Situated in the Indian Ocean, the beautiful Madagascar is home to a great number of flora and fauna species. The island is home to nearly 14,000 native plant species and 90% of these are not found at any other place on Earth.
Madagascar is famous for its fauna, more than its flora, reported The Guardian. This imbalance is partly responsible for many conservation efforts in the country focusing on animals facing extinction. But it is time to offer the flora the amount of attention it actually needs.
MBG-Madagascar has found a solution
The Missouri Botanical Garden’s Madagascar Programme (MBG-Madagascar) has been trying to address this imbalance by focusing on the forests there. It has selected 11 areas of the island to protect the remarkable and extremely rare flora.
The Garden has had a sustained research presence in Madagascar since the 1970s. It established permanent operations on the island in the 1980s. The programme has been expanding both locally and organically – helping both the rainforests and farmers.
MBG-Madagascar has found a solution. It is related to offering local communities legal land ownership and creating green jobs, too. For the past 10 years, the programme has been offering farmers access to an unprotected piece of land, compensating them for the crops.
No pressure is placed on the farmers to accept the offer
MBG-Madagascar has also been offering farmers seedlings for plants that appear to be profitable in the national and international markets. The programme is also offering other types of green employment for the residents.
This compromise is profitting both local communities and the rare plant species in Madagascar. People are starting to see the benefits. No pressure is placed on the farmers to accept the offer, noted conservation unit coordinator Jeannie Raharimampionona.
