Protecting Threatened Lemur Habitat in Madagascar

Fire poses a significant threat to the remaining fragments of the Sainte Luce Littoral Forest (SLLF). The majority of the Sainte Luce fokontany (village) rely on resources from the SLLF for their primary livelihood of lobster fishing, as well as for house construction, and consequently, fire also represents a serious threat to local livelihoods. As part of the Ala (Malagasy for forest) Programme, SEED worked with stakeholders to produce a more cohesive fire management strategy, focusing on community-awareness raising.

The Ala Programme’s five forest corridors total 3.72 hectares and connect 108 hectares of the SLLF, with over 6,000 native and 4,000 Acacia seedlings planted since July 2019. As the native saplings are still relatively small, they are more vulnerable to fire, particularly during the dry season. September and October mark the peak fire season in the Anosy region of southeast Madagascar, where the Ala Programme is based, as high winds combine with the end of the dry season. Climate change is exacerbating these factors, with greater aridity already observed across Madagascar and drought occurrence projected to increase with global warming.

Tavy, the clearance of land with fire for agriculture, as well as small split-second decisions, such as throwing away a cigarette, can lead to serious bushfires. For example, in June 2023, a fire was started by people grilling fish, which burned around 3km of forest. This incident placed numerous local livelihoods at risk as the fire burned close to the Mahampy workshop. Thankfully, the fire was extinguished by local forest management organisations in half a day, using fire beaters distributed by SEED.

The Ala Programme’s fire management strategy was initiated in 2022 after discussions with the community. It places a greater emphasis on fire prevention, while also strengthening fire mitigation activities through large-scale community awareness-raising, capacity building, the ratification of a dina (local law), and the distribution of fire beaters. In January 2023, focus groups and surveys revealed that 90% of households had already used the recently distributed fire beaters. While this is a very encouraging statistic for fire mitigation, it is a rather worrying statistic for fire prevention. 

While firebreaks (gaps in the planting areas to prevent fire spreading) remain a key part of SEED’s reforestation strategy, they are quite literally the last line of defence. It is hoped that the Ala Programme’s holistic fire management strategy will equip communities with the tools and knowledge to prevent and suppress fires, and as a result will be more likely to save Madagascar’s lemurs than firebreaks alone. Prevention is better than the cure, and with community education and mobilisation, SEED is optimistic that destructive bushfires can be prevented and lemurs, livelihoods, and the Sainte Luce littoral forest can be protected.

Links:

• Read more about community fire prevention on the SEED blog

The forest corridors are growing!

In Project Ala, protecting the lemur population and their habitat relies on SEED’s positive relationship with local communities. To support this, SEED recently held a workshop focussed on corridor management, to help facilitate a shift in landowner involvement. Now landowners play a more active role in future planning and physical corridor maintenance, helping to bring new and effective practices to the project. For example, landowners suggested clearing excessive leaf litter from around native trees, which will now be carried out on a regular basis to help promote native growth rates.

The Forest Management Committee (FMC) visited corridors to discuss programme progress and suggestions for improvement. They provided feedback on the management of Acacia that will be adopted as the corridors mature. Starting this month, holes in which native seedlings are planted will be dug to 20cm3, with the expectation that planting seedlings in a larger hole will help them to establish and grow roots more easily. Following a difficult start, native seedling growth rates have hugely increased from last year and it is hoped managing the growth of Acacia and natives will promote native species richness. As such, SEED continually works in partnership with landowners and the FMC to positively adapt the project and in Programme Year 3, native seedlings will be watered once a month throughout the dry season.

As Project Ala develops, SEED looks forward to welcoming more lemur sightings in the forest corridors. Lemurs are natural fertilisers, dispersing seeds and pollinating plants, helping the forest to grow. SEED remains enthusiastic in the project to protect the endangered species and their habitat, and are excited to continue the close partnership with landowners.

Thank you for supporting Project Ala!