SEED Madagascar

The programme addresses the urgent threats of deforestation, fire and habitat fragmentation which put Madagascar’s globally unique wildlife at risk.

SEED Madagascar, which runs community-driven conservation and development projects across the Anosy region, combines environmental and social goals to build resilience for both people and ecosystems.

In Sainte Luce, this means protecting one of the last refuges for four Endangered lemur species, the Anosy mouse lemur, southern woolly lemur, Thomas’ dwarf lemur, and red-collared brown lemur, along with a remarkable diversity of amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates.

Habitat loss and fragmentation prevent nocturnal lemurs from crossing open land between forest patches, leaving small sub-populations isolated and at risk of local extinction. The Ala Programme (ala means “forest” in Malagasy) was launched to reverse this decline by restoring connectivity and creating viable habitat corridors.

The Ala Programme is a ten-year strategy that works in a protected forest fragment of the Sainte Luce Littoral Forest. The forest has become fragmented and isolated due to logging and “tavy”, a traditional practice where large areas of land are burned to encourage grass growth for livestock.

The programme has already established and expanded multiple forest corridors, increasing the total connected habitat area to over 88 hectares. By planting native species and restoring degraded areas, the programme makes it possible for lemurs and other species to move safely between forest fragments.

The work also has a strong community focus - supporting local people through employment and initiatives such as sustainable forest management training and community fire-prevention schemes.

In 2024, the programme recorded its first lemur sightings in restored corridors, with Thomas’ Dwarf Lemur captured by a motion-activated trail camera. This milestone showed the corridors are functioning as intended by providing habitat and pathways for threatened species.

NatureSpy is pleased to support the Ala Programme by providing trail cameras, including the NatureSpy Ursus model, chosen for its reliability in Madagascar’s humid conditions. The project has also made use of Browning Recon Force Advantage cameras, which have remained operational for more than five years.

In addition, NatureSpy offers technical support, advising SEED’s team on the use and deployment of cameras to monitor elusive nocturnal lemurs and other wildlife. These cameras have been vital in capturing rare footage of lemurs using the restored forest corridors, providing clear evidence of the programme’s conservation success.