The use of natural resources to improve household income, health, and nutrition within the forests of Kianjavato, Madagascar

Understanding natural resource extraction in Madagascar is key to developing wider conservation and management strategies that ensure the continued delivery of essential ecosystem services, and the development of health and economic strategies to meet the demands of a growing human population. In the Kianjavato lowland rainforest of southeastern Madagascar, 78% of lemur species, 83% of native carnivoran species, and 67% of frugivorous bat species are threatened with extinction. All three of these groups of mammals are commonly hunted for food in other regions of Madagascar, yet we knew little about current levels of hunting or whether the use of forest resources significantly affects human welfare in this region. We used health assessments of 1 267 Kianjavato residents and semi-structured interviews of members of 336 households in 1 7 communities in Kianjavato to investigate human-environmental interactions. We found high prevalence of child and teenage malnutrition. More than half of the population under 20 years old was stunted, more than half was underweight, and more than one fifth was wasted. Further, one in six residents were anemic. We found that Kianjavato’s forests provided essential ecosystem services for its rural communities. As Kianjavato’s forests are altered to meet the needs of a growing human population, these direct-use ecosystem services (such as the use of wild animals for food or plants for medicine) are unable to similarly expand to meet the basic needs of the families living in these forests. A worrying proportion of the Kianjavato population depends on forests to meet their healthcare, nutritional, and economic needs, yet they may be failing to do so. All surveyed households (1 00%) depended on forests to meet their healthcare needs and 40% of the regional economy involved the extraction of finite forest resources (i.e., precious stones). Most  households consumed very little wildlife (two animals per household per year) and the great majority (83%) of the forest animals they ate were not threatened with extinction. Forty percent of wildlife were caught illegally. Although hunting is likely not imperiling local wildlife at present, 1 6% of the Kianjavato population hunts wildlife and 20% are malnourished. The ecosystem services of Kianjavato’s forests may currently be insufficient to meet the needs of residents. Therefore, targeted efforts to increase local access to the healthcare system and to improve household nutrition and economy by improving the production and stability of local agricultural products may increase the long-term sustainability of wildlife hunting, household incomes, and regional food security. Efforts such as these that can expand with the growing population to meet future needs may help secure the sustainable use of essential ecosystem services for the long term, improving the health of local people and maintaining the integrity of the forests in which they live

Wildlife hunting in complex human-environmental systems: How understanding natural resource use and human welfare can improve conservation in the Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar

Conservation officials work to manage complex and interacting human-environmental systems, where balancing needs between the two systems can become a source of tension. This study presents information on the use of natural resources by, and the health and welfare of, rural  communities within and near Ankarafantsika National Park (ANP) in northwestern Madagascar. We focus on behaviors that are difficult for natural resource managers to measure themselves, including the hunting of threatened and protected wildlife and on sensitive information about humanwealth, health, and food security. We surveyed 41 9 households and measured the health of 1 860 individuals in 1 8 communities adjacent to or within the boundaries of ANP. We found a very high prevalence of child malnutrition, illness, and food insecurity and a heavy reliance on natural products to meet subsistence needs. More than 90% of the population reported that they hunted wildlife and harvested wild vegetables at least one day during the prior week as a direct means to cope with their food insecurity. Further, we found a high reliance on the forest for both healthcare and the building of adequate shelter. Efforts to improve overall food security would likely improve both human welfare and the long-term conservation of the threatened wildlife and habitat of Ankarafantsika. These data can help both conservation and community livelihood programs to find integrated solutions to the shared challenges of improving the well-being of human populations and the protection of Madagascar’s unique, endemic, and highly threatened biodiversity.   Les gestionnaires oeuvrant pour la protection de la nature sont généralement confrontés à des systèmes socio-écologiques complexes et interactifs dans lesquels la recherche de l’équilibre entre les besoins de ces deux systèmes peut s’avérer être une source de tension. Cette étude présente des informations sur l'utilisation des ressources naturelles par les communautés rurales riveraines du parc national d'Ankarafantsika (PNA) dans le nord-ouest de Madagascar, ainsi que sur la santé et le bien-être de ces communautés. L’étude s’est en particulier orientée sur les comportementsdifficiles à mesurer pour les gestionnaires de ressources naturelles, à savoir la chasse d'animaux sauvages menacés et protégés et les informations portant sur l’opulence, la santé et la sécurité alimentaire des gens. Une enquête a été réalisée auprès de 41 9 ménages et l’état de santé de 1 860 personnes a été mesuré dans 1 8 communautés vivant à la périphérie ou à l’intérieur des limites du PNA. Une très forte prévalence de la  malnutrition infantile a été observée ainsi que diverses pathologies, une insécurité alimentaire et une dépendance importante à l'égard des produits naturels pour répondre aux besoins de subsistance. Plus de 90% de la population a déclaré qu'elle avait chassé des animaux et récolté des plantes sauvages au moins un jour au cours de la semaine précédente, à titre de moyen direct pour faire face à l' insécurité alimentaire. Une forte dépendance à l'égard des forêts a également été notée pour les produits destinés à la santé et la construction de maisons. Les efforts visant à améliorer la sécurité alimentaire dans son ensemble pourraient vraisemblablement améliorer le bien-être humain aussi bien que la conservationà long terme de la faune et des habitats menacés de l'Ankarafantsika. Ces données peuvent aider les programmes de conservation et de subsistance de la communauté à trouver des solutions intégrées aux problèmes communs de l’amélioration du bien-être des populations humaines et de la protection de la biodiversité unique, endémique et hautement menacée de Madagascar

