Month: October 2026

Madagascar is home to biodiversity found nowhere else: more than 80% of its species are endemic, its forests regulate watersheds, its soils feed millions of families and its marine ecosystems sustain coastal fisheries. For a long time, this wealth was seen as a heritage to be protected ‘on the margins’ of the economy, almost in opposition to development. A paradigm shift is now under way: nature is no longer viewed as a constraint, but as a strategic economic asset. Yet this shift raises a fundamental question: what happens when this asset deteriorates and, above all, who actually bears the cost? Understanding this turning point means grasping one of the most decisive challenges for the country’s future. What do we mean by ‘natural capital’? Natural capital refers to all the resources and ecosystems that provide services essential to life and to the economy: fresh water, fertile soils, forests, mangroves, reefs, pollination …

On 23 June 2026, the Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity of Madagascar (FAPBM) held its 24th annual contributors’ meeting at the Golf du Rova in Antananarivo. The event brought together its technical and financial partners, the members of its Board of Directors and the Executive Management team. A key moment for dialogue and accountability, the meeting reviewed the results for the 2025 financial year, presented the Foundation’s main monitoring and management tools, and provided a forum to discuss the challenges and prospects for the sustainable financing of Madagascar’s Protected Areas. A meeting built around results and outlook Following the opening of the meeting by Bruno Rajaspera, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and the presentation of the agenda by Dr Rija Ranaivoarison, Executive Director, discussions began with a review of 2025. The morning was devoted to the presentation of the Foundation’s results, a demonstration of the Management Information System …

With exceptional biodiversity under mounting pressure, coordination between stakeholders has become a strategic priority for Madagascar. On 2 and 3 July 2026, a national workshop held in Anosiala strengthened synergies between conservation stakeholders, provided a forum for discussing national priorities and consolidated the governance of the IUCN Madagascar National Committee. On 2 and 3 July 2026, at the ILO Hotel in Anosiala, Ambohidratrimo, the Madagascar Protected Areas and Biodiversity Fund (FAPBM), a member of the IUCN Madagascar National Committee, co-organised the national workshop on coordination and strategic direction for conservation stakeholders. Led through the National Committee’s Technical Secretariat, which is hosted and supported by FAPBM, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) projects in Madagascar and all members of the Committee, the workshop brought together IUCN member organisations, its Commissions, and technical and institutional partners from the sector. …

At the 16th General Assembly of the Consortium of African Funds for the Environment (CAFÉ) in Bissau, FAPBM, as a member of the consortium, shared its experience of monitoring and decision support for conservation. Ranto Randriantsoa, FAPBM’s Programmes and Impacts Director, presented at the assembly the approach the Foundation has undertaken to better track its  funding, understand its results and guide its strategic choices. Growing conservation challenges, more demanding choices With capital of USD 157 million in 2026, FAPBM is the largest conservation trust fund in Africa. It supports 75 of Madagascar’s 146 protected areas, which are home to species and habitats found nowhere else on Earth and sustain the communities living alongside them. As its activities develop, FAPBM needs an increasingly clear view of the results associated with its funding and of how they contribute to conservation objectives. The evolution of its portfolio, the diversity of protected area contexts …