Nearly 20% of known animal species and 60% of known plant species in Madagascar are threatened with extinction, alongside a 44% decline in forest cover since the 1950s. On top of these alarming statistics, almost 80% of the human population lives below the international poverty line and communities in rural areas are often dependent on the declining forest resources. Since 2010 SEED has been working to preserve and protect the threatened biodiversity and ecosystems before we lose them forever.
Madagascar is one of the highest global biodiversity conservation priorities with levels of endemism reaching 83%. Spanning almost 2,000 hectares, the littoral forests are considered one of the largest and most intact examples of this threatened habitat type remaining in Madagascar. Its high levels of biodiversity, and locally endemic species are set against a backdrop of continuous forest fragmentation, pressure on natural resources and the constant threat of large-scale mining.
SEED's mission is to conserve the biodiversity, and sustainably manage the natural resources to benefit local communities. Our current projects are: Project Ala (protecting habitat for Endangered lemurs); Project Rufus (increasing awareness for long-term survival of flying fox bats); Project Palms (protect conservation of 6 Red List palm species in Sainte Luce); Research on the potential new species of leaf chameleon; and Project Oratsimba (protection of lobsters from overfishing).
Although this year has seen many challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to strive to achieve our conservation mission. Having worked in the Anosy region conducting research and community-based preservation in the littoral forests for 20 years, each of our projects are designed to fit into our long-term conservation goal. With your help, we aim to save what we can of the Sainte Luce biodiversity and ecosystems and bring greater stability to the region and its communities.
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