The use of natural resources to improve household income, health, and nutrition within the forests of Kianjavato, Madagascar

Understanding natural resource extraction in Madagascar is key to developing wider conservation and management strategies that ensure the continued delivery of essential ecosystem services, and the development of health and economic strategies to meet the demands of a growing human population. In the Kianjavato lowland rainforest of southeastern Madagascar, 78% of lemur species, 83% of native carnivoran species, and 67% of frugivorous bat species are threatened with extinction. All three of these groups of mammals are commonly hunted for food in other regions of Madagascar, yet we know little about current levels of hunting or whether the use of forest resources significantly affects human welfare in this region. We used health assessments of 1267 Kianjavato residents and semi-structured interviews of members of 336 households in 17 communities in Kianjavato to investigate human-environmental interactions. We found high prevalence of child and teenage malnutrition. More than half of the population under 20 years old was stunted, more than half was underweight, and more than one fifth was wasted. Further, one in six residents were anemic. We found that Kianjavato’s forests provided essential ecosystem services for its rural communities. As Kianjavato’s forests are altered to meet the needs of a growing human population, these direct-use ecosystem services (such as the use of wild animals for food or plants for medicine) are unable to similarly expand to meet the basic needs of the families living in these forests. A worrying proportion of the Kianjavato population depends on forests to meet their healthcare, nutritional, and economic needs, yet they may be failing to do so. All surveyed households (100%) depended on forests to meet their healthcare needs and 40% of the regional economy involved the extraction of finite forest resources (i.e., precious stones). Most households consumed very little wildlife (two animals per household per year) and the great majority (83%) of the forest animals they ate were not threatened with extinction. Forty percent of wildlife were caught illegally. Although hunting is likely not imperiling local wildlife at present, 16% of the Kianjavato population hunts wildlife and 20% are malnourished. The ecosystem services of Kianjavato’s forests may currently be insufficient to meet the needs of residents. Therefore, targeted efforts to increase local access to the healthcare system and to improve household nutrition and economy by improving the production and stability of local agricultural products may increase the long-term sustainability of both wildlife hunting, household incomes, and regional food security. Efforts such as these that can expand with the growing population to meet future needs may help secure the sustainable use of essential ecosystem services for the long term, improving the health of local people and maintaining the integrity of the forests in which they live. RésuméComprendre l'utilisation des ressources naturelles à Madagascar est essentiel pour développer des stratégies de conservation et de gestion plus larges qui permettent à la fois de fournir des services écosystémiques et de développer des stratégies sanitaires et économiques afin de répondre aux besoins d'une population humaine toujours croissante. Dans la forêt tropicale humide de basse altitude de Kianjavato dans le sud-est de Madagascar, 78% des espèces de lémuriens, 83% des espèces de carnivores indigènes et 67% des espèces de chauves-souris frugivores sont menacés d'extinction. Ces trois groupes de mammifères sont généralement chassés dans d'autres régions de Madagascar, mais nous en savons peu sur les niveaux actuels de chasse ou si l'utilisation des ressources forestières affecte significativement le bien-être humain dans cette région. Nous avons conduit une évaluation sanitaire sur 1267 habitants de Kianjavato, ainsi que des entretiens semi-structurés avec des membres de 336 ménages dans 17 communautés de Kianjavato afin d’étudier les interactions entre l’Homme et l’environnement. Nous avons constaté une forte prévalence de la malnutrition chez les enfants et les adolescents. Plus de la moitié de la population âgée de moins de 20 ans souffre d'un retard de croissance, plus de la moitié d’une insuffisance pondérale et plus d'un cinquