Makira Conservation Site

The forests of Makira, located in the northeast of Madagascar, adjacent to Masoala peninsula and its forests, represent one of the largest remaining contiguous areas of tropical rain forest in Madagascar. They are a tremendously valuable site for biodiversity conservation, carbon retention, and other critical ecosystem services. More than 50% of Madagascar’s floral biodiversity can be found in the Greater Makira/Masoala landscape. Among its various terrains and diverse bioclimatic zones, Makira hosts critically endangered animal species, such as the Madagascar serpent eagle and silky sifaka, a lemur known for its rattling calls to warn of aerial predators. The biodiversity level of the Makira-system is expected to be among the highest in the country and, by extension of the world. In addition, the forests of Makira maintain connectivity between Masoala National Park and Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve, providing an important genetic corridor between these two protected areas and ensuring the ecological integrity of one of the most diverse and intact areas of Madagascar. In collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Forests and with financial support from Conservation International, WCS efforts in the Makira Conservation Site will protect the biodiversity of and ensure the sustainable use of natural resources in northeastern Madagascar.

The Human Aspect

The forests of Makira also protect regional watersheds, vital to local and regional economies based on subsistence agriculture and cash crop production. The forests provide water for more than 150,000 people in the region, regulating water levels in the plains, and prevent erosion and large amounts of alluvial deposits in Antongil Bay. In addition, the forests of Makira provide many daily benefits to local communities. For example, sustainable extraction of non-timber forest products such as penja, a plant woven into hats and baskets that are sold in local markets, provides an important income for women. Hence, the protection of Makira’s ecological integrity is crucial to the wellbeing of the local human population.

Threats

While Madagascar's extraordinary biological heritage makes the island one of the highest priorities for international conservation efforts, poverty, high population growth rate, and lack of agricultural alternatives have resulted in extensive deforestation. An annual population growth rate of 3% and a subsistence dependency on slash and burn agriculture ("tavy") increase pressure on forest resources. The danger is complete conversion to a nutrient poor, erosion-prone, human-altered landscape within the next century. Illicit logging of precious hardwoods, mining, and the hunting of lemurs, bats, birds, and predators such as the fossa, are serious threats to the integrity of this important landscape.

WCS Activities

• Designing a new protected area that will include a large part of the intact forests and which is representative of the different habitats, fauna and flora of the region.
• Providing financial and technical support to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, as well as local NGO partners.
• Gathering data for the design and future management of the new conservation site, including bio-inventory, ecological research on target groups, and socioeconomic research in surrounding communities.
• Contributing to regional development through activities in the park’s peripheral zone that are compatible with the national environment protection. This includes direct financing and implementation of targeted development projects, support to local associations, and training local community members in intensified, sustainable, and ecologically sound methods of cultivation.
• Designing sustainable financing mechanisms, particularly through carbon funds.

Important Next Steps

1) Designate zones for priority conservation and sustainable resource use within the site, coupled with clearly defined boundaries to ensure the long-term conservation of the forests.

• 2) Transfer management of the peripheral forests to local communities at several sites in order to reduce deforestation.

3) Train the communities in forest management and resource conservation techniques.

• 4) Implement an effective environmental education program.

5) Implement a capacity training program in order to improve natural resource management at local and regional levels.