Government Of Madagascar Research Articles

Dina, domination, and resistance: indigenous institutions, local politics, and resource governance in Madagascar

ABSTRACT This paper examines how Malagasy dina—local-level codes considered ‘customary law’ in Madagascar—have been enrolled in competing projects of territorial production. In doing so, it engages with conversations regarding the mobilization of indigenous forms—here manifested in the guise of ‘authentic’ institutions—to stake claims and govern behavior on extractive frontiers. Drawing on ethnographic evidence from Betsiaka, a rural commune in Madagascar’s far north, I show how a gold mining-specific dina has figured in local leaders’ struggles against state-corporate interventions; in external actors’ strategies of domination; and in intracommunity contests between factions seeking wealth and power in the diggings.

Household economy, forest dependency & opportunity costs of conservation in eastern rainforests of Madagascar

The Government of Madagascar is trying to reduce deforestation and conserve biodiversity through creating new protected areas in the eastern rainforests. While this has many benefits, forest use restriction may bring costs to farmers at the forest frontier. We explored this through a series of surveys in five sites around the Corridor Ankeniheny Zahamena new protected area and adjacent national parks. In phase one a stratified random sample of 603 households completed a household survey covering demographic and socio-economic characteristics, and a choice experiment to estimate the opportunity costs of conservation. A stratified sub-sample (n = 171) then completed a detailed agricultural survey (including recording inputs and outputs from 721 plots) and wild-harvested product survey. The data have been archived with ReShare (UK Data Service). Together these allow a deeper understanding of the household economy on the forest frontier in eastern Madagascar and their swidden agricultural system, the benefits households derive from the forests through wild-harvested products, and the costs of conservation restrictions to forest edge communities.

Perceived barriers to and drivers of community participation in protected-area governance.

Protected areas (PAs) are a frequently used conservation strategy, yet their socioeconomic impacts on local communities remain contentious. A shift toward increased participation by local communities in PA governance seeks to deliver benefits for human well-being and biodiversity. Although participation is considered critical to the success of PAs, few researchers have investigated individuals' decisions to participate and what this means for how local people experience the costs and benefits of conservation. We explored who participates in PA governance associations and why; the perceived benefits and costs to participation; and how costs and benefits are distributed within and between communities. Methods included 3 focus groups, 37 interviews, and 217 questionnaire surveys conducted in 3 communities and other stakeholders (e.g., employees of a nongovernmental organization and government officials) in PA governance in Madagascar. Our study design was grounded in the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the most commonly applied behavior model in social psychology. Participation in PA governance was limited by miscommunication and lack of knowledge about who could get involved and how. Respondents perceived limited benefits and high costs and uneven distribution of these within and between communities. Men, poorer households, and people in remote villages reported the highest costs. Our findings illustrate challenges related to comanagement of PAs: understanding the heterogeneous nature of communities; ensuring all households are represented in governance participation; understanding differences in the meaning of forest protection; and targeting interventions to reach households most in need to avoid elite capture.

Issues and challenges of forest governance in Madagascar

Co-management of forests was initiated in Madagascar in the 1990s, raising hopes for protecting biodiversity and improving community livelihoods. This paper addresses the limitations experienced in the co-management process in terms of efficiency and governance. Identified issues include confusion about the accountability of local actors, transparency in local fund management, insecure land tenure and limited participation of local people in planning.

Erratum to: Habitat Use and Activity Patterns as an Indication of Fragment Quality in a Strepsirrhine Primate

Acknowledgments I thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Primate Conservation Inc. for providing the funding for this research. Thanks also go to J. Ratsimbazafy and the team at Groupe d’Etude et de Recherche (GERP), the University of Antananarivo, and the Ministere de l’Eau et des Forets for research permission and facilitation; to R. Simmons and I. SchneiderCrease for their field assistance; to P. Andrianomena for his skilled guidance in the forest; to J. Hale for his advice and assistance in translating GPS data; and to the three anonymous reviewers who took the time to edit this manuscript. This research complies with the current laws established by the Ministere de l’Eau et des Forets and the government of Madagascar. Special thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Lisa Gould, for introducing me to the research sites and for providing valuable feedback and advice throughout the preparation of this manuscript. Int J Primatol (2013) 34:859 DOI 10.1007/s10764-013-9685-9

Methodological considerations in reserve system selection: A case study of Malagasy lemurs

