Combating deforestation in Madagascar
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PARTNERS
IN PROTECTING
MADAGASCAR’S
FORESTS
© Edward Parker / WWF-Canon
The Holistic Conservation Program for Forests in Madagascar is an
Air France-KLM environmental sponsorship initiative. It is part of the drive
to support environmental NGOs under the Air France-KLM Climate Action
Plan.
Air France, Environment and Sustainable Development Department - November 2010 – Printed on Satimat Green paper.
Design and Layout: Dialogue & Stratégie, Paris • + 33 1 46 27 23 00
The Air France Commitment
PARTNERS
IN PROTECTING
MADAGASCAR’S
FORESTS
The Holistic Conservation Program
for Forests in Madagascar
Program activities
take place at 5 sites
and in 15 different sectors
15%
Combating deforestation
in Madagascar
Over the past 50 years, the
planet has lost around 50% of
its forests, with close to
13 million hectares of the
world’s forest disappearing
each year – the equivalent of
three times the surface area of
Switzerland. All over the world,
this deforestation process is
causing climate, social and
economic problems, as well
as problems of soil erosion
Andapa/Bealanana
and massive losses of biodiversity, as 75% of the globe’s
land-based animal and plant
species live in forests.
In partnership with GoodPlanet, Air France is backing a
very large-scale project, the
Holistic Conservation Program
for Forests (HCPF), covering
515,000 hectares of forest
land in Madagascar. In 2008,
Air France decided to invest
5 million euros over a 4-year
period in this project to combat deforestation in Madagascar in partnership with the
GoodPlanet Foundation, an
NGO, and carried out at local
level by WWF.
Moist forest
eco-region
ANTANANARIVO
Spiny forest
eco-region
© WWF-Canon/Nathaniel Quansah
Deforestation accounts
for 15% of global greenhouse
gas emissions –the equivalent
of emissions generated by the
entire transport sector (Air
transport generates 2% of the
total).
of greenhouse
gas emissions
are generated
by deforestation.
Air transport
generates 2%
of the total.
Fandriana/Marolambo
Ivohibe
Vondrozo
The project aims to:
> Ensure the potential sequestration of 60-70 million
metric tons of carbon
> Drive development for local people
© Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon
> Protect the island’s biodiversity
This environmental sponsorship initiative, which has no return
on investment in the shape of carbon credits, is part of the
Air France-KLM group’s Climate Action Plan.
2
Fort Dauphin
> Creating new protected areas covering 350,000
hectares of moist and dry forest.
> Helping local communities to sustainably manage
forests over an area of 140,000 hectares.
> Restoring 20,000 hectares of degraded forest landscapes in moist forest and dry, spiny forest areas.
> Replanting 5,000 hectares.
3
5
million
euros
invested
Using LiDAR technology
to evaluate forest carbon
According to IPCC estimates and other studies published in
Madagascar, the carbon sequestration potential of the forests
covered by the 515,000 hectares of the program stands at around
60-70 million metric tons of carbon. The HCPF is accordingly
seeking to preserve this level and safeguard biodiversity as well as
soils and water resources in the forests.
The most important assignment to date to evaluate
forest carbon levels took place in March 2010. A
twin-engined Cessna equipped with LiDAR (Light
Detection and Ranging) technology flew over the
project’s two most extensive sites to accurately
measure the height of the forest canopy and of the
various levels of vegetation beneath it.
© GoodPlanet/Action Carbone
Ensuring the potential sequestration
of 60-70 million tons of carbon
Accounting for sequestered carbon
1
© SPOT image
2
Satellite image of
the Fort Dauphin area
Promote the development of mechanisms and
models to involve local communities in the
processes ensuring that the potential financing
linked to CO2 mitigation goes directly to them;
Contribute to developing a REDD-oriented
approach on Madagascar, as part of the Malagasy
government’s contribution to the Forest
Partnership Carbon Facility (FCPF);
3
Use the knowledge acquired to enrich discussions during negotiations on the future of the
Kyoto Protocol after 2012;
4
Test and evaluate the first draft of the “Green
Standard” currently being developed by WWF for
forestry projects involving a carbon component.
© GoodPlanet/Action Carbone
Evaluating carbon stocks
> Classify land use at the start of the program
> Evaluate aboveground biomass using LiDAR technology
> Evaluate carbon stocks in litters and soils
Overseen by Greg Asner, the research was carried
out at Andapa in the north – an area of moist forest
– and at Fort Dauphin in the south – a mix of moist
and dry, spiny forest – by two scientists from
Stanford
University’s
Carnegie
Airborne
Observatory, aided by Maminiaina Rasamoelina
(WWF) and Romuald Vaudry (GoodPlanet).
