Restoring and safeguarding the function of the ecosystem in Madagascar’s mountain forest “Ambatotsirongorongo”

The Zoologischer Garten Köln AG (Cologne Zoo) has been engaged in the worldwide conservation of species and the environment for many years. In 2023, for instance, it was either a direct, active project partner or financial backer in 51 projects. One of the Zoo’s main geographic focal points is Madagascar. In terms of its biodiversity and the extent to which it is threatened, Madagascar is one of the most important “biodiversity hotspots” on earth. In terms of its GDP in 2024, Madagascar is also the world’s fourth poorest country. It is clear, then, that both the natural environment and the human population need help. Together with its Madagascan partner organisation “Tropical Biodiversity Social Enterprise” (TBSE), Cologne Zoo has been responsible for the conservation of a special ecosystem in the particularly poor southern part of Madagascar since the end of 2022.

Reforestation has been in progress in the project region surrounding the protected mountain rainforest “Ambatotsirongorongo” since the end of 2021. Patrols ensure that the new plantations and the remaining fragments of the original forest are not damaged or destroyed. The forest is not only vitally important for the unique local flora and fauna, but also for the 14 surrounding villages. It acts as a “sponge” by absorbing and gradually re-releasing water, allowing rice to be grown on the hillsides and in the valleys. Unfortunately, the forest has dwindled more and more in recent years due to logging and slash-and-burn clearance for agriculture, resulting in the natural water supply  becoming unreliable. However, as the local people depend on natural resources such as firewood, timber for building or fields for growing crops, alternatives must be provided. Reforestation, woodland conservation and the offer of improved amenities for the local population will facilitate the recovery of the forest and the increased reliability of ecosystem services.

The main aim of the project is the sustainable, long-term conservation of the remaining fragments of forest and the newly created forest area Ambatotsirongorongo, south-west of Fort Dauphin, thus ensuring the preservation of the area’s unique biodiversity and ecosystem services for the local population. This comprises the following:

1. Protection of the remaining fragments of woodland against external interference, to give the animal and plant population and the system’s ecological functions a chance to recover.
2. Protection of the reforested areas to create corridors between the remaining fragments and ensure the long-term expansion of the wooded area.
3. Increasing awareness and creation or improvement of sustainable sources of income and alternative courses of action to reduce the persistent threat factors by:
   • Construction of a Training Centre in which regular courses can be offered in the context of situation-oriented adult education.
   • Construction of a communal Information Centre where the local inhabitants can obtain regular updates on the status and progress of activities in the project area, events can be staged for various target groups (including schools), and political decision-makers from all levels can be invited. Other target groups would be, for example, tourists, scientists and employees of Madagascan research projects, the staff of environmental protection and wildlife conservation organisations, or journalists.