Although data quality and weighting decisions impact the outputs of reserve selection algorithms, these factors have not been closely studied. We examine these methodological issues in the use of reserve selection algorithms by comparing: (1) quality of input data and (2) use of different weighting methods for prioritizing among species. In 2003, the government of Madagascar, a global biodiversity hotspot, committed to tripling the size of its protected area network to protect 10% of the country’s total land area. We apply the Zonation reserve selection algorithm to distribution data for 52 lemur species to identify priority areas for the expansion of Madagascar’s reserve network. We assess the similarity of the areas selected, as well as the proportions of lemur ranges protected in the resulting areas when different forms of input data were used: extent of occurrence versus refined extent of occurrence. Low overlap between the areas selected suggests that refined extent of occurrence data are highly desirable, and to best protect lemur species, we recommend refining extent of occurrence ranges using habitat and altitude limitations. Reserve areas were also selected for protection based on three different species weighting schemes, resulting in marked variation in proportional representation of species among the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species extinction risk categories. This result demonstrates that assignment of species weights influences whether a reserve network prioritizes maximizing overall species protection or maximizing protection of the most threatened species.

Madagascar's Coup Endangers Science and Scientists

The government of Madagascar was toppled last week in a bloody military coup that is playing havoc with the research efforts, and lives, of the many scientists studying the island9s rich biodiversity.

The Political Economy of Relief Aid Allocation: Evidence from Madagascar

This paper studies the political economy of relief aid allocation using empirical evidence from relief programs after a major cyclone (Gafilo) hit Madagascar in March 2004. Relief was provided by the Government of Madagascar as well as local and international aid agencies. Aid allocation was generally more likely in areas with a higher need for aid, but there were substantial differences between aid allocation by the government and by international aid agencies. The likelihood of receiving aid from the government was higher in cyclone-affected communes with higher radio coverage and with stronger political support for the government. Relief from aid agencies was not affected by media or political factors but was more likely to go to poorer and easier accessible communes, whether or not they were affected by the cyclone.

Sharecropping, Insecure Land Rights and Land Titling Policies: A Case Study of Lac Alaotra, Madagascar

Sharecropping between poor landlords and rich tenants has hitherto been the subject of very little academic scrutiny. Given that such ‘reverse share tenancy’ contracts are mostly at odds with the canonical risk‐sharing explanation for sharecropping, this article discusses a rationale for them that relies on weak property rights as well as the legal doctrine of adverse possession, and tests it using data from Lac Alaotra, Madagascar, where this type of tenancy accounts for one‐third of land rentals. The empirical findings are discussed in relation to recent land‐reform policies by the Government of Madagascar, the World Bank, IFAD, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Ecological Correlates to Lemur Community Structure in Southeast Madagascar

The Fandriana-Marolambo forest corridor is one of the largest (ca. 250,000 ha) and least explored tracts of unprotected forest in southeast Madagascar. Although published range maps show continuous distributions for many lemurs throughout the region, there are few data on lemur community structure in the corridor. We aimed to determine lemur community structure, with its ecological correlates (altitude, agriculture, selective logging, and hunting), in the Fandriana-Marolambo forest corridor. We surveyed 7 sites and sighted 4 nocturnal taxa (Avahi laniger, Cheirogaleus major, Lepilemur mustelinus, and Microcebus rufus) and 6 diurnal taxa (Eulemur rubriventer, E. fulvus rufus, E. f. fulvus, Propithecus diadema edwardsi, Hapalemur griseus griseus, and Varecia variegata variegata). Composition of the lemur community was broadly similar to that of nearby protected areas (Ranomafana and Mantadia National Parks). However, we sighted no Hapalemur aureus, H. simus, or Indri indri, and observed Propithecus diadema edwardsi and Varecia variegata variegata at only 1 site each. We sighted an apparent hybrid form of Eulemur fulvus fulvus and E. f. rufus that may represent a new hybrid zone for lemurs. After testing for spatial autocorrelation, lemur diversity correlates negatively with altitude and agricultural intensity. Though the Government of Madagascar is assessing the corridor as a new national park, we suggest conservation plans for local lemurs are complicated by population isolation and lack of data on minimum viable size of the proposed protected area.

Challenges of forest governance in Madagascar

There has been a huge surge in interest in the preservation of Madagascar's forests in the past two decades, but despite the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars, the goal remains elusive. Recent legislation has given the government the authority to enter into contractual arrangements with communities for the management of the country's public forests, so it has become crucial to grapple with the significant challenges involved. This paper explores the enormity of the challenge of forest governance in Madagascar in an era of decentralization. By examining several forests in one part of the country, it reveals a dizzying range of forest types and forms of use and governance within a fairly small portion of the country. These examples make it apparent that the history of forest management in Madagascar constitutes a broad‐ranging experiment with forest governance. Simply monitoring the dynamics of the forest canopy is a significant technical challenge. However, this pales in comparison to the difficulties inherent in explaining those dynamics and assessing the sustainability and equity of different management regimes. Of the forests considered in the study, those where the Malagasy state has partnered with international conservation and development organizations seem to stand out, both in terms of stabilized, or even growing, forest cover, as well as a balance of interests among users.

