF: Global Environmental Facility support is administered partly through UNDP and
partly through the World Bank, and has been channeled to national parks planning and
implementation, improved forest management, the development of non-timber forest products,
and marine conservation efforts.
USAID: The U.S. government has made a multiyear US$40 million commitment to
biodiversity conservation in Madagascar. Its program is focused on rural development initiatives
and the identification of regional problems and threats to biodiversity. USAID was instrumental
in launching the process that led to the creation of the National Environmental Action Plan in
1984 and has helped keep this process on track since then. It also continues to provide funding
for research, monitoring and management activities in the new Masoala National Park.
Dutch Agency for International Development (Dutch AID): Dutch AID was
instrumental in supporting the creation of the Masoala National Park in 1998, and maintains its
support of activities conducted in that protected area.
GTZ: GTZ is providing assistance to revise national forest policy and to strengthen the
field of forestry management.
KfW: KfW is providing support for watershed protection and improved management
practices at three national parks.
French cooperation: Foci for French support have been the identification of regional
conservation problems and assistance in forest management and forestry research.
Swiss cooperation: The Swiss were previously active in PE2 in the areas of forestry
training and the development of community forestry techniques, but they have withdrawn from
the international support group.
JICA: The Japanese have provided limited support for forest management under PE2.
Foreign NGO Donors
Individual and foundation donors to biodiversity conservation efforts in Madagascar are
numerous. Noteworthy among them are the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation,
the National Geographic Society, the Carbon Storage Trust, the UNDP Foundation, CARE
International, the Madagascar Fauna Group, Wildlife Preservation Trust International
(United States), the Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation, Missouri Botanical Garden,
BirdLife International, National Science Foundation, Friends of the Earth (Asa Fady) and
Primate Conservation, Inc.
Local Implementers
Association FANAMBY: This relatively new Malagasy NGO has already developed a national
presence with key projects to establish new protected areas in Anjozorobe and Daraina, as well
as efforts to support the activities of community-based ecotourism projects such as the
Association des Guides d’Andasibe, a locally organized association of guides at work in one of
the country’s most prominent international ecotourist projects in eastern Madagascar.
15
Université d’Antananarivo: A growing number of field research and conservation
projects in Madagascar include professors and students representing the Université
d’Antananarivo’s Faculty of Science and Department of Biological Anthropology.
Foreign Implementers
World Wildlife Fund (WWF): WWF has been the single most important international NGO in
the history of conservation in Madagascar. WWF administers protected area management
programs in two national parks (Andringitra and Marojejy), one integral nature reserve
(Zombitse-Vohibasia), and two special reserves (Anjanaharibe-Sud and Pic d’Ivohibe) with
funding provided by USAID, KfW and GEF. Conservation education and outreach programs
under its auspices are funded by other sources.
Conservation International (CI): CI was instrumental in developing and conducting
Madagascar’s Scientific Priority-Setting Workshop in 1995, which helps to guide ongoing and
future biodiversity conservation efforts. CI maintains a full-time national program staff in
Madagascar, where it supports PE2 protected area and forestry objectives with funding from
USAID and GEF, focusing on the new Zahamena National Park and the Zahamena Integral
Nature Reserve. CI also administers a series of species conservation, biological assessment and
NGO support projects with funding from foundations and private sources.
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS): WCS was instrumental in the creation of the
Masoala National Park in 1998, part of a 10-year multiorganizational effort in collaboration with
Université d’Antananarivo, Stanford University, the Peregrine Fund, Natural History
Museum (London), Parc Botanique et Zoologigue de Tsimbazaza, AMNH Center for
Conservation Biology, Kew Gardens and Missouri Botanical Gardens, and supported by the
Dutch government and USAID. WCS maintains its role in surveying, monitoring and assisting
in the management of Masoala, Madagascar’s largest national park.
Center for Biodiversity Conservation/The American Museum of Natural History: In
Madagascar, the museum’s new Center for Biodiversity Conservation has established a
biological survey and monitoring project at the Nosy Mangabe Special Reserve, and has also
conducted searches and surveys of the endangered aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) in
other parts of Madagascar.
Deutsches Primatenzentrum: The German National Primate Center has established a
key ecological research presence in the dry forests of western Madagascar and supports the
publication of Lemur News, the newsletter of the Madagascar Section of the IUCN/SSC Primate
Specialist Group.
The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust: Formerly known as the Jersey Wildlife
Preservation Trust, this small organization has implemented a number of important species
conservation projects in Madagascar since the 1980s. In the northern part of the country, the
Trust pioneered a breeding program for the angonoka tortoise (Geochelone yniphora) and flattailed tortoise (Pyxis planicauda), which has resulted in the creation of Baly Bay National Park
to protect the angonoka in its natural habitat and the trial reintroduction of captive-bred tortoises.
In western Madagascar, the Trust has initiated field studies of the critically endangered
Madagascar teal (Anas bernieri), for which it has established a captive breeding program in the
United Kingdom, as it also has for the aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) and the Lac
Alaotra gentle lemur (Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis). Trust staff, working with a local
16
Malagasy NGO, maintain a research presence at Lac Alaotra as part of the effort to establish a
protected area for the “bandro” or gentle lemur.
British Airways Assisting Nature Conservation Programme: Through this unique
program, British Airways has provided significant logistic support (at no cost) to a number of
collaborating institutions for the purpose of transporting project personnel and threatened
wildlife to and from Madagascar.
Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments (ICTE)/State University of
New York at Stony Brook: These affiliated organizations are largely responsible for the
creation of Ranomafana National Park, for protected area management efforts and ongoing field
research at the Ranomafana Biological Research Station, and for support of biological
inventories and species surveys in a number of key protected areas throughout Madagascar, as
well as the training of Malagasy biologists abroad. ICTE maintains offices in the United States
and in Madagascar and links its field-based efforts in Madagascar to more than 50 U.S.-based
and 13 non-U.S. universities and institutions.
Duke University: The Duke University Primate Center has a long-term commitment to
lemur conservation, which includes captive breeding efforts for a number of species at its
facilities in the United States, support for Madagascar’s Ivoloina Zoological Park in Tamatave,
the reintroduction of black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia v. variegata) in the Betampona
Integral Nature Reserve, ongoing genetic research, and the training of Malagasy biologists
abroad.
Major long-term international university and natural history museum programs
established in Madagascar include those of the University of Hannover (Germany), Yale
University, the Field Museum of Natural History, Cornell University, and Clark University
from the United States.
CEPF NICHE FOR INVESTMENT IN THE REGION
In developing this profile, root causes considered included poverty, inadequate access to
education, and conflicting national policies. More proximate threats include local community
activities that are incompatible with biodiversity conservation; small-scale mining; and lack of
local constituency for conservation issues. Given the relatively small amount of money available
through CEPF for this region, project designers had to make some choices regarding resource
allocation. This project is fundamentally regional in its approach and proposes to provide
incremental value in addressing some national-level root causes directly, such as policies
regarding natural resource extraction. In other cases, it is taking on more proximate cause issues,
such as problems at the level of communities and municipalities. The communications
component seeks to build a constituency for conservation at the national and local levels.
Recognizing that its resources are limited, CEPF has always proposed to play a strategic
coordination role and in so doing leverage considerably more resources in support of
conservation than it could possibly bring to the table itself. In this spirit, CEPF proposes to
invest significantly in activities that will focus the many disparate efforts at work in this vast
corridor while ensuring that the best and most objective information is available to shape
decision-making by a broad range of actors. In this way, CEPF expects to influence the root
causes of biodiversity loss, albeit indirectly in some cases.
17
It has been determined that the most strategically compelling niche for CEPF is to focus
on filling the gaps between existing efforts and investments. For this reason, defining the
mechanisms to ensure the proper coordination among existing efforts is a major component of
each of the profiles.
It must also be understood that the set of CEPF objectives is not meant to resolve all of
the threats described in the profile. CEPF is one small element of much larger strategies in each
ecosystem. Given the current levels of investment, the programs and strategies already in place
and those anticipated, CEPF strives to fill a particular niche that has yet to be addressed at the
level required for positive impact. This niche, and the main objective of CEPF, is to provide
civil society, organizations, and individuals with the capacity to manage biodiversity
conservation more effectively. CEPF focuses on this group based on the hypothesis that
sustainable biodiversity conservation will only be realized if civil society groups existing within
the critical ecosystems drive the process. To extend the logic, if these groups become the actors
and voices for biodiversity conservation, then decision-makers will begin to incorporate these
issues into national and transboundary policies, legislation and action. Only if this impact is
achieved will resources from CEPF be able to realize sustainable biodiversity conservation.
CEPF INVESTMENT STRATEGY AND PROGRAM FOCUS
The investment strategy for CEPF funding for Madagascar is based on conservation planning
and implementation efforts undertaken in the last decade. The strategic investment opportunities
build on initiatives such as those put forth under the auspices of the NEAP, and
recommendations that emerged from Madagascar’s Conservation Priority-Setting Workshop
(CPW). The NEAP focuses on an already widespread system of protected areas with a view
toward the coordinated management of ecosystems within Madagascar’s distinct ecoregions.
Recommendations from the CPW go beyond the current protected-area network to include the
development of corridors between existing parks and reserves and the creation of new ones.
To date, there has been limited focus by the international donor community on broadly
defined natural resource management programs and community development. Current efforts
focus on the “nuts and bolts” of safeguarding current levels of biological diversity within the
framework of existing and proposed protected areas. As a result, many parks and reserves
remain severely underfunded, lacking designated management authorities or management plans.
Current initiatives also lack coordination among Malagasy scientists, national and international
NGOs, and expatriate conservation experts. CEPF support should create and strengthen such
partnerships.
Throughout the hotspot, the scientific and NGO communities remain relatively weak, and
there is still a lack of skilled leadership at the national and regional levels. These island nations
do not have effective national scientific institutions. CEPF support will help bolster institutional
commitments to the study of biodiversity throughout the region.
Despite much discussion, sound models of private sector engagement in biodiversity
conservation have yet to be demonstrated in Madagascar. Nature tourism, for example, has
strong potential, yet projects that link the benefits of such tourism to communities in ways that
encourage conservation at the grassroots level have not yet been developed. Another example,
plantation forestry, has the potential to relieve pressure on natural forests, but has largely
remained a government initiative that has generated little local employment or support. Carbon
18
sequestration also has generated much interest as a concept, but no serious feasibility studies or
demonstration efforts currently exist.
The emphasis of CEPF funding in the region will focus on these strategic themes:
1. Integrating local groups and individuals in the management of protected areas and
reserves
Throughout the hotspot, and especially in Madagascar, increased financial and technical support
for NGOs is needed to enhance the management of existing parks and reserves. Approximately
one-third (15) of these protected areas currently have no management authority assigned to them,
which limits their contribution to biodiversity conservation. In addition, another 20 parks and
reserves now assigned to ANGAP are not linked to any international partners from which
technical and financial support would be more readily available. CEPF support for protectedarea management in Madagascar will focus on increasing the number of partnerships between
ANGAP and those international NGOs that have demonstrated their ability to manage protected
areas. Notable among these organizations are the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Wildlife
Conservation Society, and Conservation International.
The creation of new protected areas and corridors will be a likely result of expanding
biological inventory programs in Madagascar, and the planning processes necessary for this
should also be supported by CEPF. This includes biological inventories and better management
of the country’s extensive systems of classified forests and forest reserves. Within the world’s
25 hotspots, approximately 40% of the remaining natural habitat is in officially protected areas;
in Madagascar, however, only 17,187 of the remaining 107,353 square kilometers of natural
habitat only- 16% -are protected. At least 90,000 square kilometers of natural habitat remain
unprotected throughout the country.
In Madagascar, the extent of protected areas varies from one ecoregion to the next: 18%
in the Eastern Ecoregion, 22% in the Central Ecoregion, 17% in the Western Ecoregion, 20% in
the Northern Mountains Ecoregion, 5% in the Southern Ecoregion, and less than 1% in the
Northern Transition Zone. In addition, studies in several ecoregions show that not all of the land
area lying within parks and reserves represents intact natural habitat: in the Central Ecoregion,
61% of protected area is natural habitat; in the Southern Ecoregion 57%, and in the Western
Ecoregion only 39%. ANGAP has published a plan to augment Madagascar’s protected-area
network by creating new parks and reserves, including three in the Southern Ecoregion
(succulent bush west of the Manambavo River, the Plateau Mahafaly Karimbola, and Forêt
Mikea), six in the Eastern Ecoregion (the Forêt Littorale south of the Manombo Special Reserve,
Zafimaniry, Marolambo, Torotorofotsy, Anjozorobe and the Plateau Makira); and 10 in the
Western Ecoregion/Northern Transition Zone (Betandraka, Analavelona, Forêt Mikea, Menabe,
Manambolomaty, Mahavavy Kinkony, Forêt de lÕAndrona, Sahamalaza, and Daraina).
