ANGAP—The National Association for the Management of Protected Areas in Madagascar.
2006 UPDATE: In January 2006, Madagascar introduced a new park-management system, the System of Protected Areas of Madagascar (SAPM). SAPM simplifies the legal process used to create a protected area and permits varying degrees of sustainable resource use to contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development. SAPM replaces ANGAP.
ANGAP (the National Association for the Management of Protected Areas—Association Nationale pour la Gestion des Aires Protegees)—is the organization that manages Madagascar's protected areas system. Founded in 1990, SAPM's mission is five-fold:
Safeguarding Madagascar's ecosystems.
Researching the potential of Madagascar's biodiversity.
Developing environmental education programs for local people.
Promoting potential commercial applications of Madagascar's biodiversity (ecotourism, for example).
Supporting sustainable development activities in areas surrounding protected zones.
One of SAPM (ANGAP)'s principal goals is to enable local communities to benefit directly from conservation. Fifty percent of park entrance fees collected by SAPM (ANGAP) go to local communities, and visitors cannot enter a park without hiring a local guide. SAPM (ANGAP) has extensive training programs to ensure local guides are knowledgable about the flora, fauna, and other details of the protected area. SAPM (ANGAP) also works closely with domestic and foreign scientisits to study biodiversity and the impact of visitors on parks and reserves.
RECENT NEWS Dell becomes carbon neutral by saving endangered lemurs (08/06/2008)Every year as much as one-third of Dell, the world's largest computer maker, announced it has become the first major technology company to achieve carbon neutrality.
Population of critically endangered lemurs discovered in Madagascar (7/22/2008) Scientists in Madagascar have discovered a population of greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus), a critically endangered species of primate, in an area more than 400 kilometers away from its only known refuge, reports conservation International.
Lemurs are key to health of Madagascar's rainforests (06/12/2008) Lemurs play a key role in the health of Madagascar's tropical rainforests said a renowned primatologist speaking at a meeting of conservation biologists in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Madagascar signs big carbon deal to fund rainforest conservation (06/11/2008> Madagascar will sell more than nine million tons of carbon offsets to fund rainforest conservation in a newly established protected area. conservationists say the deal protect endangered wildlife, promote sustainable development to improve the economic well-being of people living in and around the park area, and help fight global warming.
Conservation is saving lemurs and helping people in Madagascar (5/7/2007) Madagascar, an island nation that lies off the coast of southeastern Africa, has long been famous for its unique and diverse species of wildlife, especially lemurs--primates found nowhere else on the planet. In recent years, the island country has also become world-renowned for conservation efforts that are succeeding in spite of extraordinary pressures from a poor population that relies heavily on forest burning for basic subsistence. A large part of this success is due to the early efforts of Patricia Wright, a primatologist who has been working in the country for more than 20 years. Wright led the effort to launch the country's leading protected area and helped Madagascar become a leading global example of conservation despite its economic adversity.
