Biodiversity, or biological diversity, encompasses all living organisms and the environments in which they exist. It also includes the interactions between species and their ecosystems. It encompasses species diversity, genetic diversity within individuals, and the diversity of habitats and ecosystems.
Preserving Biodiversity to Maintain Ecosystem Services
Human beings draw benefits, known as ecosystem services, from nature. These services can be classified into three categories. First, provisioning services refer to the products provided by nature, such as clean water, fuel, timber, and medicine. Second, cultural services encompass the non-material contributions of nature, including aesthetic, spiritual, recreational, tourism, and educational aspects. Last, regulating services are the benefits provided by ecosystems, such as climate regulation, flood mitigation, soil erosion prevention, coastal protection against cyclones, pollination in agriculture, and disease control. The maintenance and sustainability of these ecosystem services requires the rational use and consumption of the resources provided by biodiversity.
The Government of Madagascar has established a network of protected areas in 123 critical locations to preserve biodiversity. Well-managed protected areas, both terrestrial and marine, are the most efficient means of conserving natural resources essential for the development of local communities, national economies, and combating climate change.
Protected areas to preserve ecosystem services
Protected areas are defined territories, both terrestrial and aquatic, of significant biological and economic value that require preservation for the public interest. They include national and nature parks, special reserves, integral nature reserves, natural resource reserves, natural monuments, and protected harmonious landscapes.
Terrestrial protected areas primarily encompass forests (moist evergreen, dry, or spiny), wetlands, and savannas. They are typically surrounded by locally managed “green belts”. Marine protected areas consist mainly of coastal marine waters, coral reefs, mangroves, and associated fishing zones, often integrated or contiguous with Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA).
To preserve biodiversity, the Government of Madagascar has entrusted the management of protected areas to local experts, such as Madagascar National Parks and conservation NGOs. Their work is guided by an approved Management and Development Plan (PAG) and an Environmental and Social Safeguard Management Plan (ESSMP), which are developed in consultation with all stakeholders and updated every five years. To effectively preserve biodiversity, protected area managers carry out:
- Conservation activities to maintain biodiversity integrity, including ecological monitoring, regular patrols, restoration efforts, research, and more.
- Development activities that support local communities, focusing on value chain development. The aim is to manage natural resources sustainably through responsible practices and to reduce communities’ dependence on natural resources.
- Financial sustainability activities, including the development of ecotourism and fundraising initiatives.
FAPBM was created to provide sustainable funding for biodiversity conservation activities conducted in protected areas. If you wish to make a sustainable impact on biodiversity protection, you can support FAPBM.
