Nature Conservation in Madagascar through Protected Areas

In 2005, Madagascar Protected Areas and Biodiversity Fund (FAPBM) was established to provide sustainable financing for Madagascar’s protected area network and nature conservation. The fund has a capital of 140 million USD (FAPBM, 2022), and its revenues support the operation of protected areas.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines a Protected Area as a clearly delimited geographical space, recognized, dedicated, and managed through effective legal or other means to achieve long-term conservation of nature, along with associated ecosystem services and cultural values. Protected areas are classified into five categories based on their use.

Madagascar Protected Areas  

Madagascar has 123 protected areas, including 101 terrestrial and 22 marine, covering a total area of 7,612,346 hectares, encompassing terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. The protected terrestrial areas cover 6,233,317 hectares, representing 10.8% of the land territory. The protected marine and intertidal areas cover 1,379,029 hectares, representing 11.8% of the coastal seas. This constitutes the System of Protected Areas of Madagascar, complemented by an additional 6,886,931 hectares of priority sites for potential conservation, totaling 24% of the national area.

Terrestrial protected areas primarily include forests (rainforests, dry forests, or spiny forests), wetlands, and savannahs. They are usually surrounded by locally managed “green belts.” The marine protected areas mainly preserve coastal marine waters, coral reefs, mangroves, and associated fishing zones, often integrated or contiguous with Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA).

In Madagascar, the System of Protected Areas includes national parks and nature reserves, special reserves, integral nature reserves, and resource nature reserves. These areas are classified into the six IUCN categories according to their integrity and use. They are managed by conservation NGOs/associations and Madagascar National Parks.

Madagascar’s National Parks

Prior to national parks, strict nature reserve reserves and wilderness areas constitute the first category of IUCN’s classification of protected areas. strict nature reserve reserves are “strictly protected for biodiversity and also possibly geological/ geomorphological features, where human visitation, use and impacts are controlled and limited to ensure protection of the conservation values.,” according to IUCN’s definition. “Wilderness areas are sually large unmodified or slightly modified areas, retaining their natural character and influence, without permanent or significant human habitation, protected and managed to preserve their natural condition.” In Madagascar, there are two protected areas into this category: Betampona Integral Nature Reserve and Tsaratanana Integral Nature Rerserve, both are managed by MNP.

National Parks, classified as Category II by IUCN, are generally sites where animals, plants, and the natural environment are protected from human activity. They are reserved to protect large-scale ecological processes, as well as characteristic species of the region’s ecosystems. They provide opportunities for spiritual, scientific, educational, and recreational visits while respecting the environment and the culture of local communities. Madagascar has 28 national parks, the majority of which are managed by Madagascar National Parks, formerly known as “National Association for the Management of Protected Areas” (ANGAP). Montagne d’Ambre National Park, established in 1994, is the first national park.

Natural monuments and special reserves

Category III, nature conservation also includes natural monuments. These are elements of nature that have particular social or cultural value due to their rarity, aesthetic or cultural importance, and are protected for these reasons. There are two protected areas in Madagascar that have the designation of Natural Monument: Alandraza Analavelo Sacred Forest (managed by the Missouri Botanical Garden) and the Baobabs Alley (managed by Fanamby).

Category IV includes habitat/species management areas, commonly known as Special Reserves in Madagascar. Category IV sites are designed to protect particular species or habitats, where management reflects this priority. Special reserves may include breeding areas, nurseries, or wildlife feeding grounds (mangroves, seagrass beds, meadows). This category of protected area was created for conservation purposes and involves greater involvement of communities in their management.

Harmonious Landscapes and natural resources Reserves

Category V encompasses protected harmonious landscapes, which are protected areas where the interaction between humans and nature has produced, over time, an area with distinct ecological, biological, cultural, and scenic values. The safeguarding of the integrity of this interaction is vital to protecting and sustaining the area and its associated nature conservation and other values. These landscapes can be predominantly natural areas (coastlines, hills) or the result of human interaction with the environment (through agriculture, traditional practices).

Category VI consists of protected areas managed primarily for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems. These are areas intended to protect ecosystems, cultural values, and the traditional and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystem services necessary for the well-being of communities.

ANNEX: LIST OF PROTECTED AREAS IN MADAGASCAR (November 2017)