Conservation, development, and a heterogeneous community: The case of Ambohitantely Special Reserve, Madagascar

The Ambohitantely forest is located Anakazobe region of Madagascar, just north of the capital city, Antananarivo. Though conservation has always been a concern in Madagascar, deforestation was a major issue in the mid 19th century. By 1938, a reserve at Ambohitantely was permanently established for restoration of the natural forest. As the natural forest began to recover, a Eucalyptus afforestation program was established that began in 1939. Traditionally, the approach to policy regarding conservation and development has always been top-down, with stronger enforcement of regulations. Recently, collaboration with other global partners has produced what is known as integrated conservation and development (ICD), though in this area, success of the program has been hindered by the lack of communication between various governing bodies, resulting in insufficient consideration for communities of local villages along the periphery of the reserve, negating the desired effects of ICD. Conflict between conservation and development of these poverty stricken villages is contradicting the effects of ICD, and preventing successful implementation of management plans.