Communities In Madagascar Research Articles

Strengthening a resilient protected area workforce to advance the 30x30 goal: the case of Madagascar

Protected areas depend on a reliable and strong workforce to achieve biodiversity conservation goals. The Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted a target to protect at least 30 per cent of the planet’s land and seas by 2030, also known as 30x30. To reach and maintain this ambitious goal, an expanded conservation workforce is indispensable. Despite this, most protected areas are currently critically understaffed. This study examines staffing in shared governance protected areas in Madagascar - a biodiversity hotspot that has significantly expanded its protected area network since 2015. We explore factors that attract and retain protected area workers in order to suggest recommendations for workforce development. We employ a qualitative approach utilising face-to-face interviews and a survey of protected area staff and local communities in Madagascar. We obtained data from 62 individuals across 10 protected areas, under IUCN management categories II, V and VI. Findings indicate that understaffing is a dynamic rather than a static phenomenon. A key motivation for working in the protected area sector is place attachment. Non-monetary work practices including place-based empowerment of community groups and gender-inclusive approaches can improve organisational culture to meet growing human resource needs in protected areas. By charting a new path for workforce development, protected areas may be able to address long standing human resources issues and contribute to community empowerment and sustainable livelihood.

Parents, Caregivers, and Peers

Research on childhood in anthropology and neighboring disciplines has continuously broadened the range of the social partners that are considered relevant for young children’s development—from parents to other caregivers, siblings, and peers. Yet most studies as well as interventions in early childhood still focus exclusively on parents, who are presumed to be the most significant socializing agents. Objecting to such a hierarchical understanding of the social world of children, I propose a complementarity view. Rather than being linearly ranked in a hierarchy of significance, children’s social partners may complement each other by providing different but equally significant experiences. My suggestions are based on an ethnographic study in a rural community in Madagascar. Focusing on children in the first 3 years of life, I explore the full range of their social partners and the respective experiences they provide. Caregivers focus on children’s physical needs and aim to keep them in a calm emotional state, while other young related children are the most crucial partners when it comes to play, face-to-face interaction, and the exchange of intense emotions. These complementary roles, I argue, lead to the parallel formation of two distinct socioemotional modes: a hierarchical one and an egalitarian one.

Pirates and politics Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia David Graeber Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023. 208 pp.

An anthropologist argues that experimental communities in Madagascar influenced the European Enlightenment.

A conservation organisation's approach to COVID-19: Lessons learned from Madagascar.

The challenges in responding to the pandemic and in implementing and maintaining effective behaviour change are discussed. Although not an objective study of the effectiveness of the response or a comparison with other approaches, the lessons learned from this process are shared in the hope that they may inform responses to future shocks in low-income countries.

Neonatal acquisition of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the community of a low-income country (NeoLIC): protocol for a household cohort study in Moramanga, Madagascar

IntroductionData regarding the acquisition of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) in neonates at the community level are scarce in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the burden of neonatal sepsis is...

Use of native animals by local communities in Madagascar

Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot, yet its wildlife is under immense threat from habitat loss and other anthropogenic pressures. To tackle this, Madagascar has implemented new environmental legislation, including rapid expansion of the protected area network. Many new protected areas permit sustainable extraction of natural resources by local communities, but little is known about how and why local people use biodiversity, particularly animal wildlife. We conducted a rapid appraisal of animal use by 236 households across Madagascar's rural Moramanga district to explore which wild faunal species are used by local people and for what purpose. Our results document a wide range of uses attributed to familiar wildlife groups, including lemurs, tenrecs, birds, geckos, chameleons, frogs and invertebrates. Uses include food, trade, medicine, and pest control among others. We conclude that conservation decisions concerning sustainable use in relation to livelihoods require an understanding of both the diversity of species used and the diversity of uses of species by local communities.

