Eco-tourism needed to protect Madagascar’s future

By Lucy Grewcock - 06-May-2010

In 2008, Eco-tourism was booming in Madagascar, helping to conserve one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems on earth, while at the same time improving the outlook for one of the world’s poorest populations. But since 2009, political turmoil has caused a major decline in tourism and lead to devastating impacts on the environment and local economies. For some, the scale of benefits brought by tourism are only being realised as they disappear… socially, environmentally, economically, Madagascar needs tourism back.

Madagascar’s exceptional ecosystem nurtures thousands of species found nowhere else in the world. Eighty percent of plants and animals there are endemic, including 100 species of bird and 99 percent of its amphibians. Its stripy tailed Lemurs, made famous by Disney’s 1995 animation, are found only here.

Threats from slash and burn agriculture, mining, logging and hunting have contributed towards Madagascar’s severe environmental degradation. A poverty stricken population depend solely on natural resources for their livelihood and when exploiting it is a means to survival, it can be difficult to campaign in the name of environmental preservation.
Yet over the past decade, Madagascar has transformed its attitude to nature to such an extent that by 2008, its conservation strategy was seen as an international model. Recognising that two-thirds of visitors come to experience nature or volunteer in conservation programs, protecting the environment emerged as a lucrative business. By assigning value to sustaining rather than harvesting, economy and environment began successfully developing hand in hand.

Alongside support from overseas governments and NGOs, local involvement and political commitment has been at the crux of success. In 2003, President Ravalomanana set aside ten percent of Madagascar as National parks and enforced a park management system, meaning that 50% of entrance fees go back to local communities. In 2008, eco-tourism brought in £275m and directly employed over 25,000 people.

But in the wake of this phenomenal achievement, political violence broke out in Madagascar's capital. Ravalomanana was forced into exhile and the ensuing political turmoil has had devastating impacts on tourism, the environment and local economies.

Simon Reeve, of BBC ‘Tropic of Cancer’ fame, recently commented in METRO that “Madagascar’s National Parks are almost completely funded by eco-tourism” and “…unless people go there, these places will be cut down and turned into barren land”. With tourists frightened away, the vital financial incentive for conservation has been removed. The park management scheme collapsed, donor funds ceased and without the presence of government, illegal loggers extensively logged world heritage sites, pillaging hardwood forests.

The decline in tourism has hit the economy hard, with tourist arrivals dropping around fifty percent. For some, it is only now that they realise without eco-tourism, the economy and environment are becoming seriously endangered and that the presence of sustainable tourism was playing a vital role in economic and social development as well as protecting Madagascar from over exploitation.

Despite the decline, scientific research continues to operate and in April this year, researchers reported that a species of lemur has been rediscovered more than a century after it was last spotted. The number of lemurs known to science has more than doubled since 1994, due to increased research.

As is often the case, Tourists are likely to be less at risk than many warnings suggest. That is not to say that you should travel without caution but the problems are between Malagasy people and not with tourists. The FCO currently advises travelling with established organisations, such as Blue ventures, who run award-winning marine and community projects, fuelling the resurge in eco-tourism Madagascar needs to continue on the road towards a bright, green future.

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