WE BELIEVE IN MADAGASCAR

Madagascar is a country exceptional in biodiversity, rich in culture but economically poor.

Madagascar is a world of wonder. Since tectonic plates separated 88 million years ago it has evolved with next to no contact with the rest of the world. It is big, 2 ½ times the size of Britain, with 5% of the planet’s species only found there. It is a biodiversity hotspot high in endemism with 85% of animals and plants unique to the island, the fourth biggest in the world, often termed the “eighth continent”. Amazing landscapes include tropical forest, dry spiny forest, temperate savannah, high mountains, desert, wetlands and coral reefs.

Amongst the stars of the show are 113 kinds of lemur (that is a quarter of primate species in the world), 80% of the world’s chameleon species and 6 of the planet’s 8 baobab species. New species of all genera are still being discovered.

Madagascar remained as good as untouched by human’s until around 2000 years ago. The first migrations came not from neighbouring Africa but from the other side of the Indian Ocean, South East Asia. With further migrations from Asia and Africa, and influence from Arabia, China, India and Europe and a period of French colonisation, the people of Madagascar have a unique and diverse heritage with a rich and varied culture.

The population of 30 million is mostly rural and 66% of them are subsistence farmers. The predominant world views are the traditional Veneration of the Ancestors, Christianity, and for a few, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism. The variety of influence is everywhere. Malagasy tombs, Indonesian architecture, European churches, African zebu cattle, American rap music etc. There are officially 18 different ethnic groups which can be further subdivided in terms of identity, with different customs, norms and dialects.

Family clearing sand after cyclone floods field, Faliarivo, Ikongo

Poverty wreaks a high cost

Economically Madagascar is the 4th poorest country in the world thanks to years of international exploitation and weak governance. It has a gross National Income per capita of $480. 24 million people live in extreme poverty.

This crippling poverty causes some of the world’s worst ratings for well-being and development. It ranks 7th worst in the Global Hunger Index; almost half of children under five suffer chronic malnutrition and stunting. Malnutrition leaves people more susceptible to common diseases like malaria and tuberculosis and even the plague. It is in the lowest 25% of countries for life expectancy and maternal mortality. The dreadful statistics go on. The reality makes life and change challenging.

Poverty is the primary driver of the devastation of Madagascar’s rich biodiversity. As the demand for land and natural resources ever increases  so do slash-and-burn agriculture, charcoal and firewood collection, and the unsustainable harvesting of wildlife. Both humans and wildlife are threatened by ecological breakdown. The land is already subject to some of the highest rates of topsoil loss in the world. Rivers run red into the sea.

Climate change is recognised as an increasing problem across the nation, with droughts, flooding, and cyclones intensifying in severity. Projections indicate that, without mitigation,  by 2050 Madagascar will lose 11–27% of its current habitat due to climate change alone.

People and nature are severely threatened. Government and external support is not proving adequate to remedy the problems

Development and Conservation begins and ends with people

The key actors to turn things around are the local people themselves. They are the only significant resource that exists to make a difference. But they need huge support; resources and expertise to marry with their local knowledge and hard work; genuine partnerships to maximise resources and seize opportunities. Feedback Madagascar is dedicated to working with rural communities in their quest for self-sufficiency, sustainable development and environmental management.