PARTICIPATORY PLANNING, SCIENTIFIC PRIORITIES, AND LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION IN MADAGASCAR

Madagascar's biodiversity is of extremely high international significa nce, yet comprehensive efforts to assess current knowledge and set pri orities have been absent until recently. Beginning in April 1995, a ma jor participatory effort to assess the country's scientific and conser vation priorities was undertaken in Madagascar. This process laid impo rtant groundwork for the revision of Madagascar's National Environment al Action Plan. The first stage of the process was a scientific priori ty-setting workshop. Over one hundred experts, organized in thematic g roups, reached consensus on biodiversity priorities for the island, ba sed on cross-discipline comparisons. A principal finding of the worksh op is that many areas of outstanding biodiversity and research importa nce are located outside protected areas. Participants also agreed that corridors needed to be created between the high-priority protected ar eas in order to maintain gene flow and exchange of species. The second stage of the process was a stakeholder consultation which integrated scientific findings, national priorities, local stakeholder views, and donor input. The stakeholder consultation concluded that a collaborat ive, regional approach was needed to augment site-based conservation a ctivities. Participants also emphasized that institutional strengtheni ng in forestry and parks agencies needed much higher priority. The net result of the process was the adoption of a landscape approach to con servation which integrates regional planning, biodiversity monitoring and institutional strengthening.