MADAGASCAR

Madagascar has great biodiversity; three quarters of the 200,000 species found in the country do not exist anywhere else. However, a number of large species are now extinct and more than 80% of the original forest cover has disappeared, half since the 1950s. Environmental degradation is a major problem. Forests are degraded or fragmented and deforestation is running at a rate of 1% per year, indigenous vegetation has been cut and burned for subsistence charcoal production and soil erosion is widespread. Each year, fires set to clear land for agriculture spread into surrounding areas, causing widespread destruction. The cleared land is used for growing products such as coffee, sugar, cocoa and rice, which are a key source of income for the country.

Logging for timber is a particular problem in the rainforests of eastern Madagascar, including in protected areas. The high value of hardwoods, such as ebony and rosewood, makes illegal logging a lucrative business.

Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries, with few resources to tackle these environmental crises. There have been laws on environmental protection since the 19th century, but enforcement has been consistently poor and corruption prevented effective implementation; however the government of president Marc Ravalomanana (2002-2009) did begin to tackle corruption and enforce environmental protection measures before he was ousted in a coup in March 2009. A ministerial decree in 2005 banned all logging which threatened the biodiversity of the forests, and a number of arrests followed. At the same time, the World Bank launched a support project aimed at improving forest management, protecting biodiversity and reducing poverty. Growing eco-tourism helped bring a much-needed economic boost to the island.

After Ravalomanana was forced into exile, the country was plunged into a political crisis, leaving the forests vulnerable to illegal exploitation. In 2009, loggers took an estimated 100,000 rosewood and ebony trees from the national parks of north-east Madagascar. Foreign shipping companies have been involved in the export of these logs, most of which have ended up in China for processing into products for the high-end market. In addition, an explosion in the trade in bushmeat has targeted some of Madagascar’s unique lemur species. There is a current government decree that bans all harvest and export of precious woods, but the shipments continue. Most donors have withdrawn aid and the new government is not recognised by the international community, therefore international leverage is limited.

However, in the first case relating to timber brought under the revised Lacey Act, Gibson Guitars was the subject of enforcement action in autumn 2009 for the alleged use of illegal Malagasy hardwoods.

In July 2010, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee added Madagascar's unique tropical forests to its Danger List of threatened ecosystems.

Madagascar is one of 14 countries which will receive funds under the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, which will reward countries for preserving their forest cover. The countries will receive grants to build their capacity for REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation), including establishing emissions reference levels, adopting strategies to reduce deforestation, and designing monitoring systems.

