Protecting Madagascar’s National Parks: Conservation in 2026

Quick answer: Madagascar’s national parks and reserves are being protected through a combination of government-designated protected areas, Madagascar National Parks management, community conservation, ecological monitoring and sustainable-finance initiatives. In February 2026, the government designated 21 new protected areas covering 1.82 million hectares, bringing the national protected-area total to nearly 9.4 million hectares.

That expansion is significant, but legal protection alone cannot secure Madagascar’s forests, wetlands, dry ecosystems, marine habitats and endemic wildlife. Conservation organisations continue to report pressure from slash-and-burn agriculture, illegal logging, charcoal production, precious-wood extraction, mining, poaching and limited ranger access.

Last reviewed August 2026. Conservation data changes — see the cited sources for the latest figures.

Why national park conservation matters in Madagascar

Madagascar is a globally important conservation landscape because its forests and other habitats support wildlife found nowhere else. The island’s protected areas include rainforests, dry forests, spiny forests, wetlands, savannahs, coral reefs, mangroves and coastal waters.

Lemurs are the best-known example of this exceptional endemism. The Andasibe region contains 11 lemur species, including the indri, the largest living lemur. Nearby forests and reserves also support the aye-aye and other threatened species. Northeastern landscapes such as Marojejy National Park and Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve support 22 lemur species, including six described by the Lemur Conservation Foundation as critically endangered.

Madagascar’s conservation estate is not limited to national parks. The protected-area system includes national parks, nature reserves, special reserves, integral nature reserves and resource nature reserves, classified across the six International Union for Conservation of Nature categories. Management is shared between Madagascar National Parks and conservation organisations or associations.

Madagascar has 28 national parks, most managed by Madagascar National Parks, formerly known as ANGAP. Montagne d’Ambre National Park, established in 1994, was the country’s first national park. The parks protect ecological processes and characteristic species while also allowing carefully managed scientific, educational, spiritual and recreational use that respects local communities and culture.

Examples illustrate the range of conservation priorities. Andasibe-Mantadia National Park protects humid eastern forest associated with indris and other lemurs, while Isalo National Park protects a very different landscape of canyons and southern ecosystems. Masoala National Park combines rainforest and adjacent marine habitats, and the Marojejy–Anjanaharibe-Sud landscape contains large, difficult-to-access mountain rainforests.

The main threats to Madagascar’s parks and reserves

Habitat loss and forest degradation

Land conversion remains a central challenge. Around Farankaraina Forest in northeastern Madagascar, conservation partners identify subsistence farming, slash-and-burn agriculture, illegal charcoal production, precious-wood logging, unsustainable collection of forest products, artisanal mining and poaching as threats. Nine communities, with about 20,000 people, live around that forest.

Pressure is also reported inside and around major protected landscapes. In the Marojejy Protected Area Complex, conservation partners describe illegal rice and vanilla plantations inside Marojejy, crystal mining in Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve, inadequate boundary demarcation and insufficient ranger capacity. Difficult terrain and poor transport make monitoring especially challenging: much of Marojejy and all of Anjanaharibe-Sud lack accessible roads.

Poaching and illegal resource use

Poaching affects lemurs and other wildlife, while illegal wood cutting removes habitat and can weaken the ecological connections between protected areas. In Betampona, the Duke Lemur Center reports that support for conservation presence helped protect the reserve from illegal wood cutting and wildlife poaching. In Farankaraina, patrol teams record damaged areas and report them to local community associations and the environment authorities for investigation.

The scale and form of wildlife crime vary between landscapes, so national claims should not be inferred from a single reserve. Effective protection requires locally informed patrols, enforcement, community participation and reliable data rather than relying only on occasional figures or high-profile operations.

Climate, fire and livelihood vulnerability

Fire management is an active conservation priority in threatened habitats. IMPACT Madagascar, for example, hires rangers to patrol vulnerable areas and improve fire management while also delivering environmental education. Climate-related pressures can compound existing livelihood insecurity, but the supplied research does not provide a single national climate-impact statistic for 2026. The evidence supports a cautious conclusion: protecting habitat will require both ecological restoration and alternatives that reduce dependence on forest resources.

Economic shocks can also affect conservation. The Lemur Conservation Foundation identifies the decline in tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic and the crash in vanilla prices as socio-economic challenges affecting communities around Marojejy and Anjanaharibe-Sud. These pressures demonstrate why conservation planning must address household income, health, agriculture and access to services alongside patrols.

What is being done to protect Madagascar’s national parks?

Expanding and prioritising the protected-area network

Madagascar’s 30×30 Biodiversity Plan is a nationally owned, science-based and costed strategy to strengthen protection of 30% of the country’s terrestrial and marine areas by 2030. The plan targets 18 million hectares of terrestrial ecosystems and 40 million hectares of ocean under strengthened protection, with direct benefits intended for more than three million people.

