Posted on October, 19 2017

September did not start very well for the Bevonotra Forest (Sambava District) and Andrafainkona (Vohemar District), in the COMATSA forest corridor of the Northern Highlands of Madagascar. The forest patrols supported by WWF and the observations in the field have shown that new clearing and illegal logging have emerged in the area.
Some areas have lost up to 20 hectares of forests, and around 150 hectares in other areas! An enormous loss to biodiversity, but also to communities, whom depend on the sustainable use of forest resources.
 
To address this situation, the community based organizations in the area committed to radio announcements broadcasted on Radio Vanille FM 93 MHz, late September. They raised awareness against the clearing of natural forests and were supported by the forestry administration.

Further radio sensitization will follow in the coming weeks. Radio is one of the best media for awareness-raising  in these partially remote areas of the Northern Highlands of Madagascar. There, deforestation is a challenging issue to communities whom manage and control the good condition of their forests. It is crucial for everyone be aware of the situation in the COMATSA forest corridor and be committed to its preservation. Therefore, visual communications will be implementing.  

Currently, 65 community organizations (or VOI in Malagasy) are structured around the COMATSA forest corridor to ensure the sustainable management of this protected area.