DOCUMENTS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
01/06/2010	Rosewood of Madagascar: Between democracy and Conservation. In 2009 an estimated 52,000 tonnes of precious wood from ca. 100,000 rosewood and ebony trees was logged ...	Madagascar Conservation and Development Journal (Randriamalala, H. and Liu, Z.)
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01/06/2010	Madagascar Rosewood, Illegal Logging and the Tropical Timber Trade Although deforestation rates in the tropics are reportedly slowing, the loss of both forest area and ...	Madagascar Conservation and Development Journal (John L Innes)
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01/12/2009	The Madagascar rosewood massacre The authors present information obtained from sources in the SAVA region of Madagascar of an unprecedented, ...	Journal: Madagascar Conservation & Development (Derek Shuurman & Porter Lowry)
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26/11/2009	Investigation into the Illegal Felling, Transport and Export of Precious Wood in Sava Region, Madagascar The authors of this report reveal that a dramatic increase in the felling and cutting of rosewood has ...	Global Witness & Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)
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28/10/2009	Precious trees pay off – but who pays? This 'poster' documents the results of the political fallout in Madagascar during 2009 in terms ...	Lucienne Wilmé, Derek Schuurman, Porter P. Lowry and Peter H. Raven
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01/02/2008	Forest Products Trade between China and Africa: An Analysis of Imports and Exports Recent media coverage of China's efforts to secure access to natural resources in Africa suggests ...	Forest Trends (Kerstin Canby, James Hewitt, Luke Bailey, Eugenia Katsigris, Sun Xiufang)
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NEWS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
06/09/2010	Despite pledge to crack down, illegal logging continues in Madagascar's rainforest parks Despite government assurances that it would crack down on the rosewood trade, illegal logging continues ...	Wild Madagascar, on Mongabay.com
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05/08/2010	Madagascar's forests plundered for rare rosewood Rosewood traders turn up in villages on the Masoala peninsula with cash and rice. They want local people ...	BBC News
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01/08/2010	Logging crisis pushes Madagascar's forests on to UNESCO's Danger List UNESCO's World Heritage committee has added Madagascar's unique tropical forests to its Danger ...	Mongabay.com
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24/06/2010	In the battle to save forests, activists target corporations Large corporations, not small-scale farmers, are now the major forces behind the destruction of the world’s ...	Environment 360, Yale, US
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23/06/2010	The illegal logging cycle in Madagascar The latest issue of the journal Madagascar Conservation & Development provides a comprehensive look ...	Wild Madagascar (on Mongabay.com)
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19/06/2010	Listing of precious woods a glimmer of hope for ravaged Madagascar More than two years of lobbying by WWF and Malagasy scientists, are expected to see the island's ...	Science Centric
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10/06/2010	Madagascar resumes shipments of illegally logged timber despite moratorium Albert Camille Vital, Madagascar's Prime Minister under the regime that seized power during a coup ...	Mongabay.com
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09/06/2010	Madagascar political chaos causing forest extinction The political chaos and trade embargo on Madagascar has caused the current coup leadership to promote ...	afrol News
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27/05/2010	Rosewood trees face extinction amid Madagascar's chaos Political and social chaos and a lack of international protections have put several species of rosewood ...	Physorg.com
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24/05/2010	Shaky rule in Madagascar threatens trees Maroantsetra, Madagascar — Exploiting a political crisis, Malagasy timber barons are robbing this ...	The New York Times
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27/04/2010	Madagascar passes decree banning rainforest timber trade Madagascar's transitional government has finally signed a decree banning the logging and trade of ...	Mongabay.com
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23/04/2010	Madagascar: Bois de Rose As part of London International Documentary Festival (LIDF), Toby Smith is exhibiting his photographs ...	Telegraph, UK
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04/04/2010	New timber ban failing to stop illegal logging in Madagascar Rainforest timber continues to be cut illegally from Madagascar's national parks despite a recently ...	WildMadagascar.org (on Mongabay.com)
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01/04/2010	Madagascar’s conservationists pin hopes on UN’s REDD scheme Michel Rozanakoto’s farm lies on the edge of the Mantadia National Park. Across the boundary marking ...	Ethopian Review
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25/03/2010	Madagascar bans rainforest timber exports following global outcry Under mounting pressure over illegal logging of its national parks, Madagascar's transitional government ...	WildMadagascar.org (on Mongabay.com)
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15/03/2010	Environmental groups call on French shipping company Delmas to cancel shipment of precious wood from Madagascar Washington - Global Witness and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) today called on French shipping ...	PR Newswire
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13/03/2010	Thousands of tons of illegal timber in Madagascar readied for export As the President of France, Nicholas Sarkozy, argues in Paris that more funding is needed to stop deforestation ...	Mongabay.com
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12/03/2010	Illegal logging "funding Madagascar coup govt" Since the 2008 coup, forest conservation efforts in Madagascar have been reversed and illegal logging ...	afrol News
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03/02/2010	Madagascar: What will you do when the trees are gone? Antananarivo - Madagascar's transitional government is allowing the export of illegally harvested ...	IRIN Africa