The effect of swidden agriculture on ant communities in Madagascar

Swidden agriculture is a widespread subsistence farming method in the tropics, which is being intensified as human populations grow. This study is the first to investigate the impacts of land degradation from swidden upon ant species (both native and introduced) across the full degradation gradient, from forest, to tree fallows, to shrub fallows, to exhausted land. Ant communities in closed canopy forests had higher species diversity and were taxonomically distinct, but as land became increasingly degraded, a significant reduction in overall and native species richness was detected, as were changes in overall community composition. Whilst native species decreased across the degradation gradient, introduced species increased. There was also a significant correlation in community compositional changes between native and introduced species which was independent from environmental factors. Co-occurrence analysis, however, suggested there was little evidence that introduced species were significantly impacting the communities of native species. This suggests these patterns are both separately driven by habitat degradation. Degraded fallow habitats were found to harbour unique and endemic species, including 22.4% of the species found in closed canopy forest. Together, our results highlight the potentially detrimental effects of further spread and increased intensification of swidden systems in tropical ecosystems. The conservation of existing closed canopy forests is of utmost importance but we also highlight that the fauna of degraded swidden habitats could still be important for biodiversity conservation in agricultural landscapes across the tropics.

Individual‐based networks reveal the highly skewed interactions of a frugivore mutualist with individual plants in a diverse community

While plant–animal interactions occur fundamentally at the individual level, the bulk of research examining the mechanisms that drive interaction patterns has focused on species or population levels. In seed‐dispersal mutualisms between frugivores and plants, little is known about the role of space and individual‐level variation among plants in structuring patterns of frugivory and seed dispersal in a plant community. Here we use a zoocentric approach to examine how space and variation between individual plants affect movement and visitation by frugivores foraging on individual fruiting plants. To do this, we used a spatially explicit network approach informed by observations of the movement and foraging of a frugivorous lemur species Eulemur rubriventer among individual plants in a diverse plant community in Madagascar. The resulting hierarchical networks show a few individual plants receiving the bulk of the interactions, demonstrating that a generalist frugivore species could act as an individual‐plant specialist within a plant community. The few individual plants that dominated interactions with lemurs shaped the modular spatial structure of frugivory interactions in the community and facilitated visitation to near neighbors. This interaction structure was primarily driven by extrinsic factors, as lemur movements among plants were significantly influenced by the individual plant's spatial position and the fruiting plant richness in its immediate neighborhood. Individual plants in central spatial locations with large fruit crops received the most visits. The observed inequality in the interactions of a generalist frugivore within a highly diverse plant community highlights the importance of considering individual‐level variation for essential ecosystem processes such as seed dispersal.

Protecting Traditional Knowledge through Biocultural Community Protocols in Madagascar: Do Not Forget the “B” in BCP

As in many other countries in the south, the traditional knowledge (TK) of local communities in Madagascar is facing extinction. Biocultural community protocols (BCP), introduced in Madagascar following the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol (2010) and defined by the Mo’otz Kuxtal Voluntary Guidelines as “a wide range of expressions, articulations, rules and practices produced by communities to indicate how they wish to engage in negotiations with stakeholders”, holds out hopes for TK protection. By analysing two pilot BCPs in Madagascar, one established around the Motrobe (Cinnamosma fragrans) with a view to strengthening the existing value chain (BCP in Mariarano and Betsako) and the second initially established around plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (BCP of the farmers in Analavory), this study aims to assess the place and value ascribed to TK in the overall BCP development process and to analyse whether or not the process has helped to strengthen and revitalise TK at the community level. The ethnographic studies show commonalities in both BCP, in particular their main focus on access and benefit-sharing mechanisms, this against the backdrop of an economic model which stresses the importance of financial and institutional incentives; and conversely, a relative disregard for what relates to the biocultural dimension of TK. Local taboos (fady) as well as traditional dina (social conventions), which have long allowed for the regulation of access to common resources/TK, are scarcely mentioned. Based on these findings, we conclude that in order to revitalise TK, the process of developing BCPs should recognise and give special importance to TK, considering it as a biocultural whole, bound together with the territory, local customs, and biological resources; or else, TK is likely to remain a commodity to be valued economically, or a component like any other.

