Ankarabolava-Agnakatrika Forest is a roughly 16 km2 area in Southeastern Madagascar. The forest is located in a Priority Area for Plant Conservation, which means it contains a very diverse flora with several locally endemic species.
It is also home to the endangered Eulemur cinereiceps or white-collared brown lemur as well as a species of mouse lemur previously unknown to science.
But the area also provides timber for construction, plants used in traditional medicine, and is the source for several rivers that are used to irrigate local rice fields. Clearly it is important both as a conservation concern as well as a local economic concern. The question becomes: is there a way to address both concerns simultaneously and to the benefit of all? We believe the answer is YES.
See and hear how below.