Rainforests of the Atsinanana

• Encroachment
• Fire
• Hunting and poaching
• Artisanal mining
• Illegal logging
• Governance
• Engagement of local communities

Illegal logging of precious wood species (ebony and rosewood) and its secondary impacts; poaching of endangered lemurs were identified as threats for the site’s integrity

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4344

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4344  

Total amount granted: USD 1,890,000 from the United Nations Foundation and the Nordic World Heritage Foundation; USD 1,039,000 from the Government of Norway

On 8 February 2017, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1257/documents/, presenting its progress achieved in implementing the Committee’s decisions and the 2015 mission recommendations as follows:

• Decree No 2016-801 to operationalize Act No 2015-056 has been issued to combat illegal trafficking of rosewood and ebony, and in December 2016, the Ministry of Justice issued a circular in order to prosecute offenders;
• In December 2016, a report on the status of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Action Plan was submitted to the CITES Secretariat, focussing on its plans for the legal exportation of at least one third of the stock, regulation of trade in rosewood, and progress in implementing anti-fraud measures;
• Resources have been allocated to undertake a stock inventory from January 2017 to estimate the volume of stockpiles and its monetary value. Other internationally funded projects include wood specimen identification to reduce false declarations, Sustainable Landscape Management, and forest governance. However additional funding is still required to fully implement the Action Plan;
• A factory for the treatment of seized timber is no longer proposed;
• Monitoring for illegal logging, mining and poaching has been undertaken through intensive patrolling in collaboration with the Local Parks Committees, with particular focus on Marojejy National Park. 175 staff have been trained in Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) software, which is being implemented in all components of the property;
• Sapphire and ruby miners were evacuated from the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor, approximately 10 km from Zahamena National Park, but this led to the invasion of the Corridor by 200,000 squatters. A five-year Action Plan on illegal mining at Ranomafana National Park is being developed, and efforts to reduce pressures associated with artisanal mining, particularly gold, are undertaken;
• Satellite and aerial surveillance are being used to detect and predict suspicious vessel movements for transport of timber;
• A sustainable coastal fisheries project is being implemented to provide food security to local communities.

Progress towards the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) is reported as follows:

• The illegal logging of precious woods increased in 2016 (99) compared to 2015 (36). While the exploitation of rosewood is reported to have ceased, palisander continues to be exploited;
• Forest clearance increased from 0.004% in 2015 to 0.16% in 2016, notably in Masoala and Andohahela National Parks;
• In 2016, 123 ha of degraded areas were restored in Andringitra, Masoala and Zahamena National Parks;
• The number of recorded lemur traps decreased from 112 in 2015 to 65 in 2016.

The State Party’s continued effort to address the threats on the property is appreciated. In particular, the issuance of the Decree to operationalize Act No 2015-056 creating a special tribunal to adjudicate wood traffickers and reinforce penalties, allocation of resources to undertake stock inventory, and the multiple projects to strengthen the monitoring, management and governance towards reducing illegal logging planned through international donor support and collaborations are welcomed.

Although the last report submitted by the State Party to the CITES Secretariat is yet to be discussed, the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (COP17) in September 2016 led to the decision to further strengthen the protection given to Dalbergia and Diospyros species in Madagascar. Furthermore, the Government of Madagascar adopted a Biodiversity Management Plan at COP17, which presents activities and indicators to strengthen the protection of World Heritage and protected areas, including by enacting a decree to punish offenders relating to rosewood and ebony exploitation, and formation of joint forces (the State Party, police and the military) to ensure regular patrols of the property. It is therefore recommended that the Committee strongly encourage the State Party to continue to implement the CITES Action Plan and the Biodiversity Management Plan.

It is noted that fewer lemur traps were detected in 2016 compared to the preceding year, but data since 2009 indicate annual fluctuations, which remain relatively stable overall. Positive progress however has been made by the State Party in restoring degraded areas across three of the components of the property, including local community consultations on the restoration approaches, and the implementation of SMART software in the monitoring of all six components of the property.

In spite of the State Party’s ongoing efforts, it is regrettable that an increase in demand for precious woods and minerals are leading to further exploitation of the property. Notably, the rise in the number of cases of illegal logging and the staggering increase in the percentage of forest clearance, which has exceeded the DSOCR indicator of 0.01% in the property for the first time since 2013, are of significant concern.

The entry of artisanal miners into the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor and the subsequent squatting is also of much concern, especially considering that the Committee recommended the State Party to review potential future addition of protected areas forming corridors of natural forest between existing reserves within the property, at the time of inscription (Decision 31 COM 8B.9). The reported prioritization by the State Party to resolve this issue is appreciated in this regard.

Regarding the Conservation and Management Assistance Project (USD 100,000 from the International Assistance, Decision 34 COM 15.2), the second phase was implemented by the Foundation for Protected Areas and Biodiversity of Madagascar, producing encouraging results. The relay structures of Masoala and Marojejy National Parks have been strengthened in their logistical and operational capacities in the fight against illegal trafficking of precious wood. Local communities have been made aware of the conservation and sustainable management of the property through the organization of an information campaign and the development of information media.

Whilst acknowledging the State Party’s progress, further efforts are still needed to meet the DSOCR indicators, especially in light of the reported increases in illegal logging and forest clearance, and it is therefore recommended that the Committee retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.