APPROACH
We commit to areas where we are confident we can meet the challenge and achieve our goals. Establishing a permanent local presence is crucial, and we do this by setting up a BCM coordination structure on site. This ensures we can monitor situations and implement activities outlined in a management plan. These activities are extensive. To better ensure the survival of habitats and the species they house, the principle and goal of these activities aim to balance the enforcement of laws with the ecological benefits that everyone can gain from a nearby conservation program, especially the surrounding communities and, by extension, future generations. Addressing the impacts of human pressures, often a result of poverty, by providing stable incomes helps to foster community support and engagement.
Our coordination office and research center, along with the turtle rehabilitation facility, are located in Besely. We also host both local and international students and collaborators there.
Our sites have created 84 permanent jobs, recruited from within the local communities. These employees are then trained by us and environmental authorities on relevant laws, techniques, and the use of modern tools. A network of guards ensures daily surveillance, many of whom are former hunters or illegal loggers who have transitioned to conservation work. Nurseries annually produce various endemic species, primarily for feeding lemurs but also for other needs of the local population. These young plants are used to reforest areas damaged by clearing and past fires. Species intended for local use are planted in designated areas chosen by the communities. BCM funds all these reforestation campaigns, providing seasonal employment for many people.
In an inclusive approach, BCM brings together all local stakeholders and encourages them to change their behavior while introducing alternative income-generating activities or supporting their usual agricultural practices. This support includes providing technical assistance and materials through on-site technicians, distributing tools, seeds, and fertilizers, and offering production management training.
These initiatives have led to noticeable improvements in several areas: a more respectful and favorable attitude towards nature conservation, increased awareness
of climate change, and significant progress in the condition of the forest and its species. Overall, these positive changes are encouraging for us.