Protected areas facing Covid-19

Protected areas are in distress against Covid-19.

The Forum of Professionals in the Management of Land Protected Areas of Madagascar (LAFA) recently published a study on the impacts of protected areas on Covid-19.

The result is unseeeding : Increasing vulnerability of protected areas.

The study was conducted 75 LAFA forum members and partners between March and May 2020 to shed light on the situation of protected areas in the face of the pandemic in order to better prepare for the coming months. According to this study, 29 protected areas on 123 have had more fires than last year over the same period, whose 6 with a drastic increase.

Stop deforestation

Illegal activities such as coal mining and wild land clearing are on the rise. In the Bongolava Protected Area, north-west of Madagascar, for example, illegal coal-fired ovens have gone from 53 in December 2019 to 123 May 2020 ; an increase of more than 100%.

According to Razafisoa Ratalata, coronavirus prevents them from acting.

"We are unable to raise awareness among communities and patrols because of the health crisis ; crimes such as land clearing, bushfires and cattle and crop thefts have therefore increased. »

Razafisoa Ratalata is President of Mihavao, community organization that manages the Amoron'i Onilahy Protected Area, southeast of Toliara.

Between April and May, 21 fire starts have been observed within this protected area. Yet it is one of the least cleared in Madagascar over the year 2019 (32 HA).

Among others, one can cite the reasons for this increase :

• increased anthropogenic pressures related to the loss of income due to the stoppage of tourism in particular ;
• loss of tourism funding (entrance fees to protected areas) ;
• The decrease in funding Foreign ;
• lack of land for a large part of the teams during this period, leaving the field open to illicit activities.

Indeed, the loss of income due to the cessation of tourism activities in Madagascar has worsened the social and economic situation of many families, who then turned more than usual to forests.

WWF Madagascar shares

WWF supports Amoron'i Onilahy communities by strengthening patrols and monitoring.

"Up-to-date fire starting cards and posters have been developed and distributed for protected area co-managers and community patrollers," says WWF's Jacyntha Ambinintsoa.

And she adds that : "To support fire awareness and compliance with existing laws,, Community radio programmes will also be planned. »

Pressure on protected areas has increased since the beginning of health restrictions, but protected area managers and partner communities are ready to fight for their conservation. A glimmer of hope for conservation in times of crisis.

Hope reinforced by the discovery of a brand new species of lemur mouse in northeastern Madagascar. "This discovery is a sign that we can still save our biodiversity says Madagascar's Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.

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Source : WWFMadagascarDu29/07/20