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REFORESTATION OF BETAMPONA'S ZONE OF PROTECTION |
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Betampona Natural Reserve faces growing pressures each year even as we are discovering the extraordinary extent of forest's biodiversity. The reason is the sad truth that rural Malagasy families are very poor and those who live in villages near the Reserve struggle to make ends meet in an ever-degrading landscape. Over the past 20 years slash and burn rice farming practices (tavy) and deforestation for timber and firewood have caused the relatively large tracts of forest near Betampona to disappear. With an average population growth rate of 3% , the resources required to support the current yet alone the expanding population is inadequate. Villagers recognize that Betampona is a vital watershed which requires protection but are left with few alternatives other than the illegal cutting of wood within the Reserve limits and the cultivation of land encompassed in the Zone of Protection.
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The Edge Effect
Betampona is an example of habitat fragmentation, one of the most significant factors driving animal and plant extinction rates. In addition to the obvious consequence of lost acreage, fragmentation changes forest dynamics. The climate and soil conditions along a forest's edge are different from those in the forest's interior, a phenomenon that creates environments suited to a greater diversity of plant and animal species. A forest's edge is subject to the brunt of weather conditions such as rain, direct sunlight and cyclones, encroachment of invasive plants, pollution and human disturbances. Degradation of the edge creates a new edge leading to a cycle of forest loss. Maintaining Betampona's Zone of Protection is an essential component of a larger onservation strategy to protect e Reserve's biodiversity. |
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In 2006 the MFG began investigating the potential of developing a reforestation program to recreate Betampona's Zone of Protection. The process included meetings with villagers, governing agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders as well as experts from different disciplines to gain a perspective on the villagers' interest in participating in the project . The MFG had already Villager's interest in the program was no doubt facilitated by their participation in past and ongoing MFG programs such as farmer workshops, the Saturday School for their children and environmental festivals. Through classes, workshops and demonstrations of alternative farming practices children and adults were introduced to ecological and agroforestry concepts. In addition, the MFG's tree nursery in Rendrirendry had already supplied some villagers with starter saplings for various community projects thus the prospect of villagers receiving the resources and training necessary to build and maintain their own community nurseries was welcomed. With such positive feedback the MFG moved forward with developing an action plan and submitting proposals to fund the program.
The basic plan was to reforest the Zone and village communal areas with a mosaic of native and non-invasive exotic trees that would benefit villagers while also fulfilling ecological services such as erosion control, nitrogen fixation, improving soil nutrients and protecting the Reserve. In late 2007 the MFG was awarded a grant from the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums' (EAZA) Madagascar Conservation Campaign after which the work began in earnest in 2008. MFG staff held another series of meetings with villagers to explain the specific goals of the project and ask for their feedback.
One of the MFG's goals was to plant 50% native and 50% commercially useful trees thus it was important to compile a list of trees the villagers considered most valuable . The meetings were also used to finalize important logistics of the program such as who would manage the nursery to be established at each village and what was the best location for the nursery. MFG staff explained the conditions a villager had to meet in order to be eligible to receive seedlings including an agreement that they would take all necessary steps to plant trees properly and follow up with appropriate care. Those who agreed with the terms were asked to sign a contract. To increase the probability of success the MFG team made multiple visits during which they provided participants with personalized training.
To further encourage participation a friendly competition was set up to award participants prizes based on predetermined criteria. A team comprised of MFG and MNP staff and members of the villages' steering committees established the criteria, which included planting the greatest number of surviving trees, and the methods that would be used to evaluate reforestation activities and progress.
To gain the greatest amount of attention and thereby encourage other families in the participating communities and new communities to join the program, the MFG announced the winners and awarded prizes at locally held festivals.
At the end of 2009, four tree nurseries had been established, 107 participants signed contracts, 30,000 seeds from 23 tree species were collected for planting from which 7907 endemic and 3281 commercial plant species were distributed and 31 hectares of land were reforested. |
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