CEPF will also support plans to link existing protected areas in Madagascar through
biodiversity corridors. In the Northern Mountains Ecoregion a corridor has been proposed to
connect the Tsaratanana Integral Nature Reserve with Marojejy National Park and the
Anjanaharibe Special Reserve. In the Eastern Ecoregion, proposals have been made to develop
three major corridors:
•
one linking Andohalela National Park, the Midongy du Sud Special Reserve, the Pic
d’Ivohibe Special Reserve, Andringitra National Park and Ranomafana National Park;
19
•
another linking the Analamazaotra Special Reserve, Mantadia National Park, the
Mangerivola Special Reserve, and the Zahamena National Park and Zahamena Integral
Nature Reserve; and
•
a third linking the Ambatovaky Special Reserve and the Marotandrano Special Reserve.
In order to improve management of protected areas and to support the creation of these
corridors, CEPF funds will be targeted to support priority-setting activities and similar
participatory processes to ensure that a sufficient range of views and ideas is considered and
incorporated.
2. Private-sector conservation initiatives
Private-sector conservation initiatives can have a catalytic effect in a number of key areas
including nature tourism, plantation farming and carbon sequestration. Small nature tourism
programs have been established in a number of local communities adjacent to parks, reserves and
proposed protected areas. Generally, these projects focus on Madagascar’s unique vertebrate
fauna and provide guides and essential services to foreign tourists. CEPF support will focus on
guide training and on enhancing the local infrastructure to attract more tourists. Plantation
forestry production of wood and paper goods for the local market is a private-sector opportunity
with major dividends in the conservation of natural forests. Carbon sequestration has significant
potential in Madagascar, and requires private-sector involvement and demonstrated models to
succeed.
3. Biodiversity conservation and management training
Training in the techniques of biodiversity conservation is required in order to strengthen the
scientific and NGO communities in Madagascar. This should include support for programs
based at national universities, such as the cooperative agreements undertaken by Université
d’Antananarivo, as well as a collaborative program in western Madagascar recently proposed by
Hannover University of Zurich and Madagascar’s University of Mahajanga. Support could also
be provided to existing programs that offer Malagasy students an opportunity to study abroad.
Two successful programs that may be interested in this opportunity are Duke University and the
State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Likewise, CEPF resources will be directed toward in-country training and capacitybuilding for conservation professionals to increase their ability to advocate and manage
conservation programs.
4. Awareness and advocacy mechanism
Awareness and advocacy efforts are needed to improve public involvement in conservation,
encourage sound legislative frameworks, and to promote reconciliation of Madagascar’s
international biological importance with its pressing needs for economic growth. NGO leaders
can play an important role in this process by involving themselves in promotions that highlight
the importance of biodiversity. CEPF will support targeted awareness and advocacy programs
promoting biodiversity as a valuable national asset. These awareness campaigns or programs
will coordinate with, and build upon, initiatives currently being implemented by government
entities. In most instances, projects funded by CEPF will be required to demonstrate linkages
with existing programs.
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5. Biodiversity Action Fund
In order to respond to unforeseen circumstances that affect biodiversity conservation, and to
facilitate inter-institutional coordination and small-scale capacity building, it is recommended
that CEPF provide resources to establish a Biodiversity Action Fund. Small grants from the
Biodiversity Action Fund will vary in size, but no single grant will exceed US$10,000.
6. Creating a participatory monitoring and coordination network
In order for the strategy, as laid out in this profile, to be implemented successfully, an overall
monitoring and coordination mechanism is required. CEPF will provide support for such a
mechanism to ensure that projects in the region are fulfilling the objectives established in the
CEPF ecosystem profile. It is envisioned that the mechanism, or network, will consist of a core
alliance of organizations having significant technical capacity and strong program history in the
region. It should also include some form of advisory panel of top scientists to ensure that efforts
focus on identified priorities for the region. In order to maintain communication within this
mechanism, CEPF will support the creation of an electronic information system or other new
communications vehicles.
The monitoring and coordination network will work with the CEPF core management
team to identify and review potential CEPF projects. In addition, it will play an active role in
monitoring specific projects during implementation in order to maintain high performance levels.
This coordination network is important for the CEPF implementation period; however,
the intention is that this network will operate well beyond the CEPF financing period. Therefore,
as the network is established, it must also focus on how it will sustain itself in the longer term.
SUSTAINABILITY
The CEPF Investment Strategy will be funded over a period of three years and represents the
beginning of a larger process to bring about sustainable biodiversity conservation within the
region. It is therefore important to highlight the sustainability of the CEPF strategy beyond the
initial three-year funding period. There are three key elements to the sustainability of these
objectives; the first, already noted, is a tremendous current level of investment within the region
by several multilateral and bilateral organizations, government agencies, and international and
local NGOs. In order to build on this, CEPF plans to encourage sustainability by building local
capacities, the second key element of sustainability. Much of the implementation of biodiversity
conservation efforts is currently done by outside organizations and the focus of CEPF is to build
local capacities to take over much of this role and for these civil society groups to take the lead
on conservation efforts. Capacity alone, however, may not be sufficient. Financial resources for
biodiversity conservation will remain a critical issue for sustainability. For this, through
cultivation of partnerships and alliances, CEPF hopes to leverage new funding for biodiversity
conservation. This is the third element of sustainability. It is expected that quality results from
CEPF projects will generate increased interest and confidence in the donor community leading to
increased investment. The combination of local capacity and increased overall funding, together
with current levels of investment in the region, should lead to greater biodiversity conservation
impacts that can be sustained for a long time to come.
While the overall sustainability hypothesis is logical and sound, there will be much to
learn from each individual CEPF grant project. Accordingly, all project proposals will include a
section in which external risk factors and long-term sustainability issues will be addressed.
Projects will be required to highlight key external factors that might reduce the benefits of their
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activities and discuss plans to mitigate these. Applicants will also explain how they see the
objectives of their specific projects carrying forward after the initial CEPF funding period. All
of this will be shared on the CEPF web site, allowing other project teams to learn from
successful risk mitigation strategies and sustainability measures put in place by various projects.
To continue this process after the initial project design phase, grantees will revisit these issues in
each of their quarterly project performance reports. The purpose is not only to highlight risk and
sustainability at the outset, but also to track these critical issues throughout the life of each
project.
CONCLUSION
The major ecosystems of Madagascar have levels of endemism that make them biologically
outstanding, and threats that compel global conservation action. Lack of government resources
for protected areas and a limited NGO sector has hampered conservation progress in the region.
A multifaceted approach is needed in order to establish effective models of protected-area
management and grassroots conservation. From small grants for fledgling NGO efforts to larger
grants for park conservation and responses to top scientific priorities, the CEPF strategy will
make a critical difference. The strategy will be implemented first in Madagascar, the largest and
most diverse island in the hotspot, and may expand later to include activities on other islands.
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An Overview of CEPF’s Portfolio in the Madagascar and Indian Ocean
Islands Biodiversity Hotspot: Madagascar
The Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Hotspot comprises the island nation of
Madagascar, and the neighboring island groups of the Mascarenes, Comoros and
Seychelles. Located in the western Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa, the
hotspot harbors an estimated 10 percent of its original vegetative cover. Phenomenal
levels of biological diversity and endemism characterize the hotspot. New data released
in 2005 following a global hotspots reanalysis indicates that the hotspot is home to 10
endemic plant families and at least 12,000 species of plants, of which around 90 percent
are endemic. Of all the plant species in the Afro-tropical region, 25 percent of them are
found in Madagascar. The island is also the world’s top priority for primate conservation,
with 36 of its primate species unique to the hotspot. In addition, there are 340 species of
reptiles, of which 314 are endemic. Almost all of the amphibians are unique to the
hotspot, with 215 and 217 species on Madagascar being endemic. Overall bird diversity
in the hotspot is relatively low, yet there are high levels of endemism, with Madagascar
for example hosting 283 species – of these, there are 109 endemic species and five
endemic families. CEPF investment is focused on Madagascar, as this island contains
the largest amount of remaining habitat in the hotspot, and has the most significant
national system of protected areas.
Madagascar’s biodiversity faces an immense array of threats. It is estimated that as
much as 80 percent of the islands’ original forest cover has disappeared in the 1,5002,000 years since the arrival of humans. The current population estimate is 15 million,
and is increasing at a rate of 3 percent each year. Poverty is extremely high and
Madagascar is regarded as one of the most economically disadvantaged countries in the
world. Key threats include agricultural expansion, in particular for upland rice production
that results in a loss of about 2,000 square kilometers of forest per year. Uncontrolled
livestock grazing leading to clearance of vegetation, and fires, charcoal production,
mining, hunting, timber exploitation, and uncontrolled international trade in plants and
animals are also serious problems. These threats, coupled with insufficient local
technical capacity, limited biodiversity information, inadequate government presence to
manage and protect natural resources, and ambiguous policies, present a complex set
of challenges that need to be addressed if biodiversity conservation and sustainable
livelihoods for the people of Madagascar are to be achieved.
CEPF initiated investment in Madagascar in December 2000, with the approval of the
Ecosystem Profile by the CEPF Donor Council and an allocation of $3 million to be spent
over five years. In December 2001, the Donor Council allocated an additional $1.25
million to this hotspot. The additional allocation was made after the MacArthur
Foundation joined CEPF and additional resources became available, resulting in a
reassessment of allocations. In addition, the reallocation responded to the MacArthur
Foundation’s desire to provide increased resources to a focused number of hotspots.
The CEPF investment strategy for Madagascar is based on conservation planning and
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implementation efforts undertaken in the last decade. The strategic investment
opportunities build on initiatives such as those put forth under the auspices of the
National Environmental Action Plan, and recommendations that emerged from
Madagascar’s Conservation Priority-Setting Workshop (CPW) convened by
Conservation International in 1995.
Given the small allocation for this hotspot, CEPF has sought to play a strategic role in
activities that would provide incremental value in addressing national-level threats, and
leverage additional resources to meet conservation objectives. The niche for CEPF
investments in Madagascar is to support projects that focus the many disparate efforts at
work in the country, and ensure that the best and most scientifically sound information is
available to shape decisionmaking by a broad range of actors, in particular those at the
highest level of government. In addition CEPF has sought to build the technical capacity
of Malagasy staff within both international and local nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) in an effort to develop sustainable local capacity for conservation.
The CEPF strategy is described in the CEPF ecosystem profile (2000), and includes the
following strategic directions that guide CEPF’s investment in the region:
1. Integrating local groups and individuals in the management of protected areas
and reserves.
This strategic direction addresses the lack of local civil society involvement in
protected area management, and particularly has addressed the need to
increase and improve the performance of local NGOs in protected area
management and conservation in general. Given the enormity of the task and
the inability of national authorities to fulfill all the needs for protected areas and
for new areas that will be afforded protected area status in the future, this
strategic direction has been a major priority for CEPF investment.
2. Enhance private sector conservation initiatives.
The need to create alternative livelihoods for people living near protected areas
is urgent, due to intense poverty and the resulting threat of encroachment and
natural resource exploitation. This strategic direction was developed with a view
toward mainly tourism, yet CEPF has looked at the issue more broadly. To date,
however, CEPF has not received many applications under this strategic direction
– thus it is an investment area that still needs attention.
3. Biodiversity conservation and management training programs.
Lack of capacity has consistently been recognized as a serious deficiency in
Madagascar’s ability to conserve its natural resources. As such conservation
activities have often been dominated by international experts and international
institutions, a situation that is regarded as unsustainable in the long term. This
strategic direction addresses this concern and thus has had a focus on Malagasy
staff of local and international conservation organizations, as well as students at
a number of the country’s universities.
4. Public awareness and advocacy.
Lack of awareness about environmental issues and priorities, and a poor
legislative framework related to protected areas, has necessitated this strategic
direction. Efforts under this strategic direction have been recognized as key to
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improving the existing protection for natural resources, and for securing adequate
policies and actions for future protected areas.
5. Small Grants Program (Biodiversity Action Fund).
The Biodiversity Action Fund was conceived in order to address unforeseen
circumstances, and also as a means to support conservation action at the local
level, by local civil society entities. Although initially difficult to communicate and
later to deliver, CEPF has addressed this priority through a block grant to CIMadagascar so that micro-grants can be disbursed to local groups to meet
priority needs identified for select geographic areas.