Effects of human variation on foot and ankle pain in rural Madagascar.

Foot and ankle dysfunction in barefoot/minimally shod populations remains understudied. Although factors affecting musculoskeletal pain in Western populations are well-studied, little is known about how types of work, gender, and body shape influence bone and joint health in non-Western and minimally shod communities. This study examines the effect of human variation on locomotor disability in an agrarian community in Madagascar. Foot measurements were collected along with height, weight, age, and self-report data on daily activity and foot and ankle pain from 41 male and 48 female adults. A short form revised foot function index (FFI-R), that measures functional disability related to foot pain, was calculated. Raw and normalized foot measurements were compared by gender and used in a multiple linear regression model to determine predictors of FFI-R. Compared to men, women reported higher FFI-R scores (p=0.014), spent more time on their feet (p=0.019), and had higher BMIs (p=0.0001). For their weight, women had significantly smaller and narrower feet than men. Bimalleolar breadth (p=0.0005) and foot length (p=0.0223) standardized by height, time spent on feet (p=0.0102), ankle circumference standardized by weight (p=0.0316), and age (p=0.0090) were significant predictors of FFI-R score. Our findings suggest that human variation in anatomical and behavioral patterns serve as significant explanations for increased foot and ankle pain in women in this non-Western rural population. Foot and ankle pain were prevalent at similar levels to those in industrialized populations, indicating that research should continue to examine its effect on similar barefoot/minimally shod communities.

Fine-scale variation in malaria prevalence across ecological regions in Madagascar: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundLarge-scale variation in ecological parameters across Madagascar is hypothesized to drive varying spatial patterns of malaria infection. However, to date, few studies of parasite prevalence with resolution at finer, sub-regional spatial scales are available. As a result, there is a poor understanding of how Madagascar’s diverse local ecologies link with variation in the distribution of infections at the community and household level. Efforts to preserve Madagascar’s ecological diversity often focus on improving livelihoods in rural communities near remaining forested areas but are limited by a lack of data on their infectious disease burden.MethodsTo investigate spatial variation in malaria prevalence at the sub-regional scale in Madagascar, we sampled 1476 households (7117 total individuals, all ages) from 31 rural communities divided among five ecologically distinct regions. The sampled regions range from tropical rainforest to semi-arid, spiny forest and include communities near protected areas including the Masoala, Makira, and Mikea forests. Malaria prevalence was estimated by rapid diagnostic test (RDT) cross-sectional surveys performed during malaria transmission seasons over 2013–2017.ResultsIndicative of localized hotspots, malaria prevalence varied more than 10-fold between nearby (< 50 km) communities in some cases. Prevalence was highest on average in the west coast region (Morombe district, average community prevalence 29.4%), situated near protected dry deciduous forest habitat. At the household level, communities in southeast Madagascar (Mananjary district) were observed with over 50% of households containing multiple infected individuals at the time of sampling. From simulations accounting for variation in household size and prevalence at the community level, we observed a significant excess of households with multiple infections in rural communities in southwest and southeast Madagascar, suggesting variation in risk within communities.ConclusionsOur data suggest that the malaria infection burden experienced by rural communities in Madagascar varies greatly at smaller spatial scales (i.e., at the community and household level) and that the southeast and west coast ecological regions warrant further attention from disease control efforts. Conservation and development efforts in these regions may benefit from consideration of the high, and variable, malaria prevalences among communities in these areas.

