MADAGASCAR - The Sacred Forests of Sakoantovo and Vohimasio
Posted on June, 01 2003
Through their Local Management Committees, the communities of Sakoantovo and Vohimasio commit to sustainably manage these culturally and biologically unique sacred forests. A management plan for each forest will be finalized in 2004. Efforts are underway to gain further legal recognition for the areas as 'agreed protected areas' or provincial parks in 2005.
By recognising these 2 initiatives as a Gift to the Earth, WWF celebrates an innovative approach to conservation in which modern forest management mechanisms and traditional norms reinforce one another. WWF intends to publicly recognize the outstanding efforts of the Malagasy government, local communities, and local conservation organizations in implementing such an approach.