6. Create a participatory monitoring and coordination network.
Initially this strategic direction was designed to fulfill an overall coordination and
monitoring mechanism, however, it was early on realized that collaborative
partnerships and coordination focus groups already exist in Madagascar. As
such, this strategic direction has met specific needs, for example coordination of
data through the Madagascar Biodiversity Network (REBIOMA).
In addition to the identification of the strategic directions outlined above, each strategic
direction has further refined investment guidance provided through investment priorities,
which are more specific and concrete. The investment priorities provide more specific
targets for CEPF funding in the region and are used to inform grantmaking decisions.
They are included as part of the full investment priority table in the ecosystem profile and
on the CEPF Web site (www.cepf.net).
To date CEPF has awarded 35 grants valued at $4.05 million (see Chart 1 included at
the end of the overview). These grants range in size from $3,000 to $369,636, with the
average grant size being $116,000. The full status of the portfolio to date and the
timeline of grants awarded are illustrated in Charts 2 and 3.
CEPF investment in this region also has a strong geographic focus. The 1995
Conservation Priority-setting Workshop, a 2001 workshop attended by experts on
Madagascar’s biodiversity, and preparation for the 5th IUCN World Parks Congress in
Durban have all helped define the geographic focus for CEPF investment. Figures 1, 2
and 3 following the overview show this progression and refinement in geographic focus.
Portfolio Investment Highlights
The most important conservation development during the period of CEPF investment in
Madagascar has been the declaration of President Marc Ravolomanana at the 5th IUCN
World Parks Congress to increase the size of Madagascar’s protected area network
from 1.7 million hectares to 6 million hectares (from 3 percent to 10 percent), a three-fold
increase. This declaration is a phenomenal achievement, credit for which is due in part
to Madagascar’s conservation community. It sets out a challenging and exciting agenda
for the next five years. CEPF’s investment in the region has contributed significantly to
this development, by raising awareness about Madagascar’s biodiversity, by providing
the scientific data and arguments to justify the President’s declaration, and by supporting
international and national NGO efforts to prepare to meet this challenge.
Institutional support leading to key contributions to conservation in Madagascar
CEPF has directed significant investment into international and Malagasy NGOs, not
only in capacity building and training, but also in core support to meet targeted
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conservation objectives. This investment has reaped substantial rewards in terms of
more and better trained staff, and concrete conservation achievements. This support
has allowed these organizations to undertake conservation on the ground in high priority
geographic areas, and the results have been remarkable.
Prior to CEPF involvement in the region, investment in local NGOs was not substantial.
CEPF strategically invests in these organizations, largely due to the view that Malagasy
NGOs must be given the opportunity to improve their performance and implementation,
to deliver important conservation outputs. While the conservation community was
dominated by international NGOs and the conservation challenge was (and still is)
immense, the CEPF strategy aims to increase the scope and breadth of actors to
promote sustainability on the national level, with the overall objective of increasing the
effective management of protected areas. This investment has paid off.
The NGO Association Fanamby presents the best example of the success of CEPF
investment in local NGOs. Fanamby received grants to work in Daraina and Menabe,
both sites for which little funding was available prior to the arrival of CEPF. CEPF
investment in Daraina via Fanamby has now led to this site, which consists of five forest
blocks comprising some 66,000 hectares, being regarded as a national priority. Daraina
is slated to be declared a Site de Conservation in 2005. Fanamby will continue its work
and commitment to Daraina, and has leveraged significant funding to undertake this
task.
Fanamby’s work in Menabe is no less significant. CEPF’s funding allowed Fanamby to
raise the profile of Menabe, and thus this important site is now scheduled to become the
second Site de Conservation to be declared under the President’s new commitment to
triple the country’s protected area network. Furthermore, Fanamby is in the process of
finalizing an MOU with the government that would give this NGO the authority to
coordinate the development of the “roadmap” to conservation of this site, thereby
allowing Fanamby to coordinate the many institutions and stakeholders involved in this
area and develop a management plan for its long-term conservation.
CEPF’s investment in international NGOs, specifically WWF, Conservation International,
WCS, Missouri Botanical Garden and BirdLife International, has also resulted in
significant increases in capacity of Malagasy staff, as well as notable conservation
achievements. A number of CEPF grants focus exclusively on training, although most
encompass training nested within projects with ambitious conservation objectives.
Especially notable is WWF’s Ecology Training Program (ETP), a partnership program
between WWF and Malagasy universities which aims to provide clear guidance, aid, and
mentorship to Malagasy graduate students enrolled in the ETP. More specifically, this
program provided the means for enrolled students to have considerable guidance with
field projects associated with their higher degrees in the field of biology. Further, the
interactions (e.g. university courses and field schools) of project members with other
Malagasy students not enrolled in ETP provided another level of capacity building for the
next generation of Malagasy conservation biologists. At the close of 2004, the CEPF
funds had supported two Ph.D. students into the final stages of their dissertations
(presentations pending), had ushered five Ph.D. students and three D.E.A (masters)
students into the stage where they are writing their dissertations, and had supported the
participation of 64 students in field schools. While the training received by these
students has increased the capacity and academic standing of the students enrolled in
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the program, it is also crucial to note that the data obtained during biological inventories
undertaken by students under the guidance of the project senior staff has played a major
role in providing information that can be used to identify priority conservation actions.
Support to CI-Madagascar, in particular their Biodiversity Conservation Training
Program, has resulted in students at the University of Antananarivo receiving specialized
courses and modules in biodiversity conservation. Small grant funds were allocated to
students to undertake field surveys and research. By the close of the project 32 postgraduate field studies were conducted, most of which focused on threatened flora and
fauna and thereby contributed valuable data of use for conservation in Madagascar. This
case is an excellent example of CEPF funding enabling a good idea to be tested which
now runs with funding from many different sources.
Specialized training has been supported as well, for example through Missouri Botanical
Garden’s Assessment of Priority Areas for Plant Conservation in Madagascar, and The
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew’s project Mapping the Vegetation of Madagascar. While
some project staff have received training in the USA and the UK, these programs also
entail extensive training of local staff in Madagascar, and involve students in the project
work, with oversight from project staff for doctorate or master’s programs.
Institutional support to other grantees, including the BirdLife International Madagascar
Program, L’Homme et L’Environnement (MATE) and MATEZA, have assisted these
organizations to undertake conservation action in the Mahavavy wetlands, the Vohimana
Forest, and Zahamena National Park, respectively. MATEZA in particular, as a fledgling
Malagasy NGO, has been able to grow and deliver conservation benefit through CEPF
funding. The organization is one of the first Malagasy civil society groups to integrate the
economic and health needs of local people into its conservation approach. It’s three-year
CEPF-supported project benefited up to 40,000 people in some 94 villages around
Zahamena National Park, significantly raising the local communities’ capacity to care for
both the area’s forests and themselves.
CEPF’s support to local and international institutions has resulted in stronger core
functionality and competent staff, and armed with these tools, these NGOs have
maximized their potential and have delivered key conservation outputs. The results can
be seen on local and national levels, and set a sound foundation for the future.
Supply of key information in support of the Durban Declaration
CEPF investment played a major role in the preparation leading up to the 5th IUCN World
Parks Congress, and the subsequent presidential declaration to increase the country’s
protected area network. While many projects have yielded scientific data important for
identifying species and geographic priorities that have been used to formulate the
justification for the bold move by the President, one project undertaken by CIMadagascar has been instrumental in instigating a change in policy. The project
Biodiversity Advocacy in Madagascar has aimed to conduct focused policy advocacy
related to the third phase of the National Environmental Action Plan (PEIII) and the
Durban Declaration, and specifically has supported the activities of CI’s executive
director to participate in the policy realm. Under this grant, the executive director has
participated in committees established to finalize PEIII and prepare for the World Parks
Congress, has led his team in collaborating with the World Bank and other donors on
studies of the economic value of biodiversity and natural resource management
undertaken in preparation for the Congress, and has orchestrated a wide range of
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communications activities designed to raise awareness about Madagascar’s biodiversity
within the country as well as during the event. This work has also involved promoting
good governance within the forest sector, via a forest sector roundtable, and the
executive director has participated in a consultative committee on forest policy. CI’s
work, which includes numerous studies, technical assistance, and pilot projects, has
been instrumental in contributing to the process of developing a new vision for
Madagascar’s protected area network and the subsequent presidential declaration that
will make this vision a reality.
It is critical to recognize that the contribution within the higher levels of government by
CI-Madagascar has not been made in isolation. Virtually all of the major international
and national NGOs have been involved with various committees and have inserted their
information and technical expertise where it is most appropriate, and many of these
NGOs have been able to do so in part because of CEPF support. Furthermore, great
efforts have been made within Madagascar to form alliances to present a united front to
achieve conservation goals. While such collaboration in general is difficult to reach, in
Madagascar, the magnitude of the challenge has led organizations to work together in a
collaborative and coordinated manner – this coordination goes beyond the scope of
NGOs and instead is broad and far-reaching, including all the major donors.
The implementation of the Durban Vision depends on sufficient available funding. CIMadagascar has taken a lead role in securing financing for biodiversity conservation in
Madagascar, and specifically as chair of the long-term sustainable financing subcommittee of the NEAP Coordination Committee, which has as a key focus the
capitalization of a biodiversity trust fund. The current status of the trust fund is such that
$20 million has been committed, and $10 million has been earmarked. The target of the
fund is $50 million. Funds will be used to finance the running costs of existing and new
protected areas, and will be an important source of revenue to complement the donor
support for PEIII over the next five years, which is projected to reach $178 million.
The Durban Vision Group and implementation of the Durban Declaration
The Durban Vision Group was formed following the President’s declaration in September
2003. This group is comprised of donors, national and international NGOs, and
government, and seeks to formulate the strategy and means to implement the Durban
Declaration. Paramount in the objectives of this group is the challenge of conservation
planning – determining which sites should be proposed for inclusion in the new protected
area network, developing the most appropriate methods for making these
determinations, and assisting the Government of Madagascar to identify the ways and
means to implement the legislative, policy and financial frameworks for ensuring that the
Durban Declaration is implemented successfully.
A number of CEPF grantees figure prominently in this process, such as the Wildlife
Conservation Society’s Madagascar Biodiversity Network (known as REBIOMA). CEPF
provided critical funding in the initial phases of the REBIOMA project enabling WCS to
develop a database structure and analytical tools that can capture Madagascar’s
biodiversity data and present it in a manner that can guide conservation planning.
Indeed, REBIOMA has been identified as one of the key tools for storing biodiversity
data for the implementation of the Durban Vision. Many of the World Bank activities
funded under PEIII will take place in priority sites identified using REBIOMA and other
tools, and conservation results will be evaluated by the same means. As REBIOMA
develops, it will help in the management and long-term monitoring of activities
6
associated with Madagascar’s obligations under international conventions such as
CITES and the CBD, and will be one of the tools used by Madagascar to measure its
effectiveness at biodiversity conservation.
A number of grantees have made their data available to REBIOMA, and are also
ensuring that their work is available to the Durban Vision Group. Of note is the Missouri
Botanical Garden (MBG), which has used CEPF funding to assess priority areas for
plant conservation. The team at MBG have been involved in an extensive effort to
analyze plant species data to determine which areas outside of the existing protected
area network are priority areas in need of protection. Their analysis has led to
identification of 77 sites. MBG’s project includes numerous communications outputs,
such that stakeholders in Madagascar understand the project and are kept abreast of
progress. It is with this emphasis on coordination that MBG has continually shared
information about the project and now participates as a member of the Durban Vision
Group, thereby ensuring that key plant information is fed into the national conservation
planning process.
Setting a foundation for the future
Expansion of Madagascar’s protected areas network will entail development and
adoption of a new concept – the Site de Conservation. This new status is intended to be
an area that will contain different portions zoned for different uses, in order to allow
biodiversity conservation to be achieved alongside delivering benefits to local people.
CEPF has supported several grantees in their efforts to identify key areas appropriate for
this new status, and also to initiate management and planning efforts. Fanamby’s efforts
with Daraina and Menabe are mentioned above. WCS is currently working in the
northeast in Makira, the largest unprotected forest block in Madagascar. Responding to
a request by the Government of Madagascar, WCS has been charged with helping to
create and manage this important area, totaling approximately 3,000 square kilometers.
The challenge involves myriad activities, including demarcating the site, conducting
threat assessments, working with local NGOs, municipalities and communities to
improve livelihoods and reduce threats to the forest, conducting environmental education
activities, and exploring and developing long-term financing options from sale of carbon
credits. WCS efforts have been phenomenal thus far in this remote and challenging
region, with the inauguration of this site scheduled for December 2005. Protection of
this site will be a major achievement – it is estimated that this area contains 50 percent
of the at least 12,000 plant species thought to occur on Madagascar.
