FAPBM has signed a financing agreement in favour of Madagascar National Parks (MNP) for an amount of MGA 2,714,238,754. With its annual budget reduced by 35% due to the tourism paralysis, MNP faces a significant funding gap that threatens the conservation of Madagascar’s natural heritage.
The amount allocated by the Foundation will benefit 17 protected areas (for a total size of 1,422,488 ha), including those of Bemaraha, Andringitra, Ranomafana and Masoala, which have been classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In addition to their value for tourism, these national parks have an economic importance for the communities. For example, the forests of Ranomafana National Park supply the water tank of the Namorona hydroelectric station, which is located near the park. Masoala Park protects the river systems and water sources feeding the basins of the region and part of the Andapa basin. The Andringitra National Park is home to numerous water sources that irrigate the plains of the Ihorombe Plateau in the south part of Madagascar.
The preservation of these natural resources is becoming an urgent necessity in view of the rising threats. The level of threats inside the MNP protected areas funded by the FAPBM jumped from 0,5 to 1,1 between 2019 and 2020. The number of fire points in MNP protected areas increased from 610 to 1,169 over the same period. Recent studies have shown that, on any health crisis the country suffered, people turn to natural resource exploitation for survival. Protected areas are then among the first targets. However, the heart of the forests, also known as the hard core, has been spared thanks to control and surveillance systems.
This exceptional funding from the FAPBM in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, is in line with the exceptional funds released in 2020 in support of the neighbouring communities of the 36 protected areas financed by the FAPBM for up to MGA 114 million as well as emergency funding to 5 New Protected Areas (NPAs) of MGA 188 million. In 2021, in the case of MNP in particular, this comes in addition to the annual grants awarded at the beginning of the year for an amount of MGA 5.9 billion.
The new President of the FAPBM Board of Trustees, Mrs. Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana said “The role of the Foundation as an instrument for sustainable financing of protected areas is more crucial than ever in times of crisis. True to our mission, we are and will continue to listen to protected area managers and local communities to support them in these difficult times. Investing in protected areas is investing in a sustainable future and we hope that these areas and the communities around them will be an integral part of the post-crisis economic and social recovery efforts.”
About FAPBM
Created in 2005, FAPBM is a private Malagasy trust fund dedicated to the conservation of Madagascar’s biodiversity. Its mission is to support biodiversity conservation by promoting and financing the expansion, creation, protection and improvement of the System of Protected Areas of Madagascar. Each investment in the Foundation’s capital generates perpetual annual income, dedicated primarily to conservation, administrative management and community development activities inside protected areas.
The Foundation is internationally recognised for its expertise in protected areas funding, its transparency, its good governance of funds and the relevance of its interventions and its sustainable impacts. Conservation International, WWF, the World Bank, the French Government through AFD, the French Facility for the Environment and the German Government through KfW have all placed their trust in the Foundation by contributing to its capital.
To support the Foundation: www.fapbm.org