The research flights collected three-dimensional
data. Land inventories will now be carried out in the
areas mapped by the LiDAR-equipped Cessna.
Used in combination with allometric models (which
study the relationship between size and shape), the
body of data will be used to accurately evaluate the
amount of carbon sequestered in aboveground
biomass. The findings were presented at the United
Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancún,
Mexico, in December 2010.
4
> Improve
knowledge of
forest carbon
> Contribute
to developing
a REDD-based
vision for
Madagascar
In accordance with its objectives, the HCPF will
contribute largely to increasing our knowledge of
forest carbon in Madagascar at a time when the
country is developing its own policy in connection
with the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation
and forest Degradation (REDD).
Modeling changes to carbon stocks
> Analyze past and future changes to the forest canopy
Related fundamental research
> Develop an alternative method for evaluating aboveground
biomass
© GoodPlanet
Action Carbone
The main aim of the carbon-related research studies in this project
is to determine whether the proposed activities can deliver quantifiable, measureable results in terms of reduced CO2 emissions
and carbon sequestration. The research is designed to:
> Evaluate a “Green
Standard” for
forestry projects
with a carbon
component
© LiDAR
© WWF-Canon/Olivier van Bogaert
Combating deforestation in Madagascar
For a list of scientific partners > see page 10
5
Combating deforestation in Madagascar
Restoring
Contributing to local community
development
20,000
hectares
Replanting
5,000
hectares
> Create New Protected Areas (NPA) covering 350,000 hectares
(265,000 hectares of moist forest and around 85,000 hectares
of dry forest). Farmers living near forests earmarked to become
NPAs are being made aware of the importance of forest
conservation. The task of analyzing suitable management
methods for the NPAs is conducted in conjunction with these
communities.
> Help local communities to sustainably manage 140,000
hectares of forest via Transfers of Natural Resources
Management (TRNM).
These are based on the principle of empowerment and building
up the abilities of local people in a number of areas (technical,
financial management etc.) to help them become self-sufficient
when it comes to sustainably managing their forests. When
these communities are able to manage their natural resources
themselves, they tend to better protect them and exploit them in
a more sustainable manner.
The project is also implementing sustainable and profitable alternatives to slash and burn farming practice, including:
> Extending crop rotation cultures, leaving some land fallow
> Promoting market gardening
> Promoting the System of Rice Intensification (SRI)
and the System of Rice Improvement (SRA)
> Promoting small-scale work with livestock such as poultry
farming, bee-keeping and fish-farming
> Agro-forestry
© WWF-MWIOPO
Such environmentally non-destructive cropping techniques enable
farmers to increase farm yields and boost their incomes, giving
them an improved standard of living. Thousands of families, living
in an area covering over 140,000 hectares, are concerned.
6
> Transfer
management of
natural resources
to local people
> Deploy
sustainable,
profitable farming
methods
© John E. Newby / WWF-Canon
> Restoring 20,000 hectares of degraded forest
land in moist and dry, spiny forest areas. This
includes setting up community tree nurseries and
using native species. Farmers living near the
degraded areas are learning to recognize the
importance of Forest Landscapes Restoration
(FLR). Some farmers will receive training in setting
up and maintaining tree nurseries and will subsequently act as referents for the community.
> Plant trees
for fuel wood
> Replanting 5,000 hectares of severely degraded
land, generally close to urban settlements, with
fast-growing species to provide fuel wood.
Charcoal production is also an important cause of
deforestation in Madagascar. Local people will
learn to use energy rationally, regardless of its
source, and identify areas for potential replanting
operations to provide fuel wood for cities.
The project
currently employs
70 people locally
7
© John E. Newby / WWF-Canon
© Edward Parker / WWF-Canon
For each of these activities, the project aims to empower local
communities by involving them and training them to become selfsufficient and ensure their own future development.
Combating deforestation in Madagascar
© R.Isotti, A.Cambone - Homo Ambiens / WWF-Canon
© Edward Parker / WWF-Canon
Madagascar,
an island clothed in red and green
With a land mass of
587,040km2 (slightly higher
than France’s), Madagascar is
the world’s fourth largest
island after Greenland, New
Guinea and Borneo.
© Olivier Langrand/WWF
It is located in the Indian
Ocean, astride the Tropic of
Capricorn, and boasts a great
variety of stunning landscapes. It is an island characterized by the splendor of its
red soil and green forests.