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28/01/2010	Satellites being used to track illegal logging, rosewood trafficking in Madagascar Analysts in Europe and the United States are using high resolution satellite imagery to identify and ...	Mongabay.com
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27/01/2010	Coup leaders sell out Madagascar's forests, people Madagascar is renowned for its biological richness. Located off the eastern coast of southern Africa ...	Mongabay.com
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25/01/2010	Madagascar government’s logging policy threatens the island’s natural heritage Madagascar’s government decision to allow the export of endangered rosewood may have disastrous ...	WWF
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11/01/2010	World Bank, European governments finance illegal timber exports from Madagascar While Madagascar's current government has drawn sharp criticism from the international community ...	WildMadagascar.org (part of Mongabay.com)
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11/01/2010	Madagascar sanctions logging of national parks Madagascar has legalized the export of rosewood logs, possibly ushering in renewed logging of the country's ...	WildMadagascar.org (part of Mongabay.com)
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07/01/2010	Facing cash crunch, will Madagascar's politicians sanction rainforest plunder? Facing a severe cash crunch in the aftermath of a March military coup which triggered donor governments ...	WildMadagascar.org (part of Mongabay.com)
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04/01/2010	Madagascar’s political chaos threatens conservation gains Since the government's collapse after a coup last March, Madagascar's rainforests have been ...	Environment 360
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28/12/2009	Shipment of questionable Madagascar rosewood canceled after international outcry A planned shipment of rosewood that had been illegally logged from Madagascar's rainforest parks ...	Mongabay.com
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27/12/2009	Rainforest conservation: a year in review 2009 may prove to be an important turning point for tropical forests. ...	Mongabay.com
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23/12/2009	Madagascar: Worrying lapse in forest management Antananarivo - The illegal logging of precious wood rose sharply during the political crisis that gripped ...	IPS News
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17/12/2009	French company CMA-CGM facilitating destruction of Madagascar's rainforests, undermining France's position in Copenhagen Delmas, a subsidiary of French shipping giant CMA-CGM, is facilitating the destruction of Madagascar's ...	Mongabay.com
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16/12/2009	Madagascar: illegal logging exacerbates climate change Fast paced illegal logging in Madagascar is causing environmental damage and contributing to climate ...	allAfrica.com
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16/12/2009	Major international banks, shipping companies, and consumers play key role in Madagascar's logging crisis In the midst of cyclone season, a 'dead' period for tourism to Madagascar's east coast, ...	Mongabay.com
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08/12/2009	REDD in Madagascar Despite damage from ongoing illegal logging, Madagascar's remaining forests are poised to benefit ...	Mongabay.com
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02/12/2009	Illegal Malagasy timber trade worth up to $460,000 a day A new report by Global Witness ...	Global Witness
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01/12/2009	Criminal gangs plunder Madagascar forests Antananarivo - Criminal gangs are stripping Madagascar's poorly-protected national parks every day ...	Reuters, featured on Planet Ark
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24/11/2009	Authorities in Madagascar conduct raids to uncover illegal rosewood Authorities in Madagascar over the weekend launched a series of raids to uncover rosewood and other precious ...	Mongabay.com
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21/11/2009	Would you eat this lemur? Marojejy National Park, Madagascar - Bit by bit, the natural resources of Madagascar — a biodiversity ...	Global Post
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19/11/2009	Gibson Guitar under federal investigation for use of illegal rainforest timber from Madagascar Federal agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service raided Gibson Guitar's factory Tuesday afternoon, ...	Mongabay.com
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17/11/2009	Madagascar's lemurs in danger from political turmoil and 'timber mafia' • Extinction fear as agencies halt aid to Madagascar • Loggers and poachers reverse conservation ...	Guardian, UK
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06/11/2009	WCS applauds House Resolution H.839 condemning illegal extraction of natural resources in Madagascar New York - The Wildlife Conservation Society applauds Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore) for introducing ...	YubaNet, California
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04/11/2009	House resolution condemns plunder of natural resources in Madagascar A House of Representatives resolution introduced by Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) condemns the illegal plundering ...	Mongabay.com
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28/10/2009	Rosewood traffickers busted in Madagascar Authorities in Madagascar have sacked a local official, arrested several businessmen, and issued fines ...	Mongabay.com
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16/10/2009	Natural resources under siege: illegal trade soars in Madagascar as island nation struggles politically Marojejy National Park, Madagascar - A political crisis in this African island nation has triggered a ...	The Washington Post, US
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12/10/2009	Madagascar's forests under threat from illegal timber trade The government of Madagascar has been accused by conservation groups of allowing the illegal trade in ...	Telegraph, UK
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10/10/2009	Loophole looms for illegal loggers of rare Madagascar woods An exceptional authorisation from the Malagasy transitional government for the export of raw and semi-processed ...	Science Centric
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09/10/2009	Political unrest portends ecological ruin in Madagascar The ongoing political fallout in Madagascar has led to a rise in both illegal and sanctioned logging, ...	Worldwatch Institute
