Reduced hunting and deforestation in Makira Natural Park for beginning of 2016

The Makira Natural Park in northeast Madagascar covers 372,000 ha and is managed by WCS in collaboration with over 70 local community groups on behalf of the Government of Madagascar. Between February and April 2016, WCS and community ranger patrols in Makira Natural Park covered over 1,300 km on foot in the Park to monitor illegal activities and intrusions into the Park. The patrol results from this three-month period are very encouraging in terms of hunting and forest clearing, with a 51% reduction in incidences of clearing for slash-and-burn agriculture inside the Park, and a 74% reduction in the number of lemur traps discovered by patrols compared to the last quarter of 2015. The patrols did however record an increase in the number of fires recorded inside the Park and a slight increase in the extraction of non-timber forest products. The results of the patrol efforts are recorded using SMART conservation software, which allows the Makira Natural Park management team to track which areas have been covered by patrols, and to target areas for future patrol efforts.

Launch of website for GEF financed dugong conservation project in northwest Madagascar

The website for the GEF-financed global Dugong and Seagrass Project was launched on May 22, 2016 as part of the celebrations for World Biodiversity Day www.dugongconservation.org. The Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project seeks to conserve seagrass ecosystems through a combination of science and research, conservation policy development and implementation, community incentives, as well as outreach and education programs. More than 26 partners and 38 projects across eight countries (Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mozambique, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu) form the basis of this global conservation effort. The Project is executed by the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, with financing from the Global Environment Facility, implementation support by United Nations

support Environmental Program and technical from the Convention on Migratory Species’ Dugong MoU Secretariat. In Madagascar, WCS is carrying out research activities including seagrass mapping, community surveys, and acoustic surveys along the west coast to identify locations of potential dugong habitat. The results will be used to develop conservation measures to protect these unique and extremely rare animals.

Children’s art program around Makira Natural Park raises environmental awareness

In April 2016 WCS joined forces with the Rogue Foundation http://roguefoundation.org/ in New York and CPALI / SEPALI http://www.cpali.org/ to implement a children’s art program in Maroantsetra and a number of villages in the buffer zone of Makira Natural Park. The aim of the art program was to teach children about biodiversity and conservation in a fun and ludic way and to work with them to develop paintings and drawings that will be auctioned in the Rogue Space Gallery in New York later in 2016. The artwork of the children used a range of natural, locally found materials including dyes and spices. Proceeds from the sales of the artwork will be used to fund future art-based activities with children in the Makira area.

Launch of Madagascar COMBO Project: COnservation, impact Mitigation and Biodiversity Offsets in Africa