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Madagascar's biodiversity is amazing!

• 1 in 20 of all species on this planet.
• All 113 species of Lemur.
• 6 of the 8 Baobob trees.
• 50% of the world's Chameleons.
• A huge range of habitats, from rain forests, to Spiny and Tapia forests,  from desert to temperate. 

But, slash-and-burn agriculture, cutting trees for fuel, hunting, mining and commercial exploitation of forests have destroyed habitats and threatened hundreds of species.

Hand in Hand

Everything Feedback Madagascar does is with a view to conservation. By addressing peoples' primary needs ( health, sanitation, agriculture) we allow them to focus on longer-term challenges (education, legal tenure, livelihoods),  clearing a path to the creation of sustainable livelihoods and better environmental stewardship. 

Trees are the Key
Trees literally hold Madagascar together.  They stop erosion and provide food and shelter for people and animals alike.

We try to stabilise forest cover, so that it is not deforested faster than it is being restored, and to reduce pressure on the rainforest. Fast-growing exotic species are planted near to villages to meet daily fuel requirements, while endemic tree species are used to restore and extend degraded rainforests. And we  teach people to plant trees and establish a sustainable relationship with them in what has become a monumental effort to restore the natural balance of the parts of the island where we work. 

So far we have helped them to protect over 164,000 hectares of forest, fauna and flora - an area about the size of Greater London.

Protection
We strengthen forest protection through the local population. The inhabitants of areas next to to the forest are organised into community-based forest management associations, and forest management is transferred to them via a contract signed by the Ministry of the Environment and Forests and the local municipality.  

• So far, 67 of these groups have been contracted to commit to sustainable forest management covering an area of 69,000 hectares. 

• We help build their capacity, support the set-up of tree nurseries, sapling production and teach forest restoration and monitoring techniques. 

Restoration

• 296 hectares of forests have been restored

 
Planting

• 1.5 million trees have been planted since 2013, of which more than 50% were endemic species. and more than 270 hectares of land have been newly reforested.

​Tapia Forest - Home of the Silkworm
The unique Faliarivo Tapia forest is managed by the local community. Fallarivo is an example of the many community forest management schemes created throughout Madagascar that are helping to protect its priceless biodiversity. Native silkworms have been reintroduced having previously been lost due to burning and poor forest management.