National parks
The island is endowed with protected natural areas of varying status. These include integral nature reserves (Tsingy de Bemaraha, Betampona, Tsaratanana, Zahamena), national parks, special reserves (Ankarana), protected harmonious landscapes, natural monuments and natural resource reserves. The country boasts some twenty national parks, whose vocation is to reconcile the preservation of ecosystems with ecotourism. However, some of these areas are threatened by anthropogenic pressures: slash-and-burn fires, poaching, illegal harvesting and logging. A portion of park entrance fees is dedicated to financing local development projects. For further information, please contact Madagascar National Parks: www.parcs-madagascar.com
Montagne d'Ambre National Park: located at the northern tip of the country, this park protects tropical rainforest ecosystems and associated biodiversity.
Parc national d'Andasibe-Mantadia: located 140 km from the capital, this park is home to a remarkable biodiversity, notably linked to its primary forest, with endemism rates reaching over 80%. The Indri indri (the world's largest lemur) is particularly noteworthy.
Nosy Hara National Marine Park: located in the north of the country, this park protects the ecosystems of a group of islands off the Baie du Courrier (coral reefs, mangroves, cliffs) and their exceptional marine and terrestrial biodiversity.
Parc national d'Andohahela: located at the south-eastern tip of the island, this park is home to a variety of environments, including a rainforest, which has earned it UNESCO World Heritage status (Atsinanana rainforests).
Parc national d'Andringitra: located in the south-central part of the country, also a World Heritage site (Forêts humides de l'Atsinanana), it protects the country's highest point (Pic Boby), and boasts exceptional biodiversity.
Kirindy Mitea National Park: located in the south-west of the island, classified as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, it includes a wide variety of ecosystems (primary dry forest, savannahs, mangroves), with a high level of endemism.
Isalo National Park: located in the south-west of the island, this is home to the Isalo mountain massif, made of Jurassic sandstone, and its picturesque landscapes of canyons and natural pools. The park's various ecosystems (rainforests, Pandanus gallery forests, scrub forests, savannahs and rocky vegetation) are associated with remarkable biodiversity. The park also boasts a number of archaeological sites.
Lokobe National Park: located in the north-west of the country, it protects part of the island of Nosy Bé (south-east), including the island's last primary forest (Sambirano primary forest), whose protection dates back to Malagasy royalty.
Ranomafana National Park: located in the east of the country, this is a World Heritage site for the rainforests of the Atsinanana region, and is characterized by the predominance of tropical rainforest, teeming with biodiversity. The bamboo forest is also present, with endemic species such as the golden bamboo lemur.
Bemaraha National Park: located in the west of the country, this park includes the Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is characterized by its highly picturesque geological (karstic) forms, known as "tsingy", which means "needle" in Malagasy. The park is also home to primary forests and remarkable wetlands, such as mangroves.
Biodiversity in danger: the burning issue of deforestation
The country's forest cover represents around 20% of its territory, or almost 13 million hectares. However, an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 hectares of forest are lost every year. Deforestation is the removal of trees beyond the forest's capacity for renewal. Between 1953 and 2014, 44% of the country's forests have disappeared, including the flora and fauna associated with these environments. The main cause of deforestation is agriculture. Forests are burned (slash-and-burn techniques) mainly to grow crops (corn, groundnuts, rainfed rice), some of which are exported. It is also linked to livestock farming, mining, charcoal production, domestic needs and the trade in precious woods. Soils are weakened by erosion, making the region more vulnerable to natural hazards such as flooding and landslides. Deforestation also releasesCO2, destroying precious carbon sinks. Biodiversity linked to forest ecosystems also disappears.
Species poaching, illegal logging and illegal plant gathering also contribute to the decline in biodiversity. Pollution is also having a deleterious impact on living organisms, with 75% of the country's plant species reported to have disappeared, and half of all mammal species threatened with extinction.
