East Africa dialogue takeaways

Exploring the true value of forests in East Africa: Maroantsetra, Madagascar

Hazo tokana tsy mba ala, Malagasy for “one tree does not make a forest”, is the perfect summary of the true value of forests: their strength lies in numbers. More trees mean richer ecosystems, habitats, and services. When more people understand and value these forests, they will be more intentional about protecting them or using them sustainably. These were the key takeaways from the East Africa edition of the Wyss Academy Dialogues on the True Value of Forests held in Maroantsetra, Madagascar, on 13–14 June 2024. The event saw 26 participants drawn from government and civil society gather to develop concrete steps toward reforestation, diversified livelihoods, and greater awareness of the importance of forests.

Tatjana Von Steiger, Head of Global Policy Outreach at the Wyss Academy, explained: “We want to contextualize the debate by anchoring it in the local context. This way, we can enable various stakeholders to bring in their perspectives—and that’s key to developing a joint vision and exploring novel ideas.”

Fusion of past, present and future

It is often said that moving forward requires learning from the past, and this is particularly true when developing effective advocacy and behavior change strategies. Strongly held cultural and spiritual beliefs directly impact understanding of, and receptiveness to, scientific or other information connected to the value of forests. This is not to say that previous generations lacked an appreciation for forests. In fact, trees and forests were generally revered and rarely cut down without performing special rituals. For instance, in Maroantsetra, offerings of honey and alcohol were prepared for Zanahary (Malagasy for God) when seeking permission to cut down a tree, and approval came in a dream. The ritual still exists, with a modern condition that the tree be felled using an axe rather than a chain saw. In other parts of Madagascar, it was believed that the spirits of departed loved ones resided in trees and that anyone who cut them down risked being possessed.

As time and Christianity gradually weakened these traditions, the value of forests became less protected. Trees were now felled for firewood, construction, food, and medicine, often without ensuring regeneration. The present reality of forests is to provide sustenance, and this comes with its own set of challenges. Soil erosion, reduced agricultural productivity, pollution, and loss of cultural practices are some of the notable consequences of this shift.

So, what does this mean for the future of forests in Madagascar? Finding a balance between the two extremes of rigorous protection and use is critical. While this is easier said than done, it is certainly possible. For starters, a clear governance policy on environmental and forest protection must be developed and strictly enforced. This should quickly be followed by intensive public awareness activities, to ensure that local communities are properly educated on conservation and sustainable management of forests.

Value as a dynamic concept

The “true” value of forests is a collection of varying perceptions and knowledge, which are all products of interconnected systems. Participants made it clear that advocacy and communication around value must reflect the needs of local people. They also emphasized that forests are a source of life for everyone; and if everyone benefits, everyone is responsible for conservation.

Sarobidy Rakotonarivo, Interdisciplinary Social Scientist from the University of Antananarivo, was categorical about governance frameworks that empower local communities. “While we must take urgent steps to protect globally important biodiversity, we need to resist the urge to cut corners,” she said. “Implementing a socially just and rights-based approach to conservation is a slow and difficult process. It is those people at the forest frontier holding an axe that have the greatest influence on what happens. We can have endless dialogues like this, but unless these people who make decisions about how they farm are genuinely empowered, and unless their rights to land and adequate safeguards are recognized, I’m afraid forest loss will persist.”

For most participants, the value of forests is focused on economic, environmental and sociocultural benefits, with the overarching view that forest preservation should directly provide income to local communities through activities such as ecotourism and honey production. Beyond income, health and sustainable research were mentioned as complementary values of forests.

As for advocacy and awareness of the value of forests, participants agreed that strengthening contacts and relationships between local communities and donors should be prioritized. Building trust between the two groups will help to develop and implement solutions more effectively, and in the long term enable a smoother transition when donor support is phased out. Regarding the focus of public awareness campaigns, participants offered several key topics, including (1) biodiversity conservation and values; (2) rapidly shrinking forest cover; and (3) guidelines for tourists visiting the forests.

Integrated Forest Management and Conservation (IFMC)

Alongside a call for a clear policy on forest protection, participants discussed existing national and private sector initiatives that emphasize the importance of proper forest management frameworks. These include, among others:

1. SNABE (national strategy for wood energy supply): This is a strategy proposed by the government of Madagascar that aims to support the growth of wood energy supply, promote the reduction of wood energy consumption, and establish essential framework conditions such as land tenure security, forest regulations and controls, or support for the adoption of substitute energies.

2. Alliance Voahary Gasy (AVG): This platform brings together about thirty member organizations for better management of natural resources, with the aim of influencing the government to implement policies and laws that favor a more sustainable and environmentally friendly economy, and especially of ensuring that vulnerable local communities are not at the front lines of environmental damage. AVG offers advocacy, training, and an app that compiles environmental laws and makes them easily accessible.

3. Fair Trade certifications: These are usually coordinated by private sector actors who support financing and conservation partnerships.

Creating a collective vision

The event concluded with the development of the collective statement presented in the image below:

The regional dialogues have now come to an end. The insights and lessons learned from all four events will serve as a basis for a larger connected experience at a virtual global dialogue slated for 1–2 October, and later at the 16th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity. We are excited to see this collective wisdom turn into tangible, real-world impact!