Support to other grantees may result in similar movements. BirdLife International has
been working with local communities and industries to conserve and manage MahavavyKinkony wetlands, which is an important area home to the Critically Endangered
Sakalava rail. Investigation into the potential for tourism and thus local long-term
benefits to residents of the area has been promising, particularly because the Sakalava
rail is regarded as one of the last “unknown” birds of Madagascar. BirdLife is planning to
propose the area as a Site de Conservation at some point in the future, and it would be
an ideal candidate due to its mix of biodiversity conservation and local economic
benefits. While BirdLife has already leveraged significant funding for ongoing activities,
additional long-term financing will be required if the site is to receive adequate support in
the years to come.
A major tool in the implementation of these conservation sites will be funding small-scale
conservation and development initiatives conducted by local community actors. In
7
recognition of this, CEPF is supporting a Small Grants Program implemented by CIMadagascar. In reality these grants should be thought of as micro-grants, as some may
be of as little as $50 - still a significant amount of money for an impoverished farmer. CIMadagascar is implementing this fund through the Nodes concept, where NGOs with
strong technical presence in a region are given a block grant, which they then sub-grant
to local associations, NGOs and even individuals, creating a kind of market for
conservation and a mechanism for reducing and overriding the transaction costs
associated with improving environmental management. This new concept has been
implemented in two areas already and the model is being taken up by other actors as
the economy of scale and fine-grained impacts become evident.
Funding to CI-Madagascar through several grants has helped with the creation and
implementation of the Center for Biodiversity Conservation (CBC). This model
represents a significant and strategic step forward in scaling up the impact of CEPF
investments, as well as other donor initiatives. This CI initiative, funded by the Gordon
and Betty Moore Foundation, entails investment of $7.5 million into the CBC to change
the scale of conservation by increasing technical capacity and alliance building. The
design and implementation of the CBC aims to achieve species, site and corridor
outcomes that improve related policy, increase capacity, and increase land under
conservation management. CI will award 30 percent of the CBC funding as grants to
partners working in the region. CI is expected to have significant influence on PEIII
activities in the period 2002-2007, chiefly through CBC funding of activities.
Collaboration with the World Bank
The characteristics of CEPF funding during the National Environmental Action Plan have
been that it is nimble, strategic, aligned with national policy, and innovative. These are
characteristics that have enabled substantial complementarity to World Bank funding in
the National Environmental Action Plan, through the development of the intermediate
support network provided by Madagascar-based NGOs and associations. CEPF has
contributed to the growth of this sector, to the point where it can engage successfully
with government, international NGOs, and other bi-lateral and multi-lateral agencies.
Conclusion
As CEPF starts its fifth and final year in Madagascar, it can be observed that funding has
had a significant and inspiring impact. CEPF has been able to stimulate and support
actions by both international and national NGOs, and this has played a major role in
moving forward the country’s conservation agenda.
CEPF support has filled a key niche, specifically in supporting work in the policy and
financing realm, in supporting local NGOs and increasing the technical capacity of
Malagasy staff, and most importantly in supporting contributions to the 5th IUCN World
Parks Congress and the implementation phase of the Durban Declaration that is now
underway. CEPF funds have allowed the involvement of a wide range of actors, many
of whom had never been given the opportunity to expand and strike out on their own.
CEPF also allowed better-known entities to take risks to strive for conservation
objectives where the future was uncertain. In the four years since the arrival of CEPF,
despite the small allocation for this hotspot, it is apparent that the funds have reaped
conservation rewards.
At the same time, the challenge of the future remains enormous. While projected donor
allocations to PEIII are substantial ($178 million projected), they are not expected to
8
cover what is needed to fully protect Madagascar’s fragile and threatened biodiversity,
nor are they expected to be able to make the full range of on-the-ground links with
communities such that benefits accrue to local people. The new Sites de Conservation
are not included in the current agenda for expenditure, leaving a large gap in support not
only for the sites that will be declared in 2005, but also for those not yet identified or
proposed but that would be included in the President’s goal of increased area under the
new protected area network. The funds available will primarily be channeled through
government, and therefore there may be NGO needs in the future to support actions in
the Sites de Conservation under their responsibility.
While CEPF funding has enabled substantial gains in the capacity of Malagasy
individuals and organizations to contribute to the Durban Vision, there are many sectors
and areas that still require this kind of targeted, sympathetic support. The Node model,
for instance, is still a model that requires refinement and extension to different parts of
the country. This is one method of channeling conservation investment at a scale and
context that works at the community level, but there are many other possibilities that
need testing, in marine and freshwater habitats especially. There is still a major gap in
capacity for technicians at the intermediate level, to work in the emerging Conservation
Sites - hundreds of trained personnel will be required and there are many training
institutions ready and waiting to contribute.
Finally, while CEPF has accomplished much over the past four years, the successes
have contributed to a greater, rather than a lesser need for the continuation of CEPF
involvement in the region. The fact that the challenge is greater now, is not a negative
for Madagascar. Instead, it represents the fruits of much dedication, commitment,
collaboration and coordination, and clarifies the need for renewed commitment from the
donor community to participate in the implementation of the Durban Declaration.
-March 2005
* Prepared for: Improving Linkages Between CEPF and World Bank Operations, Africa Forum,
Cape Town, South Africa, April 25-26, 2005.
9
March 2005 Charts — Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot: Madagascar
Chart 2. Portfolio Status by Strategic Direction
Chart 1. Approved Grants by Strategic Direction
12
$286,975
$1,667,24
1. Integrating local groups in
conservation
2. Private sector initiatives
3. Conservation and
management training
4. Public awareness and
advocacy
5. Small grants program
$375,126
$650,062
6. Coordination and
monitoring network
Total: $4,057,484
$789,374
Chart 3. Combined Value of Grants Awarded
$4,500,000
$4,000,000
$3,500,000
$3,000,000
$2,500,000
$2,000,000
$1,500,000
$1,000,000
$500,000
Ja
nAp 01
r-0
Ju 1
l-0
O 1
ct
Ja 01
nAp 02
r-0
Ju 2
l-0
O 2
ct
Ja 02
nAp 03
r-0
Ju 3
l-0
O 3
ct
Ja 03
nAp 04
r-0
Ju 4
l-0
O 4
ct
-0
4
$0
10
# of Grants
$288,704
Approved
8
Rejected
6
Pending
4
2
0
1. Integrating
local groups
in
conservation
2. Private
sector
initiatives
4. Public
3.
Conservation awareness
and advocacy
and
management
training
5. Small
grants
program
6.
Coordination
and
monitoring
network
Figure 1: 1995 Conservation Priorities
Figure 2: 2001 Conservation Priorities
Figure 3: Durban Vision Map
Madagascar Portfolio Project Map Key
Mapped # Organization Name
Strategic Direction 1
Wildlife Conservation Society
1
Centre Ecologique de Libanona
2
3
BirdLife International
4
Association Fanamby
5
6
The Peregrine Fund
Association Fanamby
Conservation International
7
Conservation International
8
Conservation International
9
Strategic Direction 2
Association Fanamby
10
11
BirdLife International
12
L'Homme et l'Environnement
13
L'Homme et l'Environnement
MATEZA
14
Conservation International
15
Strategic Direction 3
WWF-Madagascar
*
The Field Museum of Natural History
16
Project Title
Makira Forest Area Conservation Project
Community Forest Management of the Tandroy Forests of Southern
Madagascar
Building a National Constituency for Bird and Biodiversity Conservation
in Madagascar
Central Menabe Biodiversity: Plan for Protection of Nature's Rich
Endowment Through the Development of a Regional Management
Scheme
Madagascar Community-Based Wetlands Conservation Project
Initiation Of A Natural Resource Management Program in the Area
Between the Loky and the Manambato Rivers, Northeast Madagascar
Biodiversity Knowledge Gathering
Forested Corridors Management
Zahamena Protected Area Management
Improving Conservation Site Management Through Stakeholder
Empowerment and Private Sector Participation in Daraina, Northeast
Madagascar
Wetland Conservation in the Mahavavy-Kinkony Complex, Madagascar
Assessment of the Environmental, Economic And Quality Control Issues
Of Wild-Harvesting Medicinal Plants Centella asiatica and Drosera
madagascariensis in Madagascar
Local Population and Private Sector Involvement for Sustainable
Biodiversity Conservation at the Vohimana Rainforest in Madagascar
Communities and Zahamena Protected Area
Small Scale Initiatives Support
Core Support to WWF-Madagascar's Ecology Training Program
Legal Fees Associated with the Creation of the Malagasy NGO
"Vahatra"
Conservation International and Royal Botanic Mapping the Vegetation of Madagascar
*
Gardens Kew
World Wide Fund for Nature-Ecology
Study Tour to Washington DC for Malagasy Scholars from the University
*
Training Program
of Antananarivo
Missouri Botanical Garden
Assessment of Priority Areas for Plant Conservation
*
World Wide Fund for Nature-Ecology
Ecology Training Program
*
Training Program
Conservation International
Biodiversity Conservation Training Program
17
Conservation International
Management Training
18
Strategic Direction 4
The Human Footprint
Expedition Madagascar
*
Conservation International
Hope in Daraina
19
Conservation International
Biodiversity Advocacy in Madagascar
*
Strategic Direction 5
Conservation International
Madagascar Small Grants Project
20
EcoAfrica Environmental Consultants
A Marketing Pilot for Community-Based Tourism in Madagascar:
*
Designing and Implementing a Pilot That Can be Replicated
Countrywide
Durban Botanic Gardens
First African Botanic Gardens Congress
*
University of Western Ontario
Healthy Ecosystems, Healthy People: Linkages Between Biodiversity,
*
Ecosystem Health and Human Health
Strategic Direction 6
Wildlife Conservation Society Madagascar
Madagascar Biodiversity Network (REBIOMA)
*
TRAFFIC International
Increasing Knowledge - Decreasing Detriment: Improving the Monitoring
*
and Management of Madagascar's Wildlife Trade
Conservation International
Knowledge Management: Information & Monitoring
*
* These projects are region wide and are not spatially represented on the project map
Approved Grants
Madagascar
(Through March 2005)
Strategic Direction 1: Integrating local groups and individuals in the management of protected areas and
Makira Forest Area Conservation Project
At the request of the Government of Madagascar, assist in the creation and management of a new protected area in
northeastern Madagascar. The future reserve is likely to aid in the conservation of a number of critically endangered
species such as the Madagascar serpent eagle and three out of 11 varieties of Malagasy lemurs. Biodiversity and
socioeconomic surveys will be conducted and the information used to demarcate the future protected area. A sustainable
financing mechanism will be designed and funding sources identified.
Funding:
$201,771
Grant Term:
1/03-12/04
Grantee:
Wildlife Conservation Society
Community Forest Management of the Tandroy Forests of Southern Madagascar
Undertake work in four priority communes in the Spiny Forest of southern Madagascar to ensure that a participatory
regional conservation action plan is adopted by conservation stakeholders in the Androy region and that an efficient
method of transfer of management of natural resources using aerial photography is developed along with an appropriate
monitoring system.
Funding:
$89,798
Grant Term:
11/02-4/04
Grantee:
Centre Ecologique de Libanona
Building a National Constituency for Bird and Biodiversity Conservation in Madagascar
Establish a strong, independent and sustainable BirdLife network organization in Madagascar. Build the nucleus of an
effective national conservation partner with enhanced staff capacity for institutional development and conservation of
Important Bird Areas.
Funding:
$79,354
Grant Term:
7/02-9/03
Grantee:
BirdLife International
*The original grant term has been extended by three months.
Central Menabe Biodiversity: Plan for Protection of Nature's Rich Endowment Through the Development of
a Regional Management Scheme
Establish a regional management scheme for the highly endangered biodiversity in the Central Menabe region. A protected
areas system will be based around the strategies and priority sites defined within the scheme.
Funding:
$94,898
Grant Term:
6/02-6/03
Grantee:
Association Fanamby
*The original grant term has been increased by 30 days.
Madagascar Community-Based Wetlands Conservation Project
Undertake community-based conservation in the wetland areas of Lake Befotaka, Lake Soamalipo and a project site in the
Besalampy area. Develop wetland management strategies and plans, promoting sustainable fishing and forest use and
conservation of the Madagascar fish eagle.
