Posted on June, 06 2013

Ten years on from the 2003 World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, where the Madagascar Government committed to triple the country’s 1.7 million ha of protected areas (PAs), this huge task has been realized with the help of WWF and partner organisations. A representative PA network covering more than 6 million ha is now in place, managed by government, private owners or local communities. WWF also helped establish the Madagascar Biodiversity Fund that has raised US$50 million. But securing these PAs for the future remains a challenge; many of these new PAs have initial protection status yet a political crisis is delaying finalization. As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, WWF Madagascar aims to achieve the long term viability of these unique refuges.