Environmental degradation and declining biodiversity are also disrupting crops and weakening drinking water supplies, phenomena that are also exacerbated by climate change, and which threaten the conditions in which humans can live in the region.
The worrying situation of mangroves
Mangroves are unique ecosystems in the world, characterized by amphibious forests (mangroves), found mainly in tropical zones at the intersection of land and sea (foreshore). They are reservoirs of biodiversity (fish and forest resources), natural barriers against coastal erosion, and carbon sinks. They also play a role in filtering wastewater. The degradation of mangroves in Madagascar is linked in particular to overexploitation of the resource, and to climate change. In certain regions of the country, WWF has supported integrated community mangrove management programs.
... and the equally burning issue of climate change
Ironically for a country that ranks among the lowest emitters of greenhouse gases, Madagascar is bearing the full brunt of climate change. Ocean acidification and rising water temperatures are disrupting marine biodiversity, one of the symbols of which is the degradation of coral reefs (also linked to other anthropogenic factors). Added to this are more intense cyclones and more frequent droughts. In 2022, cyclone Batsirai hit the south of the island, causing extensive flooding and resulting in the death of over 100 people and the displacement of around 60,000. In the same year, part of the country suffered severe famine, due to both economic and structural factors. These included drought, soil erosion and locust invasion, all of which contributed to a 40% drop in agricultural yields. There are also livestock-related problems (insecurity, theft of zebus). One of the terrible images of this humanitarian disaster is that of the inhabitants forced to eat pieces of leather.
An area subject to multiple pollutants
20% of deaths in Madagascar are thought to be linked to exposure to pollution. There are many sources of pollution, affecting air, water and soil, in both rural and urban areas. In and around Paris, while automobile traffic has led to a sharp rise in air pollution levels, we mustn't forget other sources of emissions, such as industrial activities, as well as domestic heating and cooking methods.
Urban and peri-urban agriculture, meanwhile, is subject to heavy metal (lead, chromium) and bacterial pollution, linked to effluents from industrial, craft and domestic activities, which in the absence of treatment systems and sanitary facilities, contaminate rice fields and fish farms in particular (note that only 12% of Madagascar's inhabitants have access to sanitary facilities).
The rural environment, meanwhile, is exposed to agricultural pesticides in a worrying way, with one study reporting genetic mutations, particularly in rice cells.
A suspected pollution incident in Fort Dauphin in 2022 (floating dead fish), linked to a mining company, highlighted the lack of legislation on industrial waste and the population's willingness to be informed. Because we can only protect what we know, institutions and NGOs have identified areas for progress. In particular, further studies are needed to better characterize pollutants and exposure, and to implement targeted, prioritized actions (technical devices, legislation, changes in practices, etc.). Another point is to disseminate knowledge and set up awareness-raising workshops, as has already been done by the NGO Pure Earth and UNICEF.
Towards resilience?
While the desire to replant trees is a renewed commitment on the part of the country's authorities, this solution seems to be a mixed bag. A "tree plantation" is not a "natural forest", it is both poorer in biodiversity and stores less carbon. Saving primary forests is a priority. Amnesty International has also pointed to the lack of protection for environmental activists, such as Clovis Razafimalala, an activist who was once imprisoned for his fight against rosewood trafficking.
With regard to agriculture, other solutions are highlighted by NGOs, such as the introduction of drought-resistant crops.
The coastal Vezo community has organized itself to safeguard marine biodiversity, a pillar of its survival. Villagers are involved in the management of the Velondriake marine area, with the support of an NGO and a local university, and this has led to measures aimed at ensuring the sustainability of fishery resources, with no-fishing zones and measures to monitor the marine environment.
What about us?
Because every gesture counts, we can all play a part in building a desirable future, through our collective and individual actions. Here are a few links and tools to help you understand and take action on waste (www.zerowastefrance.org), ecological footprint (www.footprintcalculator.org) and carbon footprint (https://agirpourlatransition.ademe.fr).
