World Wildlife Fund

WWF has been active in Madagascar for more than three decades, providing local communities with the support necessary to manage natural resources effectively. WWF’s community-based conservation efforts also provide local people with sustainable income opportunities through natural resource management and ventures such as ecotourism. 

Securing a future generation of Malagasy conservationists
Madagascar is an extraordinary place with extraordinary conservation challenges. Unfortunately, in many areas, the country lacks the conservation expertise to protect its natural resources. In 1997, WWF and partners launched an innovative Ecology Training Program (ETP) to create a new generation of scientists. The first program of its kind, ETP has served as a model for similar ventures throughout Africa and has become one of the most important programs for the training of scientists and the advancement of conservation biologists in Madagascar. 

ETP students receive training in field survey techniques, principles of conservation biology and taxonomy, as well as the opportunity to publish their findings. Over the past 10 years, this unique program has been a driving force for the development of human capital in Madagascar. The support and guidance provided by WWF and its partners have enabled program graduates to produce tangible results including: biological inventories, discoveries of new species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and the publication of scientific articles. 

The Ecology Training Program has also developed partnerships with international institutions that provide additional opportunities for the professional and intellectual advancement of Malagasy scientists and students. One of the major proponents of the ETP is Dr. Steve Goodman, the coordinator of the Ecology Training Program and a senior field biologist at the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History.

Notable Accomplishments

1960s

• Initiated research on lemur populations to gain a better understanding of their location, threats and population dynamics

1980s

• Conducted a nationwide survey of protected areas to identify gaps in the existing system and determine management capacity needs to expand our conservation efforts

1990s

• Brokered the first commercial debt-fornature swap to help protect imperiled forests and train more than 400 local conservation agents 
• Developed new forest management policies to ensure local communities’ ability to benefit from conservation

2000s

• Launched a Sacred Forests program to help local communities gain legally recognized rights to manage and protect culturally and ecologically important forests
• Cofounded the Madagascar Foundation for Protected Areas, securing a global commitment of $30 million in funding
• Worked with the government to put a temporary ban on mining while new protected areas are being developed