60 years of action for nature and people in Madagascar

Posted on 23 August 2023

This year, we celebrated our 60 years of involvement in Madagascar! In our 4 priority landscapes and in the capital, celebrations were intertwined with actions to raise environmental awareness

Photography exhibitions on nature, carnivals, public authority speeches, conference-debates, musical performances from committed artists and information and awareness-raising workshops punctuated our year 2023, the year of our 60th anniversary.

The city of Ambilobe, in the DIANA landscape (northwest Madagascar), led off the festivity in our priority landscapes.

On May 16, a large carnival brought together around 500 people (representatives of 20 community-based organizations, 4 locally-managed marine areas, civil society organizations, authorities, partners, young people, etc.), followed by a photography exhibition on the "biodiversity of northern Madagascar".

Remise du certificat de reconnaissance par le gouverneur de la région DIANA.

Remise du certificat de reconnaissance par le gouverneur de la région DIANA.

During his address, the Governor of the DIANA region presented WWF with a certificate of recognition for all the work carried out over the past 10 years to include local communities in conservation actions (inclusive conservation).

From May 21 to 26, we headed off to Antsohihy and Sambava, in the landscape “Hautes Terres du nord”, to celebrate our 60th anniversary.

The program included a large carnival led by young people and civil society, with the participation of regional authorities and partners from the city of Sambava, conference-debates, and exhibition booths run by young people. Over 200 people attended the event. The "Fauna and Flora of the Hautes Terres du nord (Nothern Highlands)" photography exhibition showcased the richness of the northern rainforest in both cities.

The celebrations served as a reminder of the role and strong commitment of young people and civil society in general to the preservation of nature. For instance, the young people of Antsohihy expressed their need to work more closely with the WWF, especially in raising public awareness of issues such as wildlife, forests and climate change.

The 60th anniversary celebrations continued in June with the Mahafaly landscape in Toliara (June 2 and 3).

The 2-day program included exhibition stands with key landscape partners, a photography exhibition on the region's marine and terrestrial biodiversity, and a concert featuring local artists. Representatives of the Atsimo Andrefana region, the commune of Toliara, the Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy, the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, members of civil society and community-based organizations honored us with their presence

From June 21 to 24, we were in Morondava, in the Manambolo Tsiribihina landscape, the last intervention site to host our celebrations.

For 4 days, the event featured a photographic exhibition on landscape biodiversity, partner stands, presentations of their actions and perspectives, corporate games and musical performances by committed local artists. Some 400 people attended the event.

The mayor of the urban commune of Maintirano acknowledged the important work WWF Madagascar has been carrying out since 2004 to conserve mangroves, and encouraged WWF to continue its efforts. He also stressed the importance of collaboration between all stakeholders. The event also served to strengthen collaboration and partnerships between stakeholders from the two regions, who were able to discuss ways of establishing effective integrated management of the Manambolo - Tsiribihina landscape.

It was finally in Antananarivo, on July 7 and 11, that we celebrated our anniversary. During the event at Assist Ivandry, we presented WWF's challenges and actions to our partners and collaborators. An opportunity for WWF to share yesterday's achievements, today's challenges and tomorrow's perspectives.

Over the course of an afternoon, a number of environmentalists from both the private and public sectors, as well as NGOs and civil society organizations, took part in an "open house on nature". Around 250 people, mainly young people, came to reflect on the crucial role of local communities in preserving biodiversity, and on the richness of Malagasy biodiversity and how to protect it.

More than just an anniversary, these celebrations were an opportunity to bring together the various stakeholders involved in nature conservation, to raise awareness, encourage and support the stakeholders of tomorrow, while reaffirming our collective commitment to ensuring that people and nature live in harmony..