Husbandry and breeding of the Alaotran gentle lemur: Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis at Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust

The Alaotran gentle lemur Hupuletnur griseus ahotrensis is currently classified as Critically Endangered (IUCN, 1996). In 1988 a captive‐breeding programme was considered of highest priority and in November 1990 Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust. under its accord with the government of Madagascar, imported 6.4 animals. The first captive birth for the species occurred in 1993 and in April 1997 a further 6.4 were imported. As at 1 March 1998 14.8 animals were maintained at Jersey. This paper describes husbandry, enclosure design, diet, reproduction and infant development in H. g. aluotrensis.

The Palace of the Kings and Queens of Madagascar

On the night of 6 November 1995, the palace of the kings and queens of Madagascar (ROVA) (Fig. 1) was burned down. In order to coordinate the restoration activities, the government of Madagascar has created the DNOR, the National Directory of the ROVA project. This National Di rectory consists of four national experts and autonomously directs all the activities concerning the restoration of the ROVA, a royal site comprising several palaces made of wood, of which the principal palace has stone foun dations, while another is entirely made of stone. Since its official creation, the DNOR team has undertaken and coordinated a number of activities: a detailed inventory has been compiled of the objects which survived the fire (20% of the collection); the excavations on the site itself have been completed; and a rough draft of the preliminary outline of the architectural restoration plans and the consolidation process of the main building have been started, as has the reconstruction of the temple and the construction of a ramp permitting vehicle access to the sites. All these activities were undertaken only after a "resacrilization" of the site through a traditional ceremony organized at the royal tombs which asked for the benediction and protection of the ancestors. All the sketches of the buildings to be restored have been made. The potential museological scenarios are still under discussion. In the meantime, and taking into consideration the sacredness of this historical monument, it is necessary to collect all available information before a proposal for the function, as well as the final destiny of the restored site, can be formulated.

Political Ecology and Conflict in Ankarana, Madagascar

Conflict over issues of land use in northern Madagascar reveals that political is situational and that rights to resources are ambiguous. In two cases, local farmers, regional royal indigenous leader, and international conservationists struggled to establish and maintain ability to use and manage forested land to west of Ankarana massif. Political provides a theoretical framework for exploring complex political negotiations that are an integral part of all ecological interactions. In recognizing complexity of such interactions, applied attempts to address issues of environmental degradation and disenfranchisement may also become more effective. (Madagascar, political ecology, conservation, conflict) The protected forest of Ankarana Special Reserve, in northern Madagascar, has a history of local tensions over who possesses rights to land use and under what circumstances. Effective over land use is situational more than it is predetermined or consistently executed according to a set standard. The cases reported here reveal land- and resource-use rights to be ambiguous, overlapping, and even contradictory. Examining cases of conflict shows theoretical interdependence of political and ecological analyses by considering how people with different interests and access to power continuously negotiate rights to manage and use environment of Ankarana region. Political ecology, an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates political economy and cultural into one frame of analysis, provides a useful perspective for studying complex dynamics of human interactions with environment. By focusing on links between local, national, and international contexts, scholars have shown that ecological relationships extend beyond local geographical and political boundaries (Campbell and Olson 1991; Grossman 1993; Moore 1993; Jarosz 1993; Sanabria 1993) and that social differentiation is an important factor in resource management, as some possess greater rights to access and manage resources than others (Carney 1993; Schroeder 1993; Johnston 1994; Bryant 1995; Rocheleau et al. 1996). This article contributes to political by focusing on textured analyses of multilevel political interactions and processes, showing their relationship to regulation of and use of biophysical environment. While quantitative analyses have frequently been considered benchmark of studies in ecological anthropology, detailed qualitative analyses of micropolitics and sociocultural processes also reveal important aspects of patterns of human interaction with biophysical environment. Geographers Richard Peet and Michael Watts (1994:240) note the absence of serious treatment of politics in political ecology and call for qualitative studies integrating political action--whether everyday resistance, civic movements, or organized party politics--into questions of resource access and control (Peet and Watts 1994:240). Vayda (1983:271) also points out limitations of quantitative methodologies and advocates methods with a fluidity or flexibility to match that of things and processes we were trying to understand. The following analysis examines cases of conflict to gain insight into how different actors and authorities (the politicoreligious leader, people living on periphery of forest, and conservation organization in tandem with government of Madagascar) vie for access to forested land. Understandings in political go beyond theoretical relevance in their ability to suggest forms of resource management which take into account complexity of political and economic interactions. As Vayda (1983) suggests, ecological writings are most useful if they address some of concerns of policymakers as well as those of academics. …