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07/10/2009	Loophole looms for illegal loggers ravaging Madagascar Antananarivo, Madagascar – An exceptional authorisation from the Malagasy transitional government ...	WWF
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06/10/2009	Malagasy government’s decree for precious wood export will unleash further environmental pillaging Recently Madagascar’s transitional government issued two contradictory decrees: first, the exploitation ...	See below, after main text
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03/10/2009	Madagascar accused of profiting from illegal timber Antanavarivo - Madagascar's cash-strapped government has opened the door for criminal syndicates ...	Reuters
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23/09/2009	Madagascar NGOs unite against plunder of natural resources Asity Madagascar (BirdLife in Madagascar) has joined a group of Malagasy civil society organisations, ...	BirdLife International
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23/09/2009	Madagascar: Political instability speeds destruction of a unique environment Political instability in Madagascar is having a serious effect on the already fragile and highly endangered ...	allAfrica.com
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09/09/2009	Deforestation levels in Madagascar "quite shocking" Naturalist Mark Carwardine has highlighted the plight of the endangered rainforest in Madagascar, noting ...	Cool Earth
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20/08/2009	Appalling photos reveal lemur carnage in Madagascar New pictures released by Conservation International depict a troubling development in Madagascar: the ...	Mongabay.com
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20/08/2009	Destruction worsens in Madagascar Armed bands are decimating rainforest reserves in northeastern Madagascar, killing lemurs and intimidating ...	Mongabay.com
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11/08/2009	Lessons from the crisis in Madagascar, an interview with Erik Patel On March 17th of this year the President of Madagascar, Marc Ravalomanana, resigned his post. This made ...	Mongabay.com
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03/08/2009	Madagascar issues fines for timber stolen from national parks during political crisis Authorities in Madagascar have blocked shipment of 176 containers of rosewood and other valuable timber ...	Mongabay.com
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02/07/2009	REDD readiness plans for Panama, Guyana approved but rejected for Indonesia The World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) has approved REDD readiness plans (R-Plans) ...	Mongabay.com
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25/06/2009	Illegal logging driving lemurs to extinction in Madagascar Logging in Madagascar, an island nation off Africa's southeast coast, endangers ancient animal and ...	The Epoch Times, US
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12/06/2009	Conservation success in Madagascar proves illusory in crisis Despite the popularity he enjoyed abroad, domestic support for ousted president Marc Ravalomanana eroded ...	Mongabay.com
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08/06/2009	International community calls for action against gangs' illegal logging in Madagascar Six nations and three conservation organizations have issued a statement calling for action against illegal ...	Mongabay.com
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27/04/2009	Destruction of habitat In his oddly prescient 1991 novella, Ghost of Chance, the late American writer William S. Burroughs described ...	GlobeandMail.com, Canada
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18/04/2009	The gangs of Madagascar Antananarivo, Madagascar - Gangs of armed criminals, exploiting a political crisis, are assaulting the ...	GlobeandMail.com, Canada
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16/04/2009	Rainforest pillage continues in Madagascar Gangs of illegal rosewood loggers continue to pillage the wildlife-rich forests of northeastern Madagascar, ...	Mongabay.com
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09/04/2009	Shrinking forests: the many costs In early December 2004, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the military and police ...	Prism Webcast News
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01/04/2009	Hopeful conservation news emerges out of Madagascar political crisis Madagascar - A bit of hopeful conservation news has finally emerged out of the political crisis in Madagascar, ...	Mongabay.com (USA)
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30/03/2009	Madagascar Forest Defenders Send S.O.S. Eleven groups doing conservation work or biological research in Madagascar have issued a joint statement ...	New York Times (United States)
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25/03/2009	Armed men pillage Madagascars forests Madagascar - Last week conservationists expressed concerns that Madagascars unique flora and fauna could ...	Nature.com (UK)
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23/03/2009	Scramble to log Madagascar's valuable rainforest trees in midst of crisis Madagascar - Armed gangs are logging rosewood and other valuable hardwoods from Marojejy and Masoala ...	Mongabay.com (USA)
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24/07/2008	14 countries win REDD funding to protect tropical forests Fourteen countries have been selected by the World Bank to receive funds for conserving their tropical ...	Mongabay.com
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10/07/2005	Honduras wins aid pact tied to human rights, anti-corruption efforts Last month Honduras became to second country to receive aid under the controversial Millennium ...	Mongabay.com
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04/07/2005	Loggers cut Madagascan rainforest with impunity ANKALONTANY, Madagascar - When loggers came to hack up centuries-old ebony trees from their sacred forest, ...	Reuters (UK)
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01/06/2005	Madagascan police intercept illegally logged wood ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar - Madagascan police have intercepted a shipment of more than 500 tonnes of hardwood ...	Reuters (UK)
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02/04/2005	Madagascar to Curb Illegal Logging The Ministry of Environment of Madagascar published a ministerial decree to stop all ongoing logging ...	The World Bank
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PRESENTATIONS

DATE	TITLE	AUTHOR
25/06/2010	Illegal logging of precious woods in Northeastern Madagascar	Andrea Johnson, EIA & Reiner Tegtmeyer, Global Witness
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