Working with the local communities and helping them to develop their capacity to manage natural resources sustainably is one of the most important aspects of our project in Andriantantely, which has been made possible thanks to the support of IUCN Save Our Species.
General Assembly meeting Dimbiazanjafy VOI © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar
The Madagascan Government owns the land at our project sites, and defined areas are designated for community-based conservation. Management responsibility for each area is transferred from the government to legally recognised local community associations (VOIs) under a transfer of management contract.
The Importance of VOIs
The role of VOIs is critical to achieving effective natural resource management as they are required to perform several functions including delivering management plans and penalising individuals carrying out illegal activities through the application of Dina. Developing their capacity to perform their duties has long term benefits for the community members and for the wildlife/habitat of the areas for which they are responsible.
VOIs must be legally recognised organisations for them to carry out the full range of their duties, and this recognition is provided in the form of a Transfer of Management contract. Without Transfer of Management contracts, the VOIs do not have any authority to act, and protected areas are vulnerable to increased unsustainable practices damaging to habitat and wildlife.
The Transfer of Management Contract Renewal
Transfer of Management contracts are only valid for a specific period, ranging from 3 to 10 years, after which the VOI is required to undergo a contract renewal process. Within this project we are assisting five VOIs with expired contracts to seek the required renewal.
Assessment of the Dimbiazanjafy VOI © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar
Currently each of the five VOI are at different stages of the process with Dimbiazanjafy VOI being the most advanced. Community agreement is necessary and in December 2025 the Dimbiazanjafy VOI held a General Assembly to enable an evaluation of its previous management of part of the Andriantantely forest. This was conducted by local authority agents representing the government who then accompanied VOI members on field trips to assess the area.
Following the assessment, the local authority agents then proceeded with the re-delimitation of designated areas and a floristic inventory which, in addition to the forest area, included an inventory of the habitat for greater bamboo lemurs. This was a participatory process, and teams were created consisting of the local authority agents, VOI Members (including Counsel and ordinary members), village elders, and local administrative officials.
During the evaluation a protected forest area covering 446.7 hectares was identified for the renewal of the transfer of management for Dimbiazanjafy VOI, and the formal request for renewal can now proceed.
The re-delimitation and inventory teams, including our project coordinator Hery Randriahaingo © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar
Establishing a Local Community Conservation Committee
The formal structure of the VOIs is essential for effective natural resource management, but there are also other routes to include and encourage the participation of local people. As part of this project our team have worked with the communities to establish a local community conservation committee.
The committee is composed of a minimum of four members from within each VOI, including one President, one Secretary, and two ordinary members. In total, the committee has 21 members, comprising of 9 women and 12 men.
Committee members join local authority agents on patrol © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar
The roles and responsibilities of the Committee members within each VOI are diverse and include:
• Involvement in developing and monitoring lemur conservation plans and making decisions regarding conservation strategies.
• Coordinating activities in collaboration with the VOIs and The Aspinall Foundation during events such as the Lemur Festival and World Environment Day.
• Raising awareness among local communities to stop hunting and habitat destruction, and educating the public on the ecological, cultural, and economic importance of lemurs.
• Reporting cases of environmental offences (such as illegal hunting, bushfires, and illegal logging), and participating in joint control operations with the Gendarmerie.
• Reforestation activities.
Committee members participating in reforestation © The Aspinall Foundation Madagascar
Conclusion
Local communities have much to offer in the conservation and protection of the areas where they live. We are grateful to IUCN for their support with this project which has activities that focus on supporting communities to develop their skills in natural resource management.
IUCN Save Our Species aims to improve the long-term survival prospects of threatened species. It also focuses on supporting the species' habitats and working with the communities that share this habitat. It achieves success by funding and coordinating conservation projects into multiple initiatives across the globe.