Reducing Child Labor in Mica‐Producing Communities of Madagascar (DOL)

Reducing Child Labor in Mica‐Producing Communities of Madagascar (DOL)

Klebsiella pneumoniae carriage in low-income countries: antimicrobial resistance, genomic diversity and risk factors

ABSTRACT Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae (hereafter, Kp) is a major public health threat responsible for high levels of multidrug resistant (MDR) human infections. Besides, Kp also causes severe infections in the community, especially in Asia and Africa. Although most Kp infections are caused by endogenous intestinal carriage, little is known about the prevalence and microbiological characteristics of Kp in asymptomatic human carriage, and attached risk factors including environmental sources exposure. Methods: Here, 911 pregnant women from communities in Madagascar, Cambodia, and Senegal were screened for gut colonization by Kp. Characteristics of Kp strains (antimicrobial susceptibility, genomic diversity, virulence, and resistance genes) were defined, and associated risk factors were investigated. Results: Kp carriage rate was 55.9%, and Kp populations were highly heterogeneous (6 phylogroups, 325 sequence types, Simpson index 99.6%). One third of Kp isolates had acquired antimicrobial resistance genes. MDR-Kp (11.7% to 39.7%) and extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Kp (0.7% to 14.7%) varied among countries. Isolates with virulence genes were detected (14.5%). Environmental exposure factors including food, animal contacts, or hospitalization of household members were associated with carriage of Kp, antimicrobial resistance and hypervirulence. However, risk factors were country-specific and Kp subpopulation-specific. Conclusion: This large-scale multicenter study uncovers the huge diversity of Kp in human gut carriage, demonstrates that antimicrobial resistance is widespread in communities of three low-income countries, and underlines the challenges posed by Kp colonization to the control of antimicrobial resistance.

Multiscale determinants of social adaptive capacity in small-scale fishing communities

Climate change is expected to reinforce undesirable social and ecological feedbacks between ecosystem degradation and poverty. This is particularly true for resource-dependent communities in the developing world such as coral reef fishing communities who will have to adapt to those new environmental conditions and novel ecosystems. It is therefore crucial to identify: i) multiscale characteristics that can influence social adaptive capacity of local communities to climate change, and ii) current and future social-ecological conditions related to climate change that might lead communities to experience unsustainable and undesirable states (i.e., “social-ecological traps”). Here, we investigated social adaptive capacity and the relationship to ecological conditions in 29 small-scale fishing communities in Madagascar and Kenya in the Western Indian Ocean. We found that isolation from a market and climate stress had a significant negative relationship with social adaptive capacity, while a higher level of education and the presence of market traders (middlemen) had a positive relationship. In general, resource management through marine protected areas and locally managed marine areas had a positive influence on ecological conditions. Combining social adaptive capacity and ecological conditions revealed that 80 % of fishers households surveyed were experiencing social-ecological states that could lead to unsustainable social-ecological conditions, while 10 % might already be experiencing social-ecological traps. Our findings reveal specific mechanisms by which conservation and development activities can increase social adaptive capacity in coastal communities, including but not limited to: increasing market access and education, and mitigating future climate exposure and unsustainable fishing through improved marine conservation and management.

Molecular Survey for Pathogens and Markers of Permethrin Resistance in Human Head Lice (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae) from Madagascar

Human infestation with head lice, Pediculus humanus capitis De Geer, is the most prevalent ectoparasitic condition in the modern world. The purpose of this study was to test human head lice from Madagascar for infection with 2 louse-borne bacteria, Bartonella quintana and Acinetobacter spp. including Acinetobacter baumannii, to assess the potential risk of exposure to these pathogens in rural populations experiencing head-louse pediculosis. A second aim was to determine the occurrence of a biomarker for permethrin resistance in head lice from 6 isolated human communities in Madagascar. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of B. quintana was detected using species-specific Fab3 gene TaqMan in 12.6% of lice from 4 villages. DNA of Acinetobacter spp. was detected using rpoB TaqMan in 42.1% of lice collected from all locations; 58.3% of rpoB-positive lice had the blaOXA51-like enzyme gene specific for A. baumannii. The kdr-resistant allele was detected in 70% of lice tested and was found in lice from each location. These results provide the first information regarding these combined characteristics of head-louse infestations in Madagascar. This approach can be applied to larger and broader surveys of lice from pediculosis capitis occurring in other geographic locations.

