Inspiring Conservation Initiatives in Madagascar

Mitsinjo Community Forest

Part of the much-visited Andasibe-Mantadia rainforest area, Mitsinjo Community Forest (Analamazaotra Special Reserve) offers a far quieter alternative for ecotourists wishing to avoid the crowds present in Andasibe. It’s where David Attenborough famously filmed indri lemurs in 1961 for ‘Zoo Quest’, before returning some 50 years later to film there again for the 2011 BBC series ‘Madagascar’.

Why Mitsinjo Community Forest stands out

What makes Mitsinjo special, and a model of grassroots success, is that it’s run by a local community association, rather than an external NGO. Mitsinjo Association (Fikambanana Mitsinjo) was created by residents of Andasibe. Founded by guides, farmers and conservationists, it’s not an international NGO, or even a national one in the classic sense. Decisions are made locally by members of the association. It’s therefore about as close as one can get to ‘bottom-up’ conservation ownership.

There’s a direct link between tourism and livelihoods, and high-quality, intensive conservation is achieved for the site. Tourism here is central, so Mitsinjo runs its own guiding services, night walks and a small ecolodge. Income goes directly to staff salaries, community projects and conservation activities. Jobs are visible and local; the forest is operated and financed by resident community members.

Being right across the road from Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, it benefits from the steady visitor flow. The community, therefore, captures more of the tourism value chain, rather than partnering with an external operator.

In terms of species conservation, Mitsinjo has become internationally renowned for its conservation achievements, especially during the amphibian crisis. It runs a bio-secure breeding facility for endangered frogs (notably the critically endangered golden mantella). It’s also played a key role in responding to chytrid fungus threats, working with global scientists while maintaining local control. This has connected it to global conservation networks without losing its grassroots base.

Perhaps the best-known achievements of Association Mitsinjo are its hands-on habitat restoration work. This entails actively restoring degraded rainforest. The extensive tree nursery produces tens of thousands of seedlings for replanting forest corridors and, in doing so, employs local people. This is visible, tangible conservation—locals literally rebuilding their rainforest.

Mitsinjo has invested heavily in environmental education for local schools, as well as training of local guides and conservation technicians. The overarching aim has been to build a sense that ‘this rainforest is ours to protect’, and the resulting cultural shift is one of its biggest long-term wins.

There are international partners who play supporting roles. Key partners providing expertise include Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, a major collaborator on amphibian conservation and technical support. Chester Zoo, too, supports amphibian breeding and conservation programmes. Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group is a long-term conservation partner in the Andasibe region, and various universities and research institutions provide science, monitoring, and training. Despite being grassroots, Association Mitsinjo contributes to international research, notably for species survival programmes.

You can visit Mitsinjo Community Forest on our Madagascar Wildlife Discovery small-group tour. Witness the thriving wildlife, amphibian conservation and community-led restoration first-hand before exploring more of the country’s spectacular protected areas.

Atrema Biocultural Site

Near the remote town of Katsepy on the Betsiboka Delta, the dry-forest site of Atrema is a fascinating case – in some ways a more fragile, “in-progress” version of the same grassroots conservation ideas that are already working well at other locations included in this blog, such as Andrafiamena and Mitsinjo. While it does embody community-led conservation, ecological and economic conditions are tougher, and a slightly different partnership model is in place.

The formation of the protected area followed a request from the royal family (mpanjaka) to protect the local population of the critically endangered, locally endemic crowned sifaka (Propithecus coronatus). The local Sakalava-Boina people believe these lemurs to be reincarnated ancestors, so they’re protected by ‘fady’ (taboo). The residents are related by bloodlines or via marriage and fall under the authority of the Prince Tsimanendry of Doany, the guardian of this tradition. The lakes are a RAMSAR site.

Why Atrema Biocultural Site stands out

Rather than being a large, formally protected area, Atrema is more of a locally governed conservation landscape with NGO support.

The core local structure comprises village-level associations (COBAs – community-based natural resource management groups).

Local leaders manage the day-to-day use and protection of the site. The main NGO partner is an unusual one, i.e. University of Hamburg. Support for the site is therefore more research-driven.

Atrema is an example of the classic “GELOSE” (community transfer) model, as it’s being developed under Madagascar’s legal framework for transferring forest management to resident communities. Communities have formal rights to manage forest resources. They set and enforce rules on logging, charcoal production and grazing. It’s one of the earlier experiments in devolved conservation governance in Madagascar.

