Madagascar is well-known for the stunning diversity that its rainforests encompass. It has some of the richest biodiversity on the planet with roughly 200,000 known species found on the island and of which 150,000 exist nowhere else. Our flora is home to as many as 12,000 different species of plants, making it one of the most diverse floras on the planet. However, the Malagasy forest is in danger of disappearing at a rapid pace as 95% of its rainforests have already vanished for the past 50 years. The impact of deforestation on global climate is evident in the increased release of CO2 as the rainforest is major regulator of CO2 fluxes.
A critical threat to the Malagasy rain forest is the increasing interest by mining companies for the countries’ mineral resources (ilmenite, nickel and cobalt among others…). Renown mining companies such as Rio Tinto, Kumba or Implats have invested in mineral sand projects on sites that not only could interfere with endangered ecosystems but also directly affect the way of life of the local populations, often resulting in the transfer and reassignement of a group of population.
Many associations in Madagascar have come together to try to prevent any further endangerment of the forests by human cause. Educating villagers against the practice of slash and burn is one of the most direct courses of action that are often undertaken.
Planting trees in dry endangered areas is the other activity that 3 associations in Madagascar are pushing through: Namana serasera, the association milasoa and Foko-Madagascar. Here is a video of the latest tree planting event that gathered 45 people on February 9th, 2008. The selected planting site is surrounding one of the most important spring of the region, source of Madagascar’s main mineral water. For the same video with English subtitles, click here.
in Madagascar, deforestation seems at times, inevitable. However, with the right strategy, the right selection of trees and plenty of effort, this seemingly unstoppable disaster can be contained.
More videos of the tree planting event with partial English sound bites here.
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Thanks very much for this post and for the great videos. I really enjoyed watching them and will look up the organizations mentioned. Do you have any information on how the Rio Tinto project near Talaognaro is going? Have they followed through on their advertised plans for reforestation and ecological restoration? When I was there, there were strong concerns that the native reeds in the area would be destroyed and that people would lose their livelihoods because of the lack of available natural materials.
Hi all!
Thanks to the team , we at FOKO are thrilled to work with you guyz! More videos will come and of course we’re transmitting the good news to our friend in Madagascar.
Zoe> I heard from a friend who works for the companies that they have to make more efforts on including the local population to the restoration process but are waiting for more NGO to get involved. have you worked there? We would be really interested in knowing more about your experience there!
Please write to us : info@foko-madagascar.org
Hi Zoe,
I am glad you asked this question because there is one piece of information I wanted to include in it. The Panos illuninating Voices recently wrote a great report on Rio Tinto’s ilmenite mine in the Fort Dauphin area of southern Madagascar. ( h/t to David Sasaki at http://el-oso.net/blog):
Excerpt from the article in the Communication Iniative Network (http://www.comminit.com/en/node/266592/306)
“Specifically, the document cites a lack of straightforward information about mine finances available to journalists, academics, and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), and a lack of national debate about the finances, especially servicing of loans. It recommends: “To allay… fears and promote greater transparency in relation to the mine project, investors should open up their books and share their economists’ assessments about the investment. Widening the debate about the financial situation at this stage would increase accountability and help all stakeholders identify the best way forward.”