2001 Newsletter - The Peregrine Fund

Natural Resource Management
Transferred to Local Population
Madagascar is
the fourth
by Russell Thorstrom largest island
in the world and is inhabited by some
of the most unusual and unique plants
and animals in the world. The are 24
species of birds of prey in Madagascar
of which 14 occur only on the island.
Due to its uniqueness, number of
endemic animals and plants, and loss
of primary vegetation, Madagascar has
become one of the primary hotspots in
the world for conservation. The
Peregrine Fund’s interest
in Madagascar began Madagascar
many years ago with Fish Eagle.
research and conservation
of the critically
endangered endemic
Madagascar Fish Eagle
and Madagascar Serpent-
Eagle. In Madagascar,
both wetlands and
forested habitat continue
to be lost at an
alarming rate and conservation
remains critical.
Wetlands are extremely threatened
due to the dependency of the Malagasy
people on them for cultivating rice,
their staple food.
We began research work on the
endangered Madagascar Fish Eagle in
the wetlands of central western
Madagascar in 1991. Our work has
been focused at Lakes Soamalipo,
Befotaka, and Ankerika on what we
estimate to be 10% of the entire breeding
fish eagle population. These three
lakes also support an abundant fisheries
resource. In the early 1990s there
was an increasing number of seasonal
migrant fishermen coming to these
lakes to catch fish to sell. This increased
pressure conflicted with the needs of
the local people and their laws, and
eventually reduced fish stocks.
In 1993, we proposed the idea of a
community-based conservation project
to protect the wetlands and natural
resources shared by the local people
and fish eagles. By 1996, the government
of Madagascar created and
encouraged empowerment of local
communities to control and manage
their natural resources (Law Project
No. 17/96). We then began working
with the local people around the three
lakes to help achieve local control. In
1997, with our support and aid, the
people around Lakes Soamalipo and
Befotaka formed a chartered association
for managing
their resources of the
lakes and surrounding
forest. Two years later
the people on Lake
Ankerika did likewise.
The Peregrine Fund
was challenged with
convincing the local
people of the need to
group together, how to
improve their existing
traditional laws and
sanctions, the importance
of managing their resources sustainably,
and thinking in terms of their
future. We have been helping these two
associations to reach their objective of
controlling their natural resources.
Finally, in 2000 these associations
requested the transfer of the resource
management from the government of
Madagascar to them. After five long
years it became a reality on 29
September 2001.
For the next three years, during a
probationary period, the local organizations
will be required to demonstrate
adequate care and management practices
over their resources. Upon the
completion of the probationary period,
the review process will be extended by
the government of Madagascar to every
10 years. The Peregrine Fund will continue
to be a resource for the sake of
the eagles.
Photo by Russell Thorstrom
Photo by Russell Thorstrom
Natural
resources:
canoe
made
from a
nearby
tree and
fish from
the wetlands.
Presentation ceremony transfers natural
resource management to local people.
Photo by Lily-Arison Rene de Roland
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