Our Sites
BCM currently manages four unique sites, each chosen based on similar criteria that focus on high biodiversity potential, the level of threat, and the lack of solid infrastructure, which compounds their vulnerability. These sites are particularly susceptible to daily pressures due to accessibility challenges, increasing poverty, and a lack of administrative oversight. Despite these challenges, BCM has committed significant resources and efforts over the past 20 years, with the support of the Bioculture Group and Griffiths Family Trust, to address and overcome these precarious conditions. Learn more about our sites and projects.
01
Sahafina
BCM launched its first project in 2003 with the Sahafina Forest, a dense, evergreen lowland rainforest covering 2,400 hectares in the Brickaville district, straddling the rural communes of Anivorano-Est and Mahatsara. Sahafina stands as a relic gem that has survived the widespread deforestation which has devastated the surrounding forest blocks from the highlands to the eastern coast and their fragmentation. It is, in fact, the only large forest block remaining in the entire Brickaville district.
02
Beanka
The 17,000-hectare Beanka forest, located approximately 70 km from Maintirano in the Melaky Region, is a unique limestone dry deciduous forest, resembling a northern extension of the Tsingy de Bemaraha. Managed by BCM since 2007 through a management convention with the Ministry of Environment, it was designated as a New Protected Area (NPA) in 2016. This forest holds immense ecological value, with less than 5% of this forest type remaining. BCM's efforts have led to numerous scientific discoveries, including the Mentocrex beankensis bird species. Despite facing threats from intentional bushfires, BCM's conservation efforts, supported by partners like FAPBM since 2017, continue to sustainably manage Beanka, providing employment opportunities and ecological incentives for local communities.
03
Besely
Our tortoise conservation project commenced in 2017. Situated in Besely, 20 km south of Itampolo (Ampanihy District), this 900-hectare coastal spiny thicket forest, which plays a crucial role and is shared by the neighboring communities of Behavoa, Sakariake, Befolotse, and Besely, is home to approximately 4,300 Astrochelys radiata and 150 Pyxis arachnoides (not an exhaustive count). In addition to preserving this habitat, the primary objective of the project's first phase is to ensure the protection and survival of adult wild tortoises, followed by efforts to bolster population recruitment through a breeding program.
04
Andriantantely
The latest project by BCM focuses on the lowland rainforest of Andriantantely, located in the Brickaville district, between the rural communities of Fetraomby, Ambohimarina, and Lohariandava. Covering an area of 4000 hectares, it forms a peripheral block southeast of the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor (CAZ). Andriantantely is an extension of the CAZ promoted by Conservation International (CI), with urgent conservation needs due to human pressures like deforestation, selective logging, and lemur hunting. The area boasts significant biodiversity, including 10 lemur species, around 90 bird species, 30 reptile species, and 42 amphibian species. To address these threats, BCM proposes immediate and permanent actions, including establishing guard posts, recruiting patrols, nurturing nursery plants for reforestation, and conducting community surveys to identify conservation priorities.
