Political Unrest Portends Ecological Ruin in Madagascar

The ongoing political fallout in Madagascar has led to a rise in both illegal and sanctioned logging, undermining decades of conservation work, environmental groups say.

After pro-opposition troops ousted President Marc Ravalomanana in March, illegal logging and the trade in wildlife-derived bushmeat escalated in many of the island's protected areas. Although a deal between political parties this week may provide some stability, conservation groups warn that persistent lawlessness coupled with a decline in foreign aid will lead to a rise in deforestation in some of the world's most unique ecosystems.

Conservation groups have prioritized their efforts in Madagascar, a country off Africa's east coast that is considered a "hotspot" for biological diversity. Some 92 percent of the island's reptiles, 90 percent of its plant life, and 98 percent of its land mammals, including lemurs, are found naturally nowhere else on Earth. But conservation programs are now in peril, following the decision of major donors, namely the United States and World Bank, to pull non-humanitarian aid following the change of government.

"Park staff and management authorities have been deprived of the resources and mechanisms they need to prevent illegal logging," said Frank Hawkins, vice president of Conservation International's Africa program. "Communities who have been developing mechanisms for generating revenue from intact forests, tourism, or carbon [sequestration] will not be able to generate revenue because of the government situation, and they will have to go back to slash-and-burn agriculture."

Communities and park officials report that armed gangs are entering protected areas such as the Marojejy and Masoala World Heritage Sites and the Mananara-Nord Biosphere Reserve, where they are removing endangered rosewood trees and other threatened hardwood species, specifically ebony.

An estimated 7,000 cubic meters of felled rosewood and ebony have been shipped each month to Madagascar's  ports since the political turmoil began in January, according to presentations by Global Witness, an environmental group working with Madagascar's transitional government.

International conservation groups and conservation scientists issued a joint press release on Tuesday warning that the increased pressure on protected forests is threatening to push many of the island's rare species toward extinction. In addition, endangered lemurs are being trapped in increasing numbers and sold as food.

"Bush meat hunting is definitely on the rise since the new government came in - there's basically a lack of governance in these parks," said Claire Kremen, a University of California at Berkeley conservation biologist who led efforts in the late 1990s to create Masoala National Park. "People coming in are armed, intimidating park guards and local people. There's not much they can do about it."

The previous government worked closely with conservation groups to expand ecotourism opportunities and keep much of the island's endangered hardwood off the market. Ravalomanana said in 2003 that he would more than triple the total area of protected land - from 1.7 million hectares to 6 million hectares.

Environmental groups now accuse the transitional government of failing to uphold commitments to protect national forests. At the heart of concerns is an order issued late last month that granted 13 operators permission to each export 25 containers of rosewood and ebony. 

The order states that logging in protected areas remains illegal, and all exporters would need to pay taxes that would support community and reforestation programs.

Hawkins insists, however, that the government lacks any system for collecting these funds. "There's no structure available to enforce this. It's a window dressing," he said.

Furthermore, Conservation International, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and WWF stated in a communiqué last week that the policy would allow for the potential embezzlement of funds targeted for environmental protection and further corruption in the forestry sector.

"Forest administration agents are no longer entitled to apply the law," said Niall O'Connor, WWF's regional representative for Madagascar and the Western Indian Ocean. "Given the stakes, and the weak capacity of control and enforcement...it will not be difficult for these agents and authorities to give up to corruption."

The World Bank and U.S. Agency for International Development have suspended their funding for environmental programs in Madagascar until at least October 2010. Unless foreign aid resumes in the coming few months, Hawkins expects local officials will be unable to stop the conservation losses.

"This illegal logging, the hunting of lemurs, it's something people are getting bolder in doing as they see they are not being constrained from doing so," he said. "The capacity from the community to stop this will not last long."

Ben Block is a staff writer with the Worldwatch Institute. He can be reached at bblock@worldwatch.org.

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