Funding:
$140,000
Grant Term:
10/01-9/04
Grantee:
The Peregrine Fund
1
Initiation Of A Natural Resource Management Program in the Area Between the Loky and the Manambato
Rivers, Northeast Madagascar
Establish programs to maintain healthy ecosystems between the rivers, empower communities in natural resource
management and ensure long-term conservation of the golden-crowned sifaka.
Funding:
$369,636
Grant Term:
6/01-5/03
Grantee:
Association Fanamby
Biodiversity Knowledge Gathering
Develop or support biodiversity studies, including inventories and studies on flagship and newly identified species. Create
biodiversity research station.
Funding:
$258,770
Grant Term:
1/01-12/04
Grantee:
Conservation International
*The original grant term has been increased by one year.
Forested Corridors Management
Conduct regional priority-setting workshop for the Zahamena-Moramanga Corridor and design and implement program to
monitor the corridor with government and local NGO partners.
Funding:
$149,612
Grant Term:
1/01-12/04
Grantee:
Conservation International
*The original grant term has been increased by one year.
Zahamena Protected Area Management
Develop, implement and transfer operation plans for Zahamena National Park to the National Association for the
Management of Protected Areas (ANGAP) and involve communities in related training and ecotourism activities.
Funding:
$283,404
Grant Term:
1/01-12/04
Grantee:
Conservation International
Strategic Direction 2: Private-sector conservation initiatives
Improving Conservation Site Management Through Stakeholder Empowerment and Private Sector
Participation in Daraina, Northeast Madagascar
Establish the Daraina Information and Communication Center as an official forum for community-based forest
conservation and community development. All community members, authorities and public sector personnel will have
access to information on local, national and international market structures, product development, natural resources
management techniques and improved agricultural systems.
Funding:
$104,500
Grant Term:
4/04-9/05
Grantee:
Association Fanamby
Wetland Conservation in the Mahavavy-Kinkony Complex, Madagascar
Contribute to conservation of globally important biodiversity of the unique western Malagasy wetlands and associated
forests through private sector management initiatives controlled by legally registered community associations and
industrial food producers operating locally.
Funding:
$200,000
Grant Term:
4/04-12/06
Grantee:
BirdLife International
2
Assessment of the Environmental, Economic And Quality Control Issues Of Wild-Harvesting Medicinal
Plants Centella asiatica and Drosera madagascariensis in Madagascar
Conduct an assessment of plant populations, traditional use and harvesting, commercial harvesting and domestic and
international markets for the two species. Identify means to improve the efficiency and sustainability of harvest by local
communities and train local communities in these practices.
Funding:
$10,000
Grant Term:
10/03-3/04
Grantee:
L'Homme et l'Environnement
Local Population and Private Sector Involvement for Sustainable Biodiversity Conservation at the Vohimana
Rainforest in Madagascar
Protect endangered species and habitat in Anala and Manantantely by creating an awareness of the need for sustainable
resource management among local communities and authorities, and by providing alternative income opportunities for
local communities through the development of private sector initiatives.
Funding:
$132,750
Grant Term:
8/02-8/04
Grantee:
L'Homme et l'Environnement
Community Development And Natural Resources Management In Abohimahamasina-ikongo, Southeastern
Madagascar (Phase II)
Reduce pressure on the forest by implementing micro-projects and establishing community forest groups and designations.
Funding:
$0
Grant Term:
10/01-5/04
Grantee:
The Rainforest Foundation, UK
*This grant has been terminated. The original funding amount was $161,508.
Communities and Zahamena Protected Area
Contribute to the management of biodiversity in the protected area by initiating and supporting small-scale enterprises and
stimulating management plans for three adjacent regions.
Funding:
$167,200
Grant Term:
9/01-3/04
Grantee:
MATEZA
*The original grant term has been increased by three months and the original funding amount by $5,700.
Small Scale Initiatives Support
Transfer implementation responsibility for involving local communities in the Zahamena Protected Area to NGOs and
support local groups in involving local communities in corridor management.
Funding:
$174,924
Grant Term:
1/01-12/04
Grantee:
Conservation International
Strategic Direction 3: Biodiversity conservation and management training
Core Support to WWF-Madagascar's Ecology Training Program
Provide core support for the Ecology Training Program to maintain its office and functions. The program’s functions
include training Malagasy scientists to meet human capacity needs with a mandate to advance biological, ecological,
education conservation practice, and policymaking; providing academic and practical opportunities for promising
Malagasy students and researchers; and using the scientific data resulting from field inventories for the advancement of
habitat protection and conservation of Madagascar’s unique nature biota.
Funding:
$20,000
Grant Term:
11/04-10/05
Grantee:
WWF-Madagascar
3
Legal Fees Associated with the Creation of the Malagasy NGO “Vahatra”
Support the creation of a Malagasy nongovernmental organization (NGO) that would focus on biological research and
training of Malagasy scientists. The requested funds are associated with legal fees for the creation of this NGO.
Funding:
$3,000
Grant Term:
4/04-6/04
Grantee:
The Field Museum of Natural History
Mapping the Vegetation of Madagascar
Participate in a collaborative project to produce an accurate and updated vegetation map of Madagascar that can be used
for conservation planning and natural resource management.
Funding:
$205,610
Grant Term:
1/03-12/05
Grantee:
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew ($152,500) and Conservation International ($53,110)
Study Tour to Washington DC for Malagasy Scholars from the University of Antananarivo
Visiting Malagasy zoologists and field biologists will come from New Haven to DC to interact with various organizations
working in the conservation domain on Madagascar (CI and WWF) and examine specimens in the Smithsonian Institution.
Funding:
$6,070
Grant Term:
7/02-7/02
Grantee:
World Wide Fund for Nature-Ecology Training Program
Assessment of Priority Areas for Plant Conservation
Identify Madagascar's key floristic regions, set priority areas for plant conservation within these regions and offer training
opportunities for Malagasy students and professionals in applied conservation research.
Funding:
$203,712
Grant Term:
1/02-12/04
Grantee:
Missouri Botanical Garden
Ecology Training Program
Mentor, support and build the capacity of Malagasy students by supporting degree programs in conservation science and
other activities. This project also includes undertaking biological surveys.
Funding:
$104,500
Grant Term:
9/01-8/04
Grantee:
World Wide Fund for Nature-Ecology Training Program
Biodiversity Conservation Training Program
Develop new conservation biology and natural resources management components and integrate into university biology
programs, and support post-graduate field study and research.
Funding:
$37,811
Grant Term:
1/01-6/04
Grantee:
Conservation International
*The original grant term has been increased by six months.
Management Training
Design and implement professional training program for select staff to more effectively create and implement
conservation programs.
Funding:
$69,359
Grant Term:
1/01-12/03
Grantee:
Conservation International
*The original funding amount has been decreased by $7,481.
4
Strategic Direction 4: Awareness and advocacy mechanism
Expedition Madagascar
Produce a package of media products to highlight the unusual wildlife of Madagascar, the threats to the country’s forests
and efforts to promote sustainable use of Madagascar’s resources and protect the island’s plants and animals. The products
will include a Web site and a 30-minute radio documentary that will be distributed to public radio stations across the USA
and broadcast worldwide via Radio Netherlands’ global shortwave network. The documentary will also be translated into
Malagasy and made available free of charge to broadcasters in Madagascar.
Funding:
$9,250
Grant Term:
7/04-5/05
Grantee:
The Human Footprint
Hope in Daraina
Together with Association Fanamby, produce a video about the Daraina region in northeast Madagascar in English, French
and Malagasy to publicize the natural resources of the area and actions being undertaken to conserve them.
Funding:
$26,876
Grant Term:
10/02-9/03
Grantee:
Conservation International
*The original grant term has been increased by six months and the original funding has been increased by
$1,757.
Biodiversity Advocacy in Madagascar
Develop and implement process for Madagascar protected areas network to be designated by UNESCO as World Heritage
sites and design and implement a communications strategy agreed by strategic partners.
Funding:
$339,000
Grant Term:
1/01-12/04
Grantee:
Conservation International
*The original grant term has been increased by one year.
Strategic Direction 5: Biodiversity Action Fund
Madagascar Small Grants Project
Involve local communities, organizations and researchers in biodiversity conservation programs via allocation of small
grants for biodiversity management, species conservation communication and information gathering. A complementary
program of development of capacity for technical action, and project and financial management will also be implemented
through regional partners. These partners or “nodes” will be contracted for the administration of micro-grants to local
communities, organizations or community associations who will conduct conservation activities in sites of interest.
Funding:
$271,200
Grant Term:
1/04-12/06
Grantee:
Conservation International
A Marketing Pilot for Community-Based Tourism in Madagascar: Designing and Implementing a Pilot That
Can be Replicated Countrywide
Support the marketing of community-based tourism in Madagascar by building a Web site to market tourism in Madagascar
and by training and supporting a marketing officer from the Madagascar Expedition Agency, a Malagasy-owned tourism
operator that would channel tourists to two local guides associations. The project is intended to serve as a pilot project
that could be replicated throughout Madagascar in the future.
Funding:
$10,000
Grant Term:
2/03-12/04
Grantee:
EcoAfrica Environmental Consultants
5
First African Botanic Gardens Congress
Support participation of African delegates from the Cape Floristic Region, Guinean Forests of West Africa and Madagascar
hotspots at the first African Botanic Gardens Conference in November 2002 in Durban, South Africa
Funding:
$3,000
Grant Term:
11/02-3/03
Grantee:
Durban Botanic Gardens
*This is a multiregional project covering three hotspots; the total grant amount is $11,250.
Healthy Ecosystems, Healthy People: Linkages Between Biodiversity, Ecosystem Health and Human Health
Cover travel and full participation costs for individuals from the Atlantic Forest, Chocó-Darién-Western
Ecuador, Guinean Forests of West Africa, Madagascar, Philippines and Tropical Andes hotspots to attend the Healthy
Ecosystems, Healthy People conference.
Funding:
$2,775
Grant Term:
5/02-7/02
Grantee:
University of Western Ontario
*This is a multiregional project covering six hotspots; the total grant amount is $27,200.
Strategic Direction 6: Creating a participatory monitoring and coordination network
Madagascar Biodiversity Network (REBIOMA)
Improve biodiversity conservation in Madagascar by providing access to the conservation tools and biodiversity data
necessary to set conservation targets and to move toward standards for defining conservation outcomes. The project aims
to improve conservation decisionmaking by enabling users to conduct advanced spatial analyses for conservation planning,
environmental management and monitoring of project success in Madagascar and, in the longer term, establishing a
distributed network system providing broad access biodiversity data for conservation indicator taxa, as well as other
geographic layers.
Funding:
$90,024
Grant Term:
2/04-12/05
Grantee:
Wildlife Conservation Society Madagascar
Increasing Knowledge - Decreasing Detriment: Improving the Monitoring and Management of Madagascar's
Wildlife Trade
Identify priority species and groups of species in trade and gather baseline information on these species, current
production systems, relevant economic variables and existing management measures. Design a monitoring and
management system based on the data collected.
Funding:
$45,000
Grant Term:
3/02-12/03
Grantee:
TRAFFIC International
*The original grant term has been increased by six months.
Knowledge Management: Information & Monitoring
Staff and equip knowledge management program and develop and implement project cycle management.
Funding:
$153,680
Grant Term:
1/01-12/04
Grantee:
Conservation International
*The original grant term has been increased by one year.
6
Conservation Highlights
E-News
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Small Grants – Big Community Ripples – October 2004
Peregrine Fund, Communities Stabilize Madagascar Fish Eagle Population –
February 2004
Sakalava Rail Sighted in Madagascar Wetlands – February 2004
Connecting Conservationists in Africa – January 2004
Building the Next Generation of Malagasy Biologists – October 2003
BirdLife to Build Constituency for Conservation in Madagascar – September 2002
Association Fanamby – March 2002
Other Highlights
•
•
•
•
•
Brochure: An Initiative for Natural Resource Management and Conservation in the
Daraina Region, Northeast Madagascar – Fanamby
Management Plan: Central Menabe Forests – Fanamby
News Article: L’Ong Fanamby
Action Plan for the Reform of Madagascar’s Wildlife Export Trade
Key Mapping Products from CEPF Funded Projects:
o Forest Cover in Daraina Region – Fanamby
o Potential Priority Sites for Plant Conservation and the Durban Vision
Potential Zones
o Potential Priority Sites for Plant Conservation proposed by APAPC/MBG,
December 2004
Small Grants - Big Community Ripples
Page 1 of 5
TEXT ONLY
CONTACT
FAQ
OUR STRATEGY
Small Grants - Big Community
Ripples
CEPF NEWS
In Focus, October 2004
Press Releases
by Elizabeth A. Foley
E-News Top Stories
What can you do with $100?