Conservation and daily survival are tightly intertwined. This is where Atrema feels very different on the ground: the surrounding region is hot, dry and economically marginal. People, for the most part, depend directly on forest products, fishing and small-scale agriculture. So, conservation isn’t just about “alternative livelihoods”; it’s about managing scarcity.

Ecotourism does exist, but it’s still very small-scale and intermittent. Rainbow clients who’ve been to Atrema love the experience, and they tend to be ardent wildlife enthusiasts on their third or even fourth trip to the island. Infrastructure is minimal, with just the Chabaud Lodge on the bank of the Betsiboka River. It does mean that conservation is less subsidised by tourism revenue, which makes it harder to sustain.

One of Atrema’s biggest successes has been the implementation of long-term environmental education programmes. There’s ongoing engagement with schools and local communities, building awareness of the value of forests and wildlife protection. This has created a generational shift in attitudes, even if economic pressures remain.

Atrema is often cited not just for its successes but also for its ongoing challenges: pressure on charcoal production remains a major driver of deforestation, enforcement capacity is at times weak, and funding continuity is limited. Reliance on external partners (like the University of Hamburg) is therefore heavy.

Even with those issues, Atrema matters because it shows early-stage grassroots conservation (what happens when rights are devolved before strong institutions are built); conservation under real pressure; and a site with no strong tourism safety net in place and high dependence on natural resources. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of long-term relationship building, as in decades of engagement between communities and partners.

You can visit Atrema in combination with Ankarafantsika National Park, as Mahajanga is the access airport for both. Contact one of our Travel Specialists for further information to help plan your exploration and tailor your Madagascar experience exactly to your liking.

Andrafiamena-Andavakoera Protected Area

In remote northern Madagascar, Andrafiamena–Andavakoera is often held up as demonstrating one of Madagascar’s most successful “new protected area” models, because it blends biodiversity protection (for species like the critically endangered Perrier’s sifaka) with deep, structured community involvement and locally rooted NGOs.

Why Andrafiamena-Andavakoera stands out

Firstly, a Malagasy NGO, rather than an external one, is leading the project. The protected area is managed by Fanamby, which is unusual in a sector often dominated by international NGOs. Fanamby is a homegrown conservation organization managing multiple protected areas across Madagascar. It combines conservation + livelihoods + tourism, rather than treating them separately. The efforts have demonstrably reduced forest loss and restored habitat in sites where Fanamby is active. This local leadership is a big part of why the model is considered more durable and culturally embedded.

Secondly, there is true co-management with communities, rather than just “participation”. Andrafiamena–Andavakoera is governed as a co-managed protected landscape, where local people are not just beneficiaries but decision-makers. Communities are organized into KMTs (Komity Miaro ny Tontolo iainana) which are local environmental committees These groups handle patrolling, surveillance, and day-to-day management. They receive training, equipment, and formal roles in governance. That conservation enforcement is socially embedded, rather than being imposed externally, is key.

Thirdly, direct economic benefits are tied to conservation. Akiba Anjahakely Lodge is central to the model. Fanamby has deliberately linked conservation to income streams: eco-lodges create jobs and generate revenue. Villages provide guides, staff, and services and tourism income supports schools, water supply and upgrading of local infrastructure

At a broader level, such projects have created dozens of jobs and alternative livelihoods. Activities include tree nurseries, agroforestry, honey, rice, and fishing value chains. So conservation is not viewed as a restriction - rather, it becomes an economic asset.

Finally, this particular site demonstrates an example of integrated conservation, i.e. ecology + livelihoods + enforcement. The approach is deliberately holistic, and this is something visitors can see first-hand: as part of reforestation and habitat restoration, thousands of trees are cultivated; there is fire management and locally-staffed anti-poaching patrols, and community-based monitoring systems (participatory ecological monitoring) are in place. Complex threats like illegal gold mining are dealt with through community patrols and stakeholder engagement. It’s not just protecting forest—it’s managing a social-ecological system.

You can visit Andrafiamena-Andavakoera Protected Area on our Madagascar Endangered Icons small group tour. Join accomplished tour leader and expert Daniel Austin in seeking a wide variety of Madagascar's most unusual wildlife species in their natural habitat.