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Conservation of endangered lemurs through reforestation in the Sainte Luce littoral forest, Madagascar:

Madagascar is a leading biodiversity hotspot with over 80% of its flora and fauna being found nowhere else on earth due to its split from the African continent 135 million years ago. This split has produced a truly unique landscape across the island, where a vast array of unique ecosystems support the rich biodiversity on the island. One of the most threatened within these is the littoral forests. The littoral forest habitat supports 13% of the native Madagascan flora, however due to an increased human presence and unsustainable land-use practices 90% of the of the littoral forest is thought to have been lost, with the remaining 10% of it found in “forest parcels”, which fragmented nature causes a degradation in the biodiversity of the forest fragments.

To combat this, SEED is proposing to build upon its existing reforestation project which works within the fragments of the Sainte Luce littoral forest (SLLF). In phase one of this project (which has already been completed), SEED identified that in order to conserve the biodiversity that the SLLF supports, the forest parcels needed to be reconnected by planting trees, creating habitat corridors that will allow the species within the forests to reconnect and breed outside of their isolated subpopulations.

The key species within these forests which we are aiming to protect are lemurs. Lemurs are endemic to Madagascar, and the SLLF hosts four endangered lemur species within the fragments. In creating habitat corridors that are protected from unsustainable land-use patterns such as mining, the lemur’s habitat will be reconnected, significantly expanding their territories encouraging genetic diversity within the species which is vital for healthy populations to be sustained.

Phase II’s planned activities:

Building upon the first phase, which began to plant and protect the habitat corridors, SEED is looking to increase resilience of the current corridors and empower local populations by teaching them sustainable forest management skills, whilst simultaneously increasing the habitat corridor coverage from 2.09ha to 3.49ha. The project seeks to meet its aims in several ways.

Firstly, we will tackle known forest threats, such as disturbance from fire and livestock, by trialling novel forest protection measures which will increase the local community’s resilience and ability to sustainably manage the natural resources within the forest.

To ensure community engagement we are proposing to hold practical sessions in environmental education, results dissemination, and feedback. This will ensure that the communities who live in the surrounding areas will be able to confidently run and continue the project once it is underway, empowering them through the control of their own resources.

Informed community take zones will be established to allow the communities which rely on the forest, access to the natural resources which are essential to their lives and livelihoods. To govern these a joint community plantation management committee will be established which will aim to provide sustainable forest resources, and reduce the pressure on the community take-zones, ensuring that the voice of the community is put at the heart of the project.

Why is this project so important?

In 2020, the ICUN published a worrying report which stated that almost a third of all lemur species in Madagascar are now critically endangered, with 98% of them being threatened (ICUN, 2020). This, coupled with the fact that regionally, more than 90% of people live below the international poverty line, relying on the habitat of the lemurs for natural resources vital for survival, poses a unique conundrum in the area. Project Ala II, addresses both these issues, providing the communities with empowerment and ownership over the management of their own resources, whilst simultaneously providing a vital lifeline for the lemur populations by emphasising the importance of sustainably managing the forests. A donation to this project would be a contribution to the protection of one of the most unique ecosystems in the world, and its surrounding communities who rely on the forests to live.

Donate now to safeguard the future of the forests!