Though I have mentioned this aspect of my PC life in several previous posts, today I would like to go into detail about my work in environmental and cultural conservation.
Both for their scenic splendor and their geological uniqueness, Ankarana National Park is known for its limestone formations, called
tsingy. Derived from the Malagasy word
mitsingitsingy or
to tip-toe, tsingy formations are found in only two locations in all of Madagascar. Almost as remarkable as the formations themselves are the fauna and flora which inhabit the patchwork forests of the National Park. Of these forest inhabitants, endemic lemurs are the largest attraction for park visitors.
Falling only a few kilometers south of Ankarana national Park are lesser
tsingy formations. Only a few in number they lack any official protected status. My work this year has been focused on securing the legal status necessary to protect the environmental and cultural treasures of one formation in particular: the Tsingy Mahaloka.
This lengthy process began in February. In order for protected status to be granted there must be a community partner willing to take responsibility for natural resource management. Thanks to the work of an extremely motivated and talented former Peace Corps volunteer, Christi Turner, that group has existed since 2007. Yet, while they held regular meetings and built and managed a small campsite near the Tsingy Mahaloka, the group never managed to secure official legal status as
fikambanana or
association. Saving you from the gritty details, including a whole pile of false starts and unsavory dealings (according to Forbes Magazine, Madagascar has the distinct honor of being the world's worst place to do business, largely in part to bureaucracy), KOFAMA finally received its legal status in March.
By May, with the generosity of Madagascar National Parks, we were ready to make our request for a management title. Thanks to our previous experience and the good will of others, it appears that completion of the management title will take place before July.
Now you might ask yourself, what does all of this documentation mean? Good question, and the answer is still in development. But, to give you one specific example, look at the benefits that legalization will provide for one of the Tsingy Mahaloka's most impressive treasures, the Mandresy Cave.
Located near the Tsingy Mahaloka campsite the Mandresy Cave is highly valuable for both its environmental and cultural richness. Of unexplored length and depth, the cave is home to an impressive number of bats. Their presence contributes to the abundance of rich biotic life on the cave floors as well. As the following picture illustrates, however, their presence has been both a blessing and a curse. Many people are interested in gathering guano, bat poop, from the Mandresy Cave for use as an agricultural fertilizer. Their aggressive extraction does extensive damage to the cave's delicate ecosystem. With legalization the KOFAMA group will be able to prevent pilfering and uncontrolled extraction.
The cave also draws its name from a rich cultural history. During Madagascar's tribal wars, in which armies from the plateau invaded coastal land and tribes, the caves were used as hideouts for fleeing peoples. Mandresy, or
to win, signifies the victory of those survivors. For many decades, the cave has also been used as a tomb for ancestors of the local Antakarana poeple. Because of their presence a strict system of
fady, or
taboos, applies to the Mandresy Cave. For example, women must wear traditional clothing and men may not wear hats or smoke. Not only are those who extract guano causing environmental destruction but they are also ignore this system of
fady. With a management plan in place the KOFAMA group will be able to enforce rules related to entrance.
This is only one example, of course. The land which will be placed under KOFAMA's management includes everything for lemurs to stalactites. Through the work of KOFAMA and its partners I hope that legalization will provide a solid foundation for community based eco-tourism and resource management.
