Through this two-year project, the NGO proposes to support the Malagasy local federation LOVASOA in implementing a project aimed at ensuring the long-term conservation of the Pointe à Larrée Protected Area. The federation brings together around 350 active members, drawn from 7 different COBA (grassroots community organisations).
The Protected Area, located in north-eastern Madagascar, forms a peninsula covering an area of around 12,000 ha, including 5,100 ha of forest ecosystem (3,400 ha of littoral forest, 121 ha of humid forest and 1,535 ha of swamp forest). A preliminary biological inventory has already shown that the site hosts a very high number of species, both plant (400 plant species, many of them endemic) and animal (11 mammal species, including 6 lemur species, 63 bird species, 36 reptile species and 15 amphibian species). This non-exhaustive list gives an indication of the conservation stakes involved in the Protected Area.
Formerly known for its significant clove and coffee production, the site is now facing significant pressures. Declining income from these traditional cash crops is pushing local farmers to turn towards exploiting forest resources.
The forest is thus subject to uncontrolled logging aimed at meeting the timber demand of surrounding towns. It is also threatened by wildfires, linked to slash-and-burn agricultural practices.
Alongside this, the transfer of natural resource management to grassroots communities (COBA) has shown its limits, notably due to these structures’ lack of both technical and financial capacity.
In response to this situation, the project’s objective is to support local populations, through the LOVASOA federation, in implementing activities aimed at reducing the pressures currently facing the Protected Area.
