Study Area: The Mahafaly Plateau

The focus of SuLaMa is the Mahafaly Plateau in the dry south-western region of Madagascar. With an area of 800,000 hectares, it represents a unique and highly diverse dryland with an exceptionally high number of endemic animal and plant species, including high numbers of reptiles. Dry spiny forests are characteristic of this habitat.

The Mahafaly Plateau belongs to the most disadvantaged region of Madagascar both economically and climatically. Periodic droughts, poverty and limited alternatives of land use pose an enormous challenge for the local population. The situation is exacerbated by missing income alternatives and the corresponding low level of economic development in this region. From the coastline to the inland, the region covers three different ecological zones, which are all marked by pronounced degradation problems.

Unsustainable land use techniques in the whole southern region of Madagascar have caused forest fragmentation, soil erosion and sedimentation in river valleys. The associated destruction of ecosystem functions and services impact the livelihood of the local population, both at present and in the long term.