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Madagascar conservation news
Reforms in Madagascar having effect on economy 20 Jan 2005
Madagascar's witch-doctors -- known as ombiasi -- practice throughout the Indian Ocean island but are especially common in its remote south, where Manahira's village of Ifotaka lies.
Inflation makes for difficult time in Madagascar 18 Jan 2005
Madagascar has suffered an inflationary crisis with prices of basic foods surging 24 percent in the year to last October, driving the impoverished 17 million population -- the majority of whom live on less than a dollar a day -- deeper into poverty.
Reforms in Madagascar having effect on economy 29 Dec 2004
Malagasy president Marc Ravalomanana has made a lot of progress since the political chaos surrounding the election of 2001. The economy is growing at 5%, tourists and textile exporters are coming back, and corruption is down.
Poor see little benefit from Madagascar's conservation efforts 19 Dec 2004
The people of Mahatsara village do not understand why they are forbidden from burning down the wild forests of eastern Madagascar. For centuries, the Mahatsara villagers have followed the traditions of their ancestors, chopping down trees and setting the forests ablaze to clear the land for rice cultivation... Restrictions on cutting trees for firewood and a ban on burning down forestland for crop cultivation have left the villagers with few options for survival.
Britain to close Madagascar embassy 17 Dec 2004
The Foreign Office of the United Kingdom has decided to close down the British Embassy in Madagascar by 2006. The timing of the closure seems a bit strange given the country's renewed diplomatic ties with Western countries.
Madagascar's low incidence of HIV / AIDS 20 Nov 2004
Madagascar faces a great risk for an increasing HIV epidemic because of its unusually high rates of sexually transmitted diseases, and because many adults acknowledge having sex with multiple partners. Yet the HIV prevalence rate in Madagascar was estimated at 1.7 percent at the end of last year, according to UNAIDS, extraordinarily low compared with southern Africa as a whole.
Ex-Activists Switch to the Corporate Side 17 Nov 2004
Thirty years ago, Tom Burke helped organize demonstrations against Rio Tinto PLC's plans to mine copper in a national park in Wales. Within months, Rio Tinto scrapped its plans. Since then, Mr. Burke has switched sides. The 57-year-old former Friends of the Earth activist now works for Rio Tinto and is fielding complaints about another massive project: a proposed mine in Madagascar. The mine would extract 750,000 tons a year of ilmenite, a whitening agent used in paint and toothpaste, for the next 60 years.
Lac Kinkony, a new park in Madagascar 11 Nov 2004
The Mahavavy Delta is a 2,500 sq km complex of lakes, rivers and marshes which is home to five threatened bird species, including the critically endangered Sakalava Rail (Amaurornis olivieri - a bird like the Moorhen) of which there are probably fewer than 200 left.
Madagascar to Triple Protected Areas by 2008 8 Nov 2004
The people of Mahatsara village do not understand why they are forbidden from burning down the wild forests of eastern Madagascar. For centuries, the Mahatsara villagers have followed the traditions of their ancestors, chopping down trees and setting the forests ablaze to clear the land for rice cultivation... Restrictions on cutting trees for firewood and a ban on burning down forestland for crop cultivation have left the villagers with few options for survival.
Madagascar Sets Aside More Land for Conservation 7 Nov 2004
Led by its president, the Indian Ocean nation of Madagascar is racing to save an environment as precious and fragile as any on earth. At stake are the ecosystems in the island's fast-disappearing forests. Environmentalists say the decisive factor is whether a grand bargain can be struck with communities such as those around Andringitra: The residents will help protect natural areas if they can benefit from it, largely through ecotourism. The outcome of this negotiation will determine the survival of some of the island's 13,000 native flowering plants, 316 native reptiles, and 109 native birds. It will also decide whether scientists still have the opportunity to discover new species -- and whether millions of poor people can earn a living from Madagascar's vast ecological wealth.
The president of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana 11 Mar 2002
The BBC profiles the president of Madagascar.
All news, Jan 2005
All news, Dec 2004
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