In Focus Features
For civil society groups receiving support from the Critical
Ecosystem Partnership Fund’s diverse small grants
programs, this small sum could be the lever for saving one
of the world’s most threatened primates, preserving
threatened forest or enabling hundreds of people to
invigorate their local economies or train for new
occupations.
ABOUT CEPF
WHERE WE WORK
RECENT GRANTS
APPLY FOR GRANTS
SEARCH
© William R. Konstan
One small grants pro
Atlantic Forest focus
threatened species,
like the one pictured
abundant, these mon
found only in forest r
classified as Criticall
“You’d be amazed what you can achieve with $100,” said
Frank Hawkins of the Madagascar Small Grants Project.
“You can change people’s lives tremendously with that
amount of money.”
In developing areas where incomes are low and where
many local groups may not otherwise qualify for support
from traditional donors, smaller sums are providing needed
springboards to effective conservation outcomes and
securing better futures for individuals and entire
communities.
Now, exactly two years since CEPF launched its first small
grants program to create conservation managers among
previously disadvantaged persons in the Cape Floristic
Region biodiversity hotspot, six small grants programs are
helping to meet the partnership’s strategic objectives.
Directly managed by local partners, the six programs
support more than 200 local organizations, communities and
individuals in the Atlantic Forest, Cape Floristic Region,
Madagascar and Philippines hotspots.
Like a pebble dropped in pond, the initial impact is small, but
the ripple effect can be huge.
“It helps with networking—people are sharing their lessons
so local groups get to know each other and learn from each
other—ultimately it’s bringing more people into
conservation,” said Tanya Conlu of the Emergency Action
for Threatened Species and Their Habitats in the Philippines
http://www.cepf.net/xp/cepf/news/in_focus/2004/october_feature.xml
© Silliman University
Ely Alcala (right), a s
recipient in the Philip
how to expand the D
nursery with nursery
Dulla.
Related Program
section of our si
basic informatio
details for our s
programs and o
initiatives we su
Related Stories
- The Table Mou
Granting Better
- From CEPF EGrants Program
Significant Prog
Atlantic Forest
- In Focus: New
Save Species in
Philippines
4/18/2005
Small Grants - Big Community Ripples
Page 2 of 5
program.
Investing in People
In essence, small grants and the way in which they are
implemented can build better futures.
One of the best examples of this can be seen in the support
provided by Instituto de Estudos Sócio-Ambientais do Sul da
Bahia (IESB). The organization manages CEPF’s small
grants program for institutional strengthening in the Central
Conservation Corridor in the Atlantic Forest hotspot, while
Associação Mico-Leão Dourado manages the program in
the Serra do Mar Corridor.
The Institutional Strengthening Program is one of three
CEPF small grants programs in this region, which together
support approximately 150 civil society groups and manage
25 percent of the $8 million CEPF investment portfolio for
the Brazilian part of the hotspot.
IESB is supporting some 31 local partners with grants
ranging from $6,000 to $10,000. Its grants have helped
provide everything from boots and hats to forest firefighters
and beach vehicles for monitoring sea turtle eggs to
technical assistance for farmers to set up sustainable
cultivation cooperatives.
“These are small organizations and many are so
institutionally weak that they don’t even know how to
distribute the money we give them,” said Luis de Lima of
IESB. To help, IESB has provided financial management
courses for its grantees in both Bahia and Serra do Mar for
the last two years.
For the group of volunteer firefighters of the Sociedade Civil
dos Bombeiros Voluntários de Santa Teresa and their
communities, IESB support has made a profound difference.
“It was the first grant they’d ever applied for,” Paulo Vila
Nova, an IESB grant manager, said of the group’s first
application for funding. “They didn’t even have a phone.
Now at least they have the minimum structure in place to
function.”
Since receiving their first grant from IESB, the forest
firefighters are equipped with proper equipment and have
since applied for two more grants and received them. And
they have expanded their education and conservation
program to include reforesting 40 hillsides in their nearby
communities, lecturing in local schools and working with
surrounding communities on conservation issues.
Challenges: A Case Study in the Philippines
Enabling small groups and even individuals to make a
difference is far from easy.
In the Philippines, where the Haribon Foundation manages
the small grants program on emergency action for
threatened species and their habitats, even attracting grant
applications is no small task.
“We thought we’d simply announce grants, and the
http://www.cepf.net/xp/cepf/news/in_focus/2004/october_feature.xml
4/18/2005
Small Grants - Big Community Ripples
Page 3 of 5
proposals would just pour in,” Conlu said. “But the local
NGOs need a lot of help in project development—in
developing proposals, writing grant applications and in
focusing their projects on species and habitat conservation
and not just through reforestation.”
In fact, it has been more a case of the program seeking out
potential grant recipients rather than those potential partners
taking advantage of the funding opportunity.
The program provides small grants for research, field
training, site implementation and institutional strengthening.
While CEPF investments focus on Eastern Mindanao,
Palawan and Sierra Madre, this program supports activities
primarily in Cebu, Negros, Mindoro, Panay, Sibuyan and
Tawi-tawi to help conserve the 30 percent of the Philippines'
unique species found outside the focal areas.
Since its start in 2002, the program’s grants have helped fill
gaps in knowledge of the hotspot’s threatened species and
their conservation needs, and further the professional
development of Filipino conservation biologists.
To date, the program has made seven grants ranging from
$7,000 to $18,000 for site-based action and six grants of
about $5,000 for research. Applicants are required to
provide some sort of sustainability mechanism and asked to
seek out counterpart funding.
“The biggest realization is that there are just too few
researchers in this country, and not enough people involved
in conservation,” Conlu said.
“Most of the people we’re working with now come from
social development organizations or projects like community
programs involving poverty and health. So now we’re
working to help them shift or widen their scope."
One beneficiary is Ely Alcala, a 42-year-old veterinarian by
training who is now spearheading an initiative with
communities of the Calatong Watershed in the southwest of
Negros to boost voluntary forest patrols and train local
farmers to propagate threatened indigenous tree species in
a move away from harvesting.
“We got a forest protection grant, and since then have been
working to involve local communities to patrol on a wider
scale and local governments to set up a watershed and
wildlife presence,” Alcala said.
The level of response from the local people was
unexpectedly good. “You just don’t see this in the
Philippines—groups of people protecting the forest
voluntarily,” Alcala said.
His work is part of a Silliman University Angelo King Center
for Research and Environmental Management project to
secure protection for the entire 6,000-hectare watershed as
a reserve. Today, only 1,000 hectares of the watershed are
protected since this area covers only the municipality of
Cauayan.
Alcala is helping the region’s marginal farmers adapt to
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Small Grants - Big Community Ripples
Page 4 of 5
reforestation cultivation. They’ve built a nursery and are
growing seedlings of endemic species like the dipterocarp,
half of which they intend to plant in the forest and the other
half to sell.
“They’re seeing that the dipterocarp can sell for double the
price of the exotics—so they are understanding the value of
not cutting trees and of putting a halt to illegal logging,” he
said.
“Essentially saving these forests is saving their water
source. If the watershed dries up because the forest
disappears, a lot of the surrounding towns and farmers
dependent on it for their water, are in a lot of trouble.”
Reinvigorating Communities and Conservationists
Often funding is re-invigorating groups to ensure their own
financial sustainability and bringing a better standard of
living for people living in communities close to conservation
areas.
“The funding provided to the organizations of the Atlantic
Forest Central Corridor is like a breath of fresh air to most of
the organizations,” the IESB’s Vila Nova said.
“Without sufficient funding and technical support they were
losing their motivation to continue. The grants have helped
build the self-esteem of people in these groups, and
restored their confidence for building and seeking funding
from other institutions.”
The Projecto ONÇA (Núcleo de Comunidades Agrícolas
Associação de Moradores do Maribum, Santo Antônio e Rio
Negro) in the city of Taperoa is one of the programs
receiving funding. Vila Nova thinks it illustrates the power
small grants can have.
Founded in 1988, it’s bringing local farmers together in an
organic cooperative and working with them to market their
goods. “It’s not just the local environment at stake, it’s
bringing a higher income to these families,” Vila Nova said.
Madagascar Nodes – Levers for Social Change
The Madagascar Small Grants Program is the youngest of
the CEPF-supported small grants program and is tailored
specifically for Madagascar, where local civil society
organizations are few.
It’s comprised of “nodes”—regional partner organizations
that will build the technical and financial management of
locally based groups and manage and award micro-grants
for them to undertake conservation actions in high-priority
sites.
“There’s a certain amount of risk so we’re fairly detailed in
the kinds of grants we’ll provide, and these include funding
for mapping distribution of species, population surveys and
delimiting community reserves,” said Hawkins of
Conservation International’s Center for Biodiversity
Conservation in Madagascar, which manages the program.
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“The overall idea is to generate a market for small-scale,
low-budget biodiversity action, and thereby increase the
revenue that local people get from biodiversity, as well as
increasing our knowledge and capacity to manage
biodiversity.”
The Madagascar project has two nodes under development,
three in the process of negotiation and a couple of others
possible. Its first node, Association Fanamby, will be
functional within the month.
Working in Daraina in northeast Madagascar, Fanamby will
develop agreements with local groups to monitor pressures
on the forest, monitoring certain species populations,
delimiting community protected areas and directing forest
management transfer, all with an eye toward establishing
the area as a legally protected zone.
“The aim for all priority conservation sites is to learn from
what we’ve started in Daraina, and then work with potentially
hundreds of people in each region,” Hawkins said.
The node agreements will be for around $20,000, of which
about one-third will go to the node itself for training,
equipment and general capacity building and the remainder
of which will be distributed in sub-grants ranging from $100
to $5,000.
Small sums perhaps, but Hawkins believes even $100 will
more than change people’s lives and help potentially
reverse a seemingly fast train to extinction for the golden
crowned sifaka, one of the most threatened primates in the
world. It lives only in Daraina, between the rivers of Loky
and Manambato, in a region that despite its incredible
biological diversity, continues to be without official
protection.
Daraina continues to undergo the negative effects of human
pressure, the consequences of bush fires, illicit exploitation
of wood, poaching and extraction of gold. This has
motivated the minister of environment, water and forests to
seek out official protected area status together with
Association Fanamby under a new concept of a
“conservation site” to manage the natural resources of the
region and assure the integration of local communities in the
process.
While still in its youth, this small grants initiative seems to be
ushering in a new societal shift. “This is one of the very
important benefits of biodiversity conservation,” Hawkins
said. “You can use it as a lever to foster social cohesion, for
change.”
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Peregrine Fund, Communities Stabilize Madagascar Fish Eagle Population
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Page 1 of 3
FAQ
Peregrine Fund, Communities
Stabilize Madagascar Fish Eagle
Population
Press Releases
In Focus, February 2004
E-News Top Stories
Despite damaging encroachment on its fish diet and forest
habitat, the Madagascar fish eagle, one of the rarest birds of
prey, is making a tentative comeback thanks to the
guardianship of local fishing communities as part of a project
by The Peregrine Fund in Madagascar.
In Focus Features
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The Peregrine Fund is assisting with the legal transfer of
control and management of natural resources from the
Malagasy government to indigenous communities and the
associations created to represent their interests.
The project, focused on the Madagascar fish eagle and the
wetland habitat it shares with indigenous people, is one of
nine supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
(CEPF) in Madagascar as part of its strategic approach to
integrate local groups and individuals in the management of
protected areas in the biodiversity hotspot.
© Russell Thorstrom
Fund
Madagascar fish eag
You can learn m
other projects re
CEPF support in
Madagascar in t
Grants section f
hotspot.
Following the start of work by the community associations to
more closely monitor and conserve fish populations and
protect wetlands and forest habitat, the Madagascar fish
eagle is enjoying a new period of stability. Recent surveys in
the three adjoining freshwater lakes of Ankerika, Befotaka
and Soamalipo have identified 18 male and nine female
Madagascar fish eagle and now also seven fledglings.
“Our work in the three lakes complex and the creation of the
community charter associations has helped protect the
breeding fish eagles to a stabilized group,” says Russell
Thorstrom of the Peregrine Fund Madagascar Project. “If
neither of these two activities had been occurring the fish
eagle population on the three lakes would be steadily
declining due to human pressure and persecution.”
The Madagascar fish eagle is one of eight sea eagle
species worldwide. Unlike related eagle species that have
black feathers, the Madagascar fish eagle is a rich chocolate
brown with a white head. A wingspan of 2 meters allows it to
hunt with seemingly effortless grace for its diet of fish. It
typically nests in the tallest trees in the dry deciduous forest
by the lakes and may perch on lakeside trees for hours
waiting to spot prey.
