Expanded Restoration and Alternative Livelihood Development of Madagascar’s Lost Forest of Ivohiboro
Project description
The Phoenix Conservancy and the Madagascar Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Ecosystems (MICET) are implementing a novel reforestation technique in the Nouvelle Aire Protégée Ivohiboro (Ivohiboro NAP) that leverages current ecological conditions and social enterprise programs to create a sustainable reforestation initiative that improves local livelihoods. The approach centers on “Foxhole Forests”, an innovative method combining forest nucleation, fire protection, and agroforestry. Ivohiboro is home to at least four lemur species, including Endangered Ring-tailed Lemurs and three yet undescribed species.
Restoration efforts will expand beyond the boundaries of Ivohiboro NAP, targeting firebreak and FF activities in nearby lemur habitat islands to the north and within recent fire-damaged areas. This work will increase habitat for threatened lemurs, create new economic opportunities for surrounding communities, and develop a replicable model for holistic conservation both inside and outside protected areas across Madagascar.
Threats
Climate change
Habitat loss & degradation
Over-exploitation of natural resources & prey depletion
Project objectives
This project aims to expand restoration efforts beyond the formal boundaries of Ivohiboro NAP, engaging new communities and strengthening both ecological and social protections for the landscape and its lemur populations. Building on the successes of previous IUCN SOS Lemurs Initiative efforts, the project will support the conservation of lemurs and other threatened species that depend on this biodiverse region.
Key objectives include increasing functional connectivity between forest fragments and Ivohiboro NAP, and expanding the overall availability of suitable lemur habitat. The project will also lay the groundwork for long-term, self-sustaining restoration, conservation, and alternative livelihood development in the area, offering a scalable model for holistic conservation across Madagascar.
Project activities
- Establishment of 1,000 Foxhole Forests to drive forest regeneration.
- Expansion and maintenance of firebreaks across an additional 25 kilometers.
- Introducing nursery-reared seedlings to well-established FFs and to 600 hectares of burned land.
- Development of the Sakoa seed oil social enterprise to support local livelihoods.
- Strengthening of regional restoration capacity.