Integrating approaches to study land use change and hotspots of malaria transmission in rural Madagascar: an observational study

BackgroundChanges in how land is used can, by altering the ecology of microhabitats suitable for the Anopheles mosquito vector, modify the potential for malaria infection in a region. This can in part explain why malaria transmission is spatiotemporally variable and why localised foci of a substantially higher burden than regional or national averages are often observed. However, numerous other factors also contribute to the non-random distribution of malaria infections, such as human demography and behaviour, immune history and current health status, and access to adequate health services. Therefore, we aimed to integrate ecological, demographic, and socioeconomic data to better understand the forces driving malaria transmission hotspots in five sample regions in Madagascar. This research can be applied to develop land use practices or interventions that better mitigate malaria transmission. MethodsLarge, interdisciplinary datasets from two prospective cohort studies of 701 and 856 people and one cross-sectional study of 5598 people (both sexes and all ages) from a total of 31 localities in Madagascar were analysed. Clinical (including malaria infection outcome) and health and socioeconomic survey data for each individual participant were paired with mosquito vector habitat transects and remote-sensing geospatial data in hierarchical models. To better examine transmission patterns in the spatiotemporal distribution of malaria infections, genetic analyses using a panel of polymorphic genetic markers were done to examine genetic diversity of malaria parasites. FindingsWe observed a non-random distribution of malaria infections at multiple spatial scales, providing evidence of hotspots in malaria transmission at the individual, household, and community levels. For example, malaria prevalence varied from 5% to 40% between sites within 15 km. Malaria prevalence in many of these rural communities in Madagascar was substantially higher than expectations based on the published national or regional estimates of about 5–9%. Genetic data, especially in the northeastern localities, were consistent with the presence of stable foci of high transmission in remote areas where the landscape is dominated by recent and ongoing conversion of forest to agricultural land, primarily for rice cultivation. InterpretationRemote communities in Madagascar, communities at the frontier of the rapid ecological transformation that is happening globally, have a disproportionately higher malaria burden than regional and national averages. Integrating diverse data streams allows a more complete understanding of the ecological and sociodemographic contributors to spatial patterns of infection and highlights the need for greater targeting of these vulnerable communities. We show the usefulness of a planetary health perspective in both identifying areas at high risk of infectious diseases such as malaria and providing a framework for future policies and practice that might jointly promote environmental and human health. FundingFunding was provided by: NIH grant AI099105 to DLH, a grant to D. F. Wirth from the Global Health Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and a grant to CDG by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Acquisition of extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae in neonates: A community based cohort in Madagascar

In low and middle income countries (LMICs), where the burden of neonatal sepsis is the highest, the spread of extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) in the community, potentially contributing to the neonatal mortality, is a public health concern. Data regarding the acquisition of ESBL-PE during the neonatal period are scarce. The routes of transmission are not well defined and particularly the possible key role played by pregnant women. This study aimed to understand the neonatal acquisition of ESBL-PE in the community in Madagascar. The study was conducted in urban and semi-rural areas. Newborns were included at birth and followed-up during their first month of life. Maternal stool samples at delivery and six stool samples in each infant were collected to screen for ESBL-PE. A Cox proportional hazards model was performed to identify factors associated with the first ESBL-PE acquisition. The incidence rate of ESBL-PE acquisition was 10.4 cases/1000 newborn-days [95% CI: 8.0–13.4 cases per 1000 newborn-days]. Of the 83 ESBL-PE isolates identified, Escherichia coli was the most frequent species (n = 28, 34.1%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 20, 24.4%). Cox multivariate analysis showed that independent risk factors for ESBL-PE acquisition were low birth weight (adjusted Hazard-ratio (aHR) = 2.7, 95% CI [1.2; 5.9]), cesarean-section, (aHR = 3.4, 95% CI [1.7; 7.1]) and maternal use of antibiotics at delivery (aHR = 2.2, 95% CI [1.1; 4.5]). Our results confirm that mothers play a significant role in the neonatal acquisition of ESBL-PE. In LMICs, public health interventions during pregnancy should be reinforced to avoid unnecessary caesarean section, unnecessary antibiotic use at delivery and low birth weight newborns.