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Peregrine Fund, Communities Stabilize Madagascar Fish Eagle Population
Page 2 of 3
Reported as a common species along the coast of western
Madagascar as recently as the 1920s, the Madagascar fish
eagle is now classified as critically endangered. Habitat
degradation is the major reason but other threats that the
Peregrine Fund has identified include persecution for food
and sorcery practice. There are two recorded incidents of
people chopping trees down to capture and eat the
nestlings, and the feet and talons of fish eagle are
considered a powerful talisman for black magic.
Deforestation has reduced the availability of trees for
nesting and perching, and conversion of wetlands to rice
fields has reduced the availability of the eagle’s staple fish
diet. The trees surrounding the lakes are cut down for
canoes and for fires for drying the fish catch. In recent
years, the lakes have become overrun with migrant
fishermen, who directly compete with the eagles for fish.
The project builds on an ongoing Peregrine Fund program
that grew out of concern in the local Sakalava community
about over-fishing by migrant fishermen from other parts of
Madagascar. CEPF support is helping to build the capacity
of the new associations to develop their own communitybased wetland management strategy.
The project is pioneering the use of a 1996 law that
empowers local communities to create resource
management associations that are allowed to control and
conserve wetland biodiversity at the same time as meeting
sustenance needs of local people on a sustainable basis.
“We have helped develop two community associations that
were given probationary status to manage their nature
resources in 2001 by the Malagasy government,” Thorstrom
says. “We provide logistical and material support, technical
expertise and education to the local associations to help
manage the natural resources that they share with the fish
eagles.”
The two natural resource management associations, FIZAMI
and FIFAMA, are made up of village elders and mayors who
are traditionally respected individuals and the local
tompondrano - the "keeper of the lake.”
Results to date include a widely established awareness in
the local fishing communities of conservation and
sustainability methods and increasing independence of the
elected associations. Progress is evident in enforcing
policies on fishing seasons, catch limits and tree cutting
through newly hired security personnel.
Inhabitants of the villages on the lakes follow traditional fish
harvesting limits that are enforced by the local tompondrano.
They also coexist with 10 percent of the entire population of
Madagascar fish eagles and other endangered species such
as Madagascar teal. As the primary users of the wetland's
resources, these villagers have the desire and, with help,
the capacity to be the guardians of the wetlands.
"One of the most positive aspects of the work between the
Peregrine Fund and tompondrano has been the continuation
of the local communities to follow their traditional practices
which was and has been very good for conservation," says
Peregrine Fund Research Coordinator Lily-Arison Rene de
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Peregrine Fund, Communities Stabilize Madagascar Fish Eagle Population
Page 3 of 3
Roland who meets regularly with the associations to support
them.
She mentioned how fishermen have agreed to stay in
designated camps, which helps in collecting data on their
impacts and facilitates monitoring of an area set aside for
wood collecting and cutting. Members of the two
associations and communities have received training in tree
nursery cultivation following their interest in replacing trees
in degraded areas.
In addition, the associations have established a bank
account with funds collected from fishing permits. The
associations plan to use the funds to build health and
education facilities as part of a process that has enabled
them to develop ideas and plan for the future development
of their communities.
Coupled with the modest but promising growth in fish eagle
population, the project is proving to be an example of how
human interests and conservation can work together for
mutual benefit.
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4/18/2005
Sakalava Rail Sighted in Madagascar Wetlands
A survey team recently recorded the Critically Endangered Sakalava rail (Amaurornis olivieri),
one of Madagascar’s rarely seen birds, during a capacity-building project that included targeted
surveys at high priority Important Bird Areas (IBAs).
The sighting of the bird at Lake Kinkony was an added bonus to a BirdLife International initiative
to establish a Malagasy organization as an official partner, a long-term project which will help
meet a critical need for conservation capacity building in Madagascar. Ultimately, the project will
also help build a national constituency for bird and biodiversity conservation in this hotspot.
The project teamed up a working party of conservationists under the name BirdLife International
Madagascar Project (BIMP) and members of Asity, a Malagasy bird conservation
nongovernmental organization (NGO).
“Progress has been slow but steady,” Asity President Julien Ramanampamonjy says. “Now,
however, the partnership between BIMP and Asity means the two organizations can better
complement each other and jointly access various sources of funds, such as those from CEPF, to
greater effect. I hope we can have a much greater impact on decisionmakers to conserve the
biodiversity of our country, in particular the birds of Madagascar.”
Over the course of a year, the Malagasy team received training in institutional development,
project management, finance, communications, database management and technical skills
through on-site surveys such as the one that discovered the Sakalava rail, amongst other
species.
“It shows that what can seem to be largely office-based capacity building actually allows teams to
get out in the field and achieve important results for conservation,” says Roger Safford of BirdLife
International.
With few established bird conservation NGOs in Madagascar, there has been little influence at
policy level. Now, however, in the collaboration of Asity and BIMP there is the nucleus of a bird
conservation organization that in two years time may be eligible to join the BirdLife Network and
benefit from the authority, support and expertise that this could bring.
The new BirdLife partner would ultimately be equipped to implement communication, advocacy
and awareness-raising programs; collaborate effectively with other national and international
organizations and the Malagasy government; increase private sector support for conservation in
Madagascar; and conserve important sites, species and habitats.
CEPF supported the capacity-building phase of this ongoing project as part of our strategic
approach to integrate local groups and individuals in the management of protected areas in the
hotspot.
Learn more:
•
•
Read the final project completion report from the CEPF-supported phase of this initiative.
Related story: BirdLife to Build Constituency for Conservation in Madagascar
Connecting Conservationists In Africa
Page 1 of 4
TEXT ONLY
ABOUT CEPF
OUR STRATEGY
CONTACT
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SEARCH
Connecting Conservationists In
Africa
CEPF NEWS
In Focus, January 2004
Press Releases
E-News Top Stories
In Focus Features
WHERE WE WORK
RECENT GRANTS
APPLY FOR GRANTS
Information is key to effective conservation: collecting it,
making sense of it and doing something with it. Two former
Reuters news service correspondents, a chartered
accountant and others have teamed together to develop a
news service about Africa that will work in all three of these
areas in the first dedicated service of its kind.
"Africa's environment—one of the last great natural wonders
of the world—is under threat on virtually every front, yet its
future health has immense implications not only for ordinary
Africans but for the entire world," says Jonathan Clayton, codeveloper of the Africa Environmental News Service (AENS)
project and former Reuters regional bureau chief in the
Maghreb and Eastern Africa.
"Despite this there is not one information service focusing on
its plight," Clayton says. "AENS will do this, helped by
people all over Africa and new technology to bring reports
from some of the most remote parts of the planet."
© Donovan Kirkwood
The Succulent Karoo
hotspot in southern A
world's richest variet
plants such as those
with thick, fleshy tiss
store water—as well
and invertebrate dive
AENS is inviting
its pilot Web site
www.aens.org a
project's market
phase. Take a l
and share your
completing the s
short survey qu
highlighted on th
page. Your feed
the team create
beneficial servic
The developers believe that if development processes are to
take place in an environmentally friendly way it is critical and
urgent, both for Africa and the international community, that
all those who participate in these processes are given
access to relevant information about the environment. The
service is ultimately expected to be of use to a variety of
audiences ranging from national governments, researchers,
the private sector and even tourists.
The service, now in its design and market research phase
with support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund,
is the first dedicated to environmental information about
Africa and is expected to provide a resource that draws
attention to the linkages between Africa's environmental
health and its potential for sustainable development and
alleviation of poverty.
You can help with the team's market research. Visit the
sample AENS Web site today at www.aens.org, and share
your opinion about it by completing the simple and short
survey questionnaire highlighted on the home page. Your
time will be well spent in helping the developers create the
most beneficial service possible.
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Connecting Conservationists In Africa
Page 2 of 4
The prototype site has been designed to stimulate ideas and
provoke feedback as part of the market research exercise. It
is not intended to simulate or prejudge the look of the final
product. We recommend you explore the site to see how it
works before answering the survey questionnaire.
Historically, information on environmental and conservation
issues in Africa has relied on land-based communication
and therefore timely news and data has been limited to the
major cities. The emergence of new communications
technologies such as satellite and mobile telephone
networks offer up a new opportunity to make up-to-theminute information available to the widest possible
audience.
Currently, fragmented coverage of African environmental
news and information is available from a number of sources
but they tend to be patchy and have little in the way of
original information, according to AENS co-developer Aidan
Hartley who met Clayton while the two were working for
Reuters in Nairobi.
"It struck both of us that there was an enormous gap in
coverage of environmental issues across the continent by
the established media," Hartley says. "We saw that even
conventional news stories, such as humanitarian crises, had
environmental elements that were being ignored. That was
the seed for the project."
The News Service
AENS will operate through a network of regional
correspondents supported by analysts, creating an
independent information and news service that will provide
original, comprehensive and timely coverage of
environmental issues across Africa.
The service will address mainstream environmental topics
as well as casting a lateral net to ensure capture and
coverage of issues that are not conventionally reported from
an environmental angle. These will include:
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
z
Mismanagement and exploitation of natural
resources
Industrialization and development
Urbanization
Poverty
Humanitarian crises and conflicts
Globalization
Political process and policy
Degradation of wildlife habitats
Loss of wildlife resources
Desertification
Pollution
An independent market research company has joined the
team to help identify potential audiences and make sure
their needs are met and ultimately incorporated into AENS'
final business plan.
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Connecting Conservationists In Africa
Page 3 of 4
"More and more people in the independent sector now
accept that the development and use of a research-based
business plan greatly improves the likelihood of the project's
success by anticipating market opportunities and pitfalls,"
says Purnima Chawla of Equals Three Communications, the
market research company. "It is also increasingly being
recognized as a hallmark of a high quality project and the
professionalism of its executors."
AENS is developing three principal service streams:
z
Original news and information sourced through a
network of country-based correspondents and
delivered on a daily basis both through the AENS
Web site and in tailor-made form via e-mail to
individual consumers
z
An information exchange forum for the African
environment hosting a variety of interactive
information exchange forums for individuals and
organizations working with, or interested in, African
environmental issues
z
A definitive knowledge bank for the African
environment. As AENS' information and image
database grows it is envisioned to become the
primary source of environmental data for Africa—
potentially its most valuable contribution and asset.
The online service is expected to include different levels of
entry. The first level, for example, could be viewed by
anyone visiting the site and will provide information about
the AENS service and summarized headlines of the
principal breaking stories of the day. Other levels would
include a password-controlled system for paying
subscribers.
All subscribers would get a daily package of news and
information in brief via e-mail that could be tailored to the
subscriber's preferences. There will also be a weekly
package with features and analysis, interviews and topical
editorial pieces.
The Web site will also contain information on events,
contacts, projects and employment opportunities, along with
live video footage, links to other sites and an online
discussion forum for members.
"Using emerging technologies, we plan to source and
package original news and information as it breaks direct
from the most remote parts of the African front line, and
distribute it worldwide in real time," Hartley says. "In
addition, we plan to host various issue-based interactive
exchange forums and to create a Web-accessible archive of
information and reports from various sources.
"We hope this archive will be a valuable resource to a wide
variety of researchers, practitioners and other interested
parties in this area."
Initially, the provision of environmental information and news
will be the primary face of AENS. Over time however, the
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4/18/2005
Connecting Conservationists In Africa
Page 4 of 4
depth and breadth of archival information within its database
could develop a critical mass of considerable importance.
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Building the Next Generation of Malagasy Biologists
Page 1 of 3
TEXT ONLY
CONTACT
FAQ
OUR STRATEGY
Building the Next Generation of
Malagasy Biologists
CEPF NEWS
In Focus, October 2003
Press Releases
A new generation of conservation biologists is emerging in
Madagascar as part of a partnership project between
Malagasy universities and WWF-Madagascar that has seen
30 carefully selected students move into the conservation
arena. As part of the program, Critical Ecosystem
Partnership Fund (CEPF) support is enabling three students
to finish their doctorate degrees and at least 25 others to
participate in special field schools.
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There are currently too few qualified Malagasy biologists to
address the huge conservation issues facing Madagascar.
Support for the WWF-Madagascar Ecology Training
Program (ETP) and similar projects is a vital piece of
CEPF's strategy to strengthen the scientific and
nongovernmental communities in Madagascar. ETP helps
tackle this challenge by providing long-term targeted support
for a small and carefully chosen group of students.