Madagascar’s bio-geographic
isolation and the variety of its
relief and climate fostered the
development of unique endemic flora and fauna. The island,
8
and its moist, tropical forests
on the eastern seaboard, and
dry, spiny forests to the south
and west, is without doubt
one of the planet’s most richly
biodiverse places. There are,
for example, some 50 species
of lemurs in Madagascar.
Similarly, seven species of
baobabs are found in the
country’s dry forests, compared with only one across the
rest of Africa. Madagascar
also has 294 species of birds,
107 of which are endemic, and
247 species of amphibians,
245 of which are endemic.
Deforestation – scourge of
Madagascar’s biodiversity
© R.Isotti, A.Cambone - Homo Ambiens / WWF-Canon
Deforestation, which is mainly the result of slash
and burn agriculture, the clearing of pasture land
for livestock, and charcoal burning, is a major
ecological and economic problem for the island.
Forest clearance leads to erosion of all-too-rare
arable land and the drying-up of water reserves.
The silting-up of rivers and estuaries reduces
habitats for marine species, including fish and
shellfish. The consequences of this on farmers
and fishermen are dramatic.
> Deforestation is a major
problem for the island’s
ecology and economy
> Unique endemic fauna
and flora
> 6 million hectares
of protected forest
by 2012
9
© Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon
Protecting Madagascar’s
unique biodiversity
© GoodPlanet/Action Carbone
The Holistic Conservation Program
for Forests in Madagascar
Stakeholders
and partners
GoodPlanet, a state-approved foundation headed by photographer Yann ArthusBertrand, strives to raise awareness and educate people in environmental protection. GoodPlanet has a hands-on commitment to combating climate change with
its Action Carbone program, which since 2006 has been offering volunteer businesses, local authorities and individuals the opportunity to combat climate change
by minimizing their carbon footprint.
Alternative Carbone projects are projects designed to mitigate climate change in
the broadest sense and which offer important Research & Development opportunities. Examples are the REDD (Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and
forest Degradation), biochar burial, and assistance in natural eco-system regeneration projects.
WWF
WWF is the world’s
leading
environmental organization. Its role is to
halt
and
then
reverse the process of global degradation. The organization has an operational network in 100 countries running
over 1,300 permanent environmental
protection projects. WWF scientific
expertise is acknowledged worldwide.
stakeholders: local communities, businesses, governments, international
agencies, and non-governmental
organizations.
Its development of sustainable forest
management programs, with over 20
million hectares certified to date, is just
one example of its global achievements in conjunction with businesses.
WWF has been operating in
Madagascar for 45 years and has
excellent relations with both local communities and government agencies.
WWF seeks to implement practical,
sustainable solutions all over the world
via a process of consultation with all
Maminiaina Rasamoelina
Head of the Holistic Conservation Program for Forests
in Madagascar
Romuald Vaudry
GoodPlanet representative in Madagascar
Maminiaina has a PhD in Forestry and joined WWF in October 2008.
He directly overseas the HCPF’s five project leaders, coordinates all field
operations, implements and monitors the strategic plan and submits
technical reports.
A forester by training, Romuald has a master’s degree in Integrated
Territorial Development and Planning (Unesco Chair in Sustainable
Development).
In 2008, he joined Action Carbone and is currently seconded to the Holistic
Conservation Program for Forests.
Flavien
Rebara
Joël
Raveloson
HCPF partners for the scientific carbon accounting program
In charge of the HCPF
at the Fort Dauphin site
In charge of the HCPF
at the Ivohibe site
Laza
Rakotondrasoa
Apollinaire
Razafimahatratra
In charge of the HCPF
at the Vondrozo site
In charge of the HCPF
at the Fandriana site
> IOGA
(Institut et Observatoire de
Géophysique d’Antananarivo)
and ITT, for the classification
of land use
> Institut Carnegie
University of Stanford – to
evaluate aboveground biomass via remote sensing
> IRD (Institut de Recherche
pour le Développement),
CIRAD (Centre de coopération internationale en
recherche agronomique pour
le Développement), LRI
(Laboratoire des RadioIsotopes) and ESSA Forêts
(Ecole Supérieure des
Sciences Agronomiques) –
University of Antananarivo –
to evaluate forest carbon
stocks (aboveground biomass, litters and soils)
> CNRS
(Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique)
for the development of an
alternative method of evaluating aboveground biomass
Jeanneney
Rabearivony
© WWF-MWIOPO
> Spot Image
The Planet Action initiative to
provide very high resolution
satellite images
In charge of the HCPF
at the Andapa site
www.goodplanet.org · www.actioncarbone.org
http://www.panda.org
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