Forest rangers, ready for inventory!

Knowing how to conduct a biodiversity situation analysis to better protect it. This was the goal of the 21 rangers in Amoron'i Onilahy Protected Area in southwestern Madagascar.

Knowing how to conduct a biodiversity situation analysis to better protect it. This was the goal of the 21 rangers in Amoron'i Onilahy Protected Area in southwestern Madagascar. It was during the last quarter of 2017 that about twenty "polisinala" or forest rangers, attended training on the theme of fauna and flora inventory in Tsimananpesotse National Park.

Ecological monitoring involving communities in natural resource management is one of the pillars of conservation promoted by WWF. It allows the valorization of the local competences but also the participation of the communities in the preservation of their resources. The "polisinala" were thus left with a new vision of their role: a better understanding of the link between conservation and community patrolling and surveillance activities. A better understanding of the operation of this spiny ecosystem in which they live will help to better conserve it.

The training is part of efforts to carry out long-term ecological monitoring of animal and plant species within the spiny forest of southern Madagascar.

To this end, WWF established a research camp in 2011 in collaboration with the University of Hamburg and Madagascar National Parks. Its objective is to understand the development and the role of different species, the evolution of the ecosystem, as well as the threats and the pressures on the fauna and flora.