Everyday Laptop Use by Children in a Southern Country: A Mixed-Method Approach

Information and communication technology (ICT) use among children in low-income countries remains understudied. The purpose of this study is to describe laptop usage among children in the context of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project 4 years after the laptops were first introduced in a community in Madagascar. The study was conducted using a mixed-method approach combining analysis of ICT use history, empirical observations, and interviews with children and parents. In class, activities involving laptops—including educational games, information research, and the creation of texts and storyboards—were found to be aligned with existing classroom activities. Outside school, computers were found to be used in individual, group, or family settings to listen to music and watch videos, play games, share content, and do homework. The study also found that computers play a major role in everyday routines, opening up new possibilities in photography and video-making. The findings also indicate that computer usage encourages children to learn new literacies in which image plays a central role and new forms of self-expression if they are accompanied and supported by their family.

Edge effects on components of diversity and above‐ground biomass in a tropical rainforest

Abstract Edge effects are among the most significant consequences of forest fragmentation. Therefore, understanding the impacts of edge creation on biodiversity is crucial for forest management and biological conservation. In this study, we used trait‐based and phylogenetic approaches to examine the effects of fragmentation on components of diversity and above‐ground biomass of rainforest tree communities in Madagascar in forest edge vs. interior habitats. Tree communities in forest edges showed lower phylogenetic diversity relative to those in interior habitats, suggesting that some clades may be more vulnerable to environmental filtering than others. Functional diversity was also significantly lower on the edge for productivity traits, but not for dispersal traits. Tree communities in the forest edge showed higher divergence of dispersal traits and lower divergence in productivity traits than expected, while functional diversity in interior forest did not differ from random expectations. This suggests that separate mechanisms affect productivity traits vs. dispersal traits in edge habitats. There was no significant difference in above‐ground biomass between edge and interior habitats, suggesting that edge effects have not yet negatively influenced the forest's potential for carbon storage. However, these changes may not have occurred yet, given the slow turnover of tree communities. Synthesis and applications. Our results highlight the role of edge effects in the erosion of functional and phylogenetic diversity of highly diverse tree communities. While above‐ground biomass did not appear to be affected by forest edge in our study, we suggest long‐term monitoring of forests for potential changes in ecosystem functioning. These findings also indicate the need to reduce edge creation and buffer existing edges for holistic biodiversity conservation.

The Effects of Biogeography and Biotic Interactions on Lemur Community Assembly

Geographic patterns of biodiversity result from broad-scale biogeographic and present-day ecological processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative importance of biogeographic history and ecology driving patterns of diversity in modern primate communities in Madagascar. I collected data on endemic lemur species co-occurrence from range maps and survey literature for 100 communities in protected areas. I quantified and compared taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional dimensions of intra- and intersite diversity. I tested environmental and geographic predictors of diversity and endemism. I calculated deforestation rates within protected areas between the years 2000 and 2014, and tested if diversity is related to forest cover and loss. I found the phylogenetic structure of lemur communities could be explained primarily by remotely sensed plant productivity, supporting the hypothesis that there was ecological differentiation among ecoregions, while functional-trait disparity was not strongly related to environment. Taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity also increased with increasing topographic heterogeneity. Beta diversity was explained by both differences in ecology among localities and potential river barriers. Approximately 3000 km2 were deforested in protected areas since the year 2000, threatening the most diverse communities (up to 31%/park). The strong positive association of plant productivity and topographic heterogeneity with lemur diversity indicates that high productivity, rugged landscapes support greater diversity. Both ecology and river barriers influenced lemur community ecology and biogeography. These results underscore the need for focused conservation efforts to slow the loss of irreplaceable evolutionary and ecological diversity.