Its 2026 expansion followed a participatory planning process involving the Malagasy government, national scientists, local communities and international partners. In late March 2026, 50 scientists—most of them Malagasy—met in Antananarivo to identify biodiversity priorities. A related workshop produced a consensus map covering roughly 44.5 million acres of priority land, approximately one-third of Madagascar.

The purpose of this prioritisation is not simply to draw more boundaries. It is to identify where protection can conserve the greatest biodiversity, connect important habitats and guide scarce funding. The workshop’s scientists also highlighted gaps where future discoveries may occur, showing why surveys and continued research remain important.

Community-led conservation and local management

Protected areas often sit beside communities that depend on land, water and forest products. Conservation programmes supported by the Duke Lemur Center include fuel-efficient cookstoves, reforestation, sustainable agriculture training, alternative crops, fish farming, green charcoal made with bamboo, family planning and women’s reproductive-health initiatives. The programme also supports local conservation committees and trains community rangers.

At Farankaraina, Fandroakando works with two village associations, known as VOIs, to protect and restore the forest. Rangers patrol daily, vary their routes and times, document observations with notes and photographs, and report damage for follow-up. At least once a month, VOI members join the patrols. Patrols are tracked with the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool, or SMART, to improve monitoring effectiveness.

Community rights are also embedded in Madagascar’s legal framework. WWF describes the transfert de gestion des ressources naturelles renouvelables, or TGRN, as a system that can grant communities rights to manage renewable natural resources in their areas for three, five or 10 years. The framework has also been applied to water management and locally managed marine areas.

Research, restoration and species protection

Scientific monitoring helps managers understand whether conservation actions are working. The Duke Lemur Center’s SAVA Conservation programme, led by Conservation Coordinator James Herrera, combines Malagasy staff with Duke students and faculty and partners with Malagasy organisations. Its stated approach is to base strategies on carefully collected data about interactions between lemurs and people.

At Betampona, a collaborative Duke Lemur Center and Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group reintroduction programme developed into a wider conservation effort involving ecological monitoring, education and reforestation around Parc Ivoloina. Andrea Katz, a Duke Lemur Center conservationist, described the release project as the springboard for a broader programme at Betampona.

Other current initiatives focus on particular species and habitats. IUCN Save Our Species lists projects for 2026–2027 to protect lemur diversity in Anjanaharibe-Sud, strengthen protection in Kirindy Menabe Forest, conserve seven threatened lemur species in Vangaindrano’s remaining refuge and maintain ecological corridors on the Mahafaly Plateau.

In the Andasibe area, Association Mitsinjo was formed by local tour guides and now manages the Analamazaotra Forest Station, including Madagascar’s first frog-breeding facility, while co-managing Torotorofotsy. The organisation’s reserves protect 14 lemur species, including indris and diademed sifakas. GERP, founded by Professor Jonah Ratsimbazafy, works in forests including Maromizaha and Manombo, supporting livelihoods and local enforcement.

Why community benefits and tourism matter

Tourism can support conservation through park entrance fees, local guiding, accommodation, restaurants, transport and employment. Its conservation value is strongest when revenue reaches park management and nearby communities, and when visitor activities follow ecological and cultural safeguards.

In northeastern Madagascar, conservation partners have invested in visitor infrastructure at Marojejy and Anjanaharibe-Sud, including accommodation, dining facilities and the Camp Indri site. These facilities can support tourists and researchers while creating opportunities for local school groups to experience primary forest.

Tourism is not a substitute for public conservation finance or effective governance. The 30×30 plan includes carbon-credit programmes, debt-for-nature swaps, green bonds, a proposed Lemur bond and high-end ecotourism among its financing tools. It targets annual conservation financing of $150–220 million by 2030, while seeking $120 million for three priority landscapes by 2028.

FAPBM, Madagascar’s independent national conservation trust fund, channels long-standing bilateral support from organisations including KfW, AFD and the World Bank, alongside other funding sources. The Rainforest Trust reports that the 30×30 plan is intended to diversify financing rather than rely on international philanthropy alone.

Travellers can book conservation-supporting safaris on SafariFind, but the quality of the operator matters more than the label. Ask how park fees are handled, whether guides and staff are locally employed, which community organisations benefit, and whether wildlife viewing follows park rules.

Results and setbacks: a balanced assessment

Area of progress	What the research shows	What remains unresolved
Protected-area planning	Twenty-one protected areas were designated in February 2026, adding 1.82 million hectares and taking the national total to nearly 9.4 million hectares.	New designations require staffing, boundary management, community agreements and long-term finance.
Scientific leadership	A 2026 biodiversity-prioritisation process involved 50 scientists, with the majority Malagasy, and produced a national priority map.	Priority mapping must translate into practical protection and monitoring in remote areas.
Local enforcement	Farankaraina patrols use community participation and SMART tracking; Betampona has benefited from protection against illegal wood cutting and wildlife poaching.	Illegal logging, farming, mining and poaching continue to be reported in several landscapes.
Livelihood support	Programmes use fuel-efficient stoves, sustainable agriculture, reforestation, education and community conservation committees.	Vanilla-price volatility, tourism disruption and poverty can increase pressure on protected areas.

