Illegal logging in Madagascar
The dramatic increase in illegal logging of ebony and endemic rosewood trees in the protected rainforests of Madagascar has been ascribed to the political turmoil in the country. Discussion on DLIST-Benguela has raised the question of whether the logging could have been kept under control if local communities had a greater stake in protecting the forests. In this Burning Issue, we look at what is happening and ask the DLIST community to consider what can be done to help Madagascans who are trying to save these precious remnants.
1. Madagascar’s rainforests – an irreplaceable treasure – are disappearing
Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, is often referred to as the seventh continent and home of a ‘magnificent menagerie’. The island was formed when it separated from other land masses about 150 to 180 million years ago, and supports many species that are found nowhere else in the world (such as lemurs).
The entire eastern side of Madagascar receives exceptionally high rainfall (up to 6000 mm per year in some places), and used to be covered with dense rainforest but, due to slash-and-burn agricultural practices and the use of wood as fuel, only about 10% of the original forest cover remains.
Besides being a home to a ‘magnificent menagerie’, the forests are a valuable asset to the local people, not only for the resources and ecosystem services that they provide but also, as attractions to bring tourists into these remote areas. Tourism is a potential source of cash income for local people employed as guides or porters and through the sale of food and handmade goods.
The loss of forest habitats means that the animals and insects that live in the forests are also disappearing. Conservation International has listed Madagascar as one of the world’s biodiversity “hotspots” due to the combination of high levels of biological diversity and the real possibility that, if nothing is done to stop deforestation, many of these species may very soon become extinct.
Masoala Peninsula is one of the few places in the world where rainforests and coral reefs exist side by side. Slash and burn practices in the interior lead to erosion, and the soil that is carried in the rivers down to the sea settles on the reefs, smothering them and causing further loss of biodiversity and impacting negatively on the marine resources that sustain coastal communities.
2. What is being done to save the forests?
The former president of Madagascar was hailed for his plan to increase the extent of protected areas on the island from 3% to 10%. Since this announcement in 2003, new areas that were added included extensive corridors within the rainforest area and some wetlands. The parks were seen as a national asset to be managed by the national government organisation, ANGAP (now referred to as SAPM, System of Protected Areas of Madagascar). In an effort to ensure that local communities benefitted from the parks, 50% of the visitor entrance fees collected by ANGAP were earmarked for development projects in local villages, and visitors to the parks had to hire a local guide. Some guides attended training courses in conservation in Reunion, sponsored by ANGAP.
Marojejy National Park was previously a scientific reserve and only opened to tourists in 1998. Thanks to the efforts of local people and volunteer conservation workers, an accountable park management staff was finally installed and by 2006 small groups of ecotourists were beginning to visit and a healthy industry was building up around this.
However, during the period March to May 2009, the Park was closed to visitors due to lawlessness in the region and the presence of armed gangs illegally removing rosewood trees from the forest. The closure had huge implications for the people in the area that had come to rely on tourism for their livelihoods.
3. Logging activity, the timber ‘mafia’ and its impacts
Reports on the internet reveal ongoing ‘cat-and-mouse’ actions by authorities and hardwood exporters in Madagascar. Logs of rosewood and other hardwoods are hidden, sometimes even buried, until a change in the law or a political crisis provides an opportunity to cash in. The change in government in March 2009 and ensuing political instability created a governance vacuum and opportunists are taking full advantage. The local rosewood traders who supply markets in China are said to be based in Antalaha, a coastal town approximately halfway between Marojejy and the Masoala Peninsula and are referred to locally as the “mafia”.
Normal boat trade along the north-east coast has been disrupted because all available boats are being commandeered by the timber traders. They employ bands of men who are armed and use intimidation tactics. There are reports on the internet that villagers have been threatened with beheading and that a park ranger based in Mananara had both his feet broken.
The areas hardest hit by illegal logging are the lowland rainforest on the Masoala Peninsula, and the montane rainforest and cloudforest at Marojejy. Not only has the logging disrupted tourism activity and caused economic hardship for those who depend on tourism, it has also had an impact on the wildlife: habitats have been disturbed and masses of birds and lemurs have been killed for eating or for sale at local markets.
The social impacts of the threats and intimidation are significant. Anyone who has been to the area will know how wonderfully gentle and peace-loving are the people of this region. Now they are living in fear and communities are divided, with some cashing in on the opportunity to earn a bit of money by working for the log traders, but it is hard and dangerous work and they earn only a little.
It is quite clear that the region’s riches are being plundered, and it is not the local people who are benefitting from it.
4. What can be done?
Many international organisations that normally provide conservation aid to Madagascar suspended their support after the government takeover in March 2009. Some internet reports have implied that there is complicity between government and the people who are profiting from the illegal logging. International conservation organisations have alleged that national government has used the opportunity to fill its own coffers.
Illegal logging apparently ceased in Marojejy after the authorities in the Sava Region introduced supplementary taxes on all forestry products. However, this has resulted in the timber traders moving all their efforts to Masoala where, according to Internet reports, there is no police presence and no political will to put a stop to the illegal activity.
WildMadagascar.org suggests that the international community can help by lobbying for the resumption of aid to conservation agencies working in the affected areas and by supporting local NGOs like Fanamby. They suggest local advocacy through letters to the press and calls to the radio to demand that government take action to stop the illegal logging.
What can be done? Are there effective ways of supporting communities surrounding the parks that are being targetted by illegal timber traders? Should international conservation agencies resume their aid programmes?
5. More information – web-links, library resources
Association Mitsinjo, a Malagasy NGO located in Andasibe. Amongst other activities, they have nurseries where they grow over 100 endemic tree species and can produce more than 100,000 seedlings per year. http://mitsinjo.googlepages.com/home
Butler, R. Destruction worsens in Madagascar. WildMadagascar.org, August 20, 2009 http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0820-madagascar.html
Conservation International. Makira Forest Initiative, Madagascar. http://www.conservation.org/learn/forests/Pages/project_makira.aspx
Global Witness and EIA. 2009. Investigation into illegal felling, transport and export of precious wood in SAVA Region, Madagascar. http://www.dlist-asclme.org/document-library
Hance, Jeremy. International community calls for action against gangs’ illegal logging in Madagascar. Mongabay.com, June 08, 2009. http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0608-hance_madagascar.html
Kara Moses and Derek Schuurman, Forest Recovery Programs in Madagascar. Wildmadagascar.org, June 01, 2009. http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0601-moses_schiirman_madagascar.html
Marojejy National Park, an independent website owned by local people not affiliated to ANGAP/SAPM. http://www.marojejy.com/Intro_e.htm
Wildlife Conservation Society. Save Madagascar. http://e.wcs.org/site/PageNavigator/WC_camp_madagascar
WildMadagascar.org / Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development. http://www.mongabay.com/about.htm
WWF. Madagascar accused of profiting from illegal timber. 05-Oct-2009. http://www.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/madagascar/?175761/Madagasca...