"Financial and political limitations over the past few decades
have slowed advancement of the Malagasy scientific
community," says Steve Goodman of WWF-Madagascar.
"The current emergence of a new generation of committed
biologists is very exciting for conservation in Madagascar."
SEARCH
© CI, photo by Harol
Baobab trees, like th
National d'Ankarafan
water storage facility
season and can grow
meters in diameter.
To date, more th
percent of ETP
have acquired jo
conservation ar
many of the oth
pursuing further
studies.
The program works by providing training and support to a
maximum of 15 Master's-level or Ph.D.-level students of
biology at a time. There are opportunities for exchange
between students and researchers within Madagascar and
internationally through conferences and published papers.
There is also logistical, financial and supervisory support in
collaboration with local universities. And, at a very practical
level, ETP includes developing a picture of immediate
conservation needs through biological inventories.
One of the three Ph.D. students supported by CEPF, Julie
Ranivo, has been carrying out work on the ecomorphology
of bats in Madagascar. As Madagascar has a comparatively
small number of bird and mammal pollinators or seed
dispersers, it is likely that certain bats play an important role
in the ecosystem.
Moving through Western Madagascar from north to south,
there is a notable decrease in bat species richness. Ranivo,
accompanied by Goodman as the project leader, went up to
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Building the Next Generation of Malagasy Biologists
Page 2 of 3
the Ankarana region to study population dynamics.
The Ankarana Plateau has a 150-meter thickness of
amazingly eroded limestone with caves and canyons spread
across 100 square kilometers. The plateau is cut by a
number of canyons and gives way to savanna on the west
side.
Both insectivorous bats and fruit bats roost in the caves at
Ankarana. The Madagascar Straw-colored Fruit Bat (Eidilon
dupreanum) is a unique Malagasy species with a wingspan
of more than 2 feet. A surprising variety of invertebrate life
depends on the energy supply brought into the caves by
bats and deposited as guano.
Following the field trip, Ranivo visited the Field Museum of
Natural History in Chicago to measure bat specimens that
have been obtained in Western Madagascar over the past
few years.
More than 20 measurements have been taken from each
individual bat specimen. This information will be used
alongside the recent field samples for her Ph.D. thesis to
determine the use of the resources by the different types of
bats according to their morphology and how the structures
of vegetation and diversity of the habitats can influence the
structure of the bat communities.
The results of this particular project include a complete list of
bat species encountered in protected and non-protected
areas from the northwest to the southwest of Madagascar.
Through analysis of relationships between the structure of
teeth, skull and wings and the bats' ecological habitat, it
should be possible to determine what happens in the
morphology of bats when similar species drop out of the
local community, according to Ranivo.
The details of the taxonomy and distribution of Malagasy
bats have not been well studied before, but it is known that
at least half of the approximately 29 species are found
nowhere else. The Ph.D. research being conducted by
Ranivo will make an important contribution to bat
conservation in the region.
The program is not limited to the graduate students
however. There are field schools where exposure to training
at international standards is made available to scores of
other students.
Earlier this year, students from the University of
Antananarivo, with the ETP team, conducted a highly
successful biological inventory as part of a field school in
Parc National d'Ankarafantsika. Even though this is a
reasonably well-studied block of forest, several interesting
animals were found in the area for the first time. Perhaps
most notable is the endemic and monotypic bat family
Myzopodidae, represented by Myzopoda aurita, known from
eastern humid forest and which had never been properly
documented from western deciduous forest.
Each year a broad selection of researchers for field schools
is made, taking into account their own personal preferences
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Building the Next Generation of Malagasy Biologists
Page 3 of 3
for inventory work. The studies are made during trips
ranging from 10 days to three months at a time. Applying
new scientific techniques, they are providing a wealth of new
information and experience for the researchers involved.
The ETP program has facilitated the training of several
hundred students in the context of field and university
courses and more than 30 students have received extensive
individual training during the course of their graduate
degrees in the fields of ornithology, mammalogy,
herpetology and paleontology.
One of the critical problems facing the current generation of
advanced students in Madagascar is the lack of
infrastructure and resources at university level to advance
their work. There is limited equipment to carry out laboratory
and field projects, limited access to modern reference
materials and incorporation of new ideas, theories and
methods in the development of their studies. This has
presented a situation with insufficient numbers of qualified
personnel in government and non-government positions
associated with conservation roles and a looming void in
well-trained instructors once the current generation of senior
professors retires.
ETP, with the support of CEPF funding, is giving young
Malagasy students such as Julie Ranivo a strong foundation
in international standards and the ability to fill key posts in
Madagascar associated with conservation.
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BirdLife to Build Constituency for Conservation in Madagascar
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CONTACT
FAQ
OUR STRATEGY
BirdLife to Build Constituency
for Conservation in Madagascar
CEPF NEWS
In Focus, September 2002
Press Releases
BirdLife International has embarked on an initiative to
establish a Malagasy organization as an official partner, a
long-term project that will help meet a critical need for
conservation capacity building in Madagascar. The project
will also help build a national constituency for bird and
biodiversity conservation.
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BirdLife, a global alliance of national organizations in more
than 100 countries, has developed a rigorous and tested
process for developing the capacity of national
nongovernmental organizations—a vital approach to
enhance effective civil society participation in conservation
efforts. In Madagascar, only Malagasy staff will be
employed.
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund is supporting the
first phase of the initiative. Key elements include developing
the core team and program of an effective nongovernmental
partner organization, conducting a training needs
assessment and in-depth training. The latter will include
surveys in at least two high priority sites that lack sufficient
data, and reviewing and updating conservation priorities
developed in 1999.
SEARCH
© Pete Morris/Birdqu
Short-legged ground
threatened species u
Madagascar.
The final comple
for this project is
available. Down
(PDF).
The new partner would ultimately be equipped to implement
communication, advocacy and awareness-raising programs;
collaborate effectively with other national and international
organizations and the Malagasy government; increase
private sector support for conservation in Madagascar; and
conserve important sites, species and habitats.
In Madagascar, BirdLife has identified five Endemic Bird
Areas, which are regions that host a high number of unique
bird species. Within these regions, it has also identified 84
smaller Important Bird Areas as priority bird and biodiversity
conservation sites for targeted conservation activities.
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Association Fanamby
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Association Fanamby
OUR STRATEGY
In Focus, March 2002
CEPF NEWS
Association Fanamby is a rising star in Madagascar as an
NGO with the ability to undertake effective, collaborative
initiatives at high levels and within communities. Among the
beneficiaries is the endangered golden-crowned sifaka
lemur.
Press Releases
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You can learn m
Association Fan
approach in this
with Serge Raja
secretary gener
Association Fan
The organization focuses upon an ecosystem approach to
conservation. Its small team specializes in establishing
conservation and development programs in areas identified
as national priorities for the establishment of protected
areas.
It's also an ideal Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
(CEPF) partner because of both its biogeographic focus and
its approach to daily business. In all its activities, the
association emphasizes involving and strengthening civil
society and building partnerships to accomplish outcomes.
"Civil society and partnerships are important because when
the Fanamby project and financing from outside are no
longer available, civil society and local community
partnerships will be the sustaining force behind continued
conservation efforts," says Serge Rajaobelina, Association
Fanamby secretary general. "It is important to teach the
value and processes necessary for conservation."
Since its inception in 1995, the association has established
a protected area management project in the Anjozorobe
Forest corridor, where it has pioneered a successful
initiative to involve communities and regional authorities in
the management of natural resources.
Fanamby's efforts are now centered upon maintaining
biodiversity between the Loky and Manambato rivers in the
Daraina region of northeastern Madagascar—a major
initiative receiving support from the CEPF during 2001-2003.
The area is the only location where the endangered goldencrowned sifaka is found.
The association is undertaking multiple activities that
integrate development, research, training and outreach. One
important component is development of a Regional Natural
Resource Management Conservation Committee that will
ultimately be in charge of implementation of community
management plans.
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Association Fanamby
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Association Fanamby has received two CEPF grants for conservation work in the Daraina
region of northeast Madagascar.
Organization
Project Title
CEPF: Association Fanamby
Co-Financing: GCF
Improving Conservation Site Management
Through Stakeholder Empowerment and Private
Sector Participation in Daraina, Northeast
Madagascar
Initiation Of A Natural Resource Management
Program in the Area Between the Loky and the
Manambato Rivers, Northeast Madagascar
CEPF: Association Fanamby
Co-Financing: GCF ($337,726)
Project/Regional Leveraging: FID Diego
($11,039), World Bank ($6,000), FAO
($20,430), FSP ($32,258), ESAPP ($16,429),
CJBG ($14,691),
CEPF: Association Fanamby
Co-Financing: GCF ($409,082), CI
($65,000)
Project/Regional Leveraging: CI/USAID
CEPF: BirdLife International
Project/Regional Leveraging: British
Birdwatching Fair ($300,800)*, Tubney's
Charitable Trust ($52,640)*, MacArthur
Foundation ($275,000), CI *$18,500)
CEPF: BirdLife International
Co-Financing: BirdLife International
Project/Regional Leveraging: DFID
($470,000)*, CI ($25,000)
CEPF: Conservation International
Co-Financing: Conservation International
CEPF: Conservation International
Project/Regional Leveraging:
USAID/MIRAY ($164,957), Moore
Foundation($120,165)
CEPF: Conservation International
Co-Financing: USAID/MIRAY ($35,507),
Moore Foundation ($28,801), USAID/MIARO
($15,507)
CEPF: L'Homme et l'Environnement
Project/Regional Leveraging: Solidarity
Fund for Development ($50,000), Keindaren
Nature Conservation Fund ($23,000),
Fairchild Foundation ($10,000), IUCN
($65,892)
Central Menabe Biodiversity: Plan for Protection
of Nature's Rich Endowment Through the
Development of a Regional Management
Scheme
Wetland Conservation in the Mahavavy-Kinkony
Complex, Madagascar
CEPF Grant Co-Financing
Project/Regional Total Leveraged
Leveraging
Funds
$104,500
$70,000
$369,636
$337,726
$100,847
$438,573
$94,898
$474,082
$226,094
$700,176
$646,940
$646,940
$495,000
$525,000
$200,000
$70,000
Building a National Constituency for Bird and
Biodiversity Conservation in Madagascar
$79,354
$30,000
$53,110
$65,000
Mapping the Vegetation of Madagascar
$65,000
Forested Corridors Management
$149,612
$285,122
$285,122
$339,000
$79,815
$79,815
$132,750
$148,892
$148,892
Biodiversity Advocacy in Madagascar
Local Population and Private Sector Involvement
for Sustainable Biodiversity Conservation at the
Vohimana Rainforest in Madagascar
CEPF: L'Homme et l'Environnement
Project/Regional Leveraging: CIRAD
($3840)
Assessment of the Environmental, Economic
And Quality Control Issues Of Wild-Harvesting
Medicinal Plants Centella asiatica and Drosera
madagascariensis in Madagascar
$10,000
$3,840
$3,840
Communities and Zahamena Protected Area
CEPF: MATEZA
Co-Financing: JSI/USAID ($30,260),
Page/USAID ($7,790). Tany Meva ($39,560)
CEPF: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Co-Financing: RBG Kew
CEPF: The Peregrine Fund
Project/Regional Leveraging: Ramsar
Convention ($3,000), MacArthur Foundation
($25,000), Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg
Foundation ($50,000), Little Family
Foundation ($8,000), CI ($1,625)
Mapping the Vegetation of Madagascar
CEPF: TRAFFIC International
Co-Financing: CITES
Increasing Knowledge - Decreasing Detriment:
Improving the Monitoring and Management of
Madagascar's Wildlife Trade
$167,200
$77,610
$77,610
$152,500
$85,500
$85,500
Madagascar Community-Based Wetlands
Conservation Project
$140,000
Makira Forest Area Conservation Project
CEPF: Wildlife Conservation Society
Co-Financing: GCF ($213,535), WCS
($190,000)
Madagascar Biodiversity Network (REBIOMA)
CEPF: Wildlife Conservation Society
Madagascar
Co-Financing: WCS ($65,000), USAID
($40,000), MacArthur Foundation ($310,000),
Princeton University ($39,000)
CEPF: World Wide Fund for Nature-Ecology Ecology Training Program
Training Program
Project/Regional Leveraging: MacArthur
Foundation ($248,170), National Speological
Society ($4,500), Ministry of Foreign Affairs France ($21,760)*
$87,625
$87,625
$45,000
$90,000
$90,000
$201,771
$403,535
$403,535
$90,024
$454,000
$454,000
$84,500
Total
2,087,453
$274,430
$274,430
2,348,605
4,436,058