DLC Conservation Update, July '24

SAVA News

Welcome to DLC-SAVA scholar, Candidier Dimbijaonina! Candidier has started his master's program. He did his undergraduate work in the SAVA region and for four years has worked as a research assistant with the DLC-SAVA Conservation program. Now he's using all the data he collected to do his master's thesis in the Political Science and Development department at the University of Antananarivo.

Candidier participates in research and education with the DLC-SAVA Conservation program and is now working on his master's degree

Reproductive health services provided to more than 400 women. Project Coordinator Lanto strengthened our collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health to increase capacity for rural clinics. With the nurses from six rural clinics, they visited all the villages along the entrance to the Marojejy National Park, in the western periphery of the park, on the outskirts of the Makirovana protected area, and outside of the city of Antalaha.

Nurses preparing to visit rural villages in the SAVA region to offer reproductive health information and services.

Research on mother and infant nutritional health shows that up to 40% of children in SAVA are malnourished. We couple research on nutrition with cooking classes and farming workshops to improve nutritional health in the SAVA region.

Measuring mid-upper arm circumference is a standard measure of malnutrition

International Women’s Day celebrations with conservation leaders. We supported three different groups to celebrate Women’s Day, including the Women’s Association of the Ministry of Environment, a women’s farming association, and the ladies on the bamboo charcoal team. Read more about these fantastic groups.

Providing after-school classes for students to improve their chances of passing final exams. We provided teachers and students with necessary supplies for extra study hours after class for the students at the primary school in Mandena village, near Marojejy.

Andapa high school environmental club harvests 14kg of farm-raised fish. Last June we started fish ponds with the environmental club, and in February they harvested the largest fish to sell. With the money they earned, they’re creating a social space where students can sit in the shade and enjoy the view of their ponds.

Club members catching fish

Fresh fish for market

Hosted community-led conservation management meetings to initiate a new protected area, Ambanitaza. During two meetings, 150-200 members from the surrounding villages came to meet with the forestry authorities (DREDD, Cantonnement) to learn about the procedures and fill out the necessary paperwork to start the lengthy procedure. We are planning several more of these meetings in the coming months to ensure steady progress and achieving our goal of creating an official community-managed protected area.

Week-long working session aimed at empowering graduates of the SAVA regional university and the DLC internship program to create their own social enterprise. The SAVA Agroecology Team focuses on providing agricultural extension and agribusiness services in the region. The team has created a legally recognized civil society organization and will continue to grow its ability to serve clients in diverse skill-building and value-chain services.

The SAVA Agroecology Team

Meetings with the Regional Office of Environment and Madagascar National Parks to review collaborations in the past two years and renew written protocols for the next two years. These conventions serve as guidelines for transparent and accountable conservation actions with key national-level partners.

Grant to evaluate forest restoration effectiveness awarded by Swiss National Science Foundation. With colleagues including Dr. Dominic Martin from Switzerland and Dr. Sarobidy Rakotonarivo from Madagascar, we will investigate how well restoration projects are meeting the needs of diverse stakeholders. Together with all relevant actors, we’ll co-design restoration initiatives that have the best chances for long-term success. We’ll soon be joined by a new Malagasy postdoctoral fellow to lead the project in SAVA.

The international team will study landscape restoration efforts all over Madagascar

Silky Sifaka Working Group meetings continue in 2024. We brought together a diverse group of leaders to develop an action plan for silky sifaka conservation. We continue to review and revise the plan as we begin 2024 and coordinate the activities among Malagasy National Parks, World Wildlife Fund, CURSA, and DLC.

Trips to Marojejy for high school environmental clubs. Our education specialist, Evrard, led two trips to Marojejy National Park for the high school environmental clubs who collaborate with DLC. More than 40 students and teachers visited the pristine rainforests of Marojejy and saw lemurs with their own eyes for the first time. These field trips were a senior send-off for our amazing high school partners, and we congratulate them on their successful graduations!

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DLC Conservation Update, July '24

SAVA News

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