SEED Madagascar

The 10-year programme, which started in 2019, fights against the urgent threats of deforestation, fire and habitat fragmentation which put Madagascar’s globally unique ecosystems at risk.

Once thought to have formed a continuous 1,600km band along the east coast of Madagascar, Littoral forests are now a rare, highly specialised ecosystem that grows in close proximity to the ocean, on sandy soils. The Sainte Luce Littoral Forest contains 2.4% of all remaining littoral forest in Madagascar - making it one of the most significant surviving fragments.

SEED Madagascar launched The Ala Programme (Ala meaning “forest” in Malagasy) to reverse the decline of the forest by restoring connectivity and creating habitat corridors.

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.

The project also combines environmental and social goals to build resilience for both people and ecosystems, by supporting local people through employment and initiatives such as sustainable forest management training and community fire-prevention schemes.

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. 

Despite the Ala Programme also facing major challenges from climate change - including drought, wildfires, and increasingly severe storms - SEED Madagascar and its partners have adapted quickly. 

Alongside restoration efforts that involve strengthening firebreaks and replanting seedlings, the team focus heavily on engaging with local stakeholders, strengthening the resilience of the Sainte Luce Littoral Forest communities.

The programme is currently expanding three of their five forest corridors, connecting 88ha of littoral forest. They have planted over 6,000 native seedlings to date, with ambitions to plant up to 20,000 in 2026. By doing this alongside restoring degraded areas, the programme continues to make it possible for lemurs and other species to move safely between forest fragments.

In early 2025, trail cameras recorded three of the programme's four target lemur species - a Thomas' dwarf lemur, an Anosy mouse lemur, and red-collared brown lemurs on four separate occasions. 

These are early days, and the team continues to refine camera placement and expand monitoring. Lemurs moving through the corridors is exactly what the Ala Programme was designed to achieve - a first, hopeful step toward a more connected forest.

Primarily living in the trees, the elusive nature and small size of the Sainte Luce Littoral Forest lemur species can be incredibly hard to capture on camera. NatureSpy is pleased to support the Ala Programme by providing NatureSpy Ursus trail cameras, chosen for their reliability in Madagascar’s humid conditions.

In addition, NatureSpy offers technical support, advising SEED’s team on the use and deployment of cameras. 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.