The overall picture is therefore neither simple success nor failure. Madagascar has stronger scientific prioritisation, an expanding protected-area network and locally led programmes with practical results. At the same time, a protected area can remain vulnerable when rangers lack resources, boundaries are unclear, roads are absent or households have few alternatives to forest-dependent livelihoods.

How travellers can help responsibly

• Choose locally rooted operators. Prefer guides, camps and organisations that explain local employment, community partnerships and conservation contributions rather than making vague wildlife claims.
• Pay legitimate park and reserve fees. Entrance fees and visitor spending can support management and local economies, although travellers should ask operators exactly what is included in the package.
• Follow wildlife-viewing rules. Keep distance, avoid touching or feeding animals, remain on permitted trails and follow guide instructions. These practices reduce disturbance even where the research does not quantify their effect.
• Do not buy wildlife or illegal forest products. Avoid products made from threatened species, rosewood or other materials whose origin cannot be verified, because illegal extraction is a documented threat in several landscapes.
• Support credible Malagasy organisations. Consider organisations with named field programmes, transparent partnerships and clear monitoring, such as Association Mitsinjo, GERP, Fandroakando, Madagascar National Parks or community associations working with established conservation partners.
• Respect communities and conservation rules. Ask permission before photographing people, use local services where possible and treat protected areas as living landscapes rather than visitor attractions.

Madagascar’s national parks and reserves will be protected most effectively when national policy, Malagasy scientific leadership, community rights, field enforcement, sustainable livelihoods and responsible tourism reinforce one another. The 2026 expansion of the protected-area network creates an important opportunity; its lasting value will depend on whether the country and its partners can finance and manage those places over the long term.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many national parks does Madagascar have?

Madagascar has 28 national parks, most managed by Madagascar National Parks. Its wider protected-area system also includes nature reserves, special reserves, integral nature reserves and resource nature reserves.

What is the current conservation status of Madagascar’s national parks in 2026?

Madagascar’s protected-area network is expanding: 21 new protected areas were designated in February 2026, bringing the national total to nearly 9.4 million hectares. However, habitat loss, illegal logging, farming, mining, poaching and limited ranger access remain ongoing challenges.

What are the biggest threats to wildlife in Madagascar’s parks?

The main documented threats include slash-and-burn agriculture, land demand, illegal logging and charcoal production, precious-wood extraction, unsustainable forest-product collection, artisanal mining, poaching and fire-management pressures.

Which organisations protect Madagascar’s national parks?

Madagascar National Parks manages most national parks, while conservation organisations and community associations manage or support other protected areas. Examples in the research include the Duke Lemur Center, Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group, Lemur Conservation Foundation, GERP, Association Mitsinjo, Fandroakando and Wildlife Madagascar.

How do communities help conserve Madagascar’s parks?

Communities participate through local conservation committees, village associations, community ranger programmes, forest patrols, restoration, environmental education and locally managed natural-resource systems such as TGRN. Livelihood programmes also support sustainable agriculture, fish farming, reforestation and fuel-efficient stoves.

How does tourism help conservation in Madagascar?

Tourism can contribute through entrance fees, local guides, accommodation, transport, restaurants and employment. Its benefits are strongest when revenue supports park management and nearby communities and when operators follow environmental and cultural safeguards.

Are Park Fees Included in Safari Packages? - Mara Masai

Park fees may be included or charged separately, depending on the operator and itinerary. Travellers should request an itemised quote and ask how fees are paid and whether community or conservation contributions are included; the research identifies entrance fees as one potential conservation-finance source.

What extra costs are there at Mara Safari Park?

For a Madagascar trip, possible additional costs can include park or reserve entry, guiding, transport, accommodation, meals and activities, but the exact items depend on the itinerary. Ask for a written breakdown before booking rather than assuming every conservation or park charge is included.

What is the most famous safari park in Tanzania?

That question concerns Tanzania rather than Madagascar. For Madagascar, well-known protected destinations in the research include Andasibe-Mantadia, Isalo, Marojejy, Masoala, Betampona and Anjanaharibe-Sud.

What is Madagascar’s 30×30 Biodiversity Plan?

It is Madagascar’s nationally owned strategy to strengthen protection of 30% of its terrestrial and marine areas by 2030. The plan targets 18 million hectares of terrestrial ecosystems and 40 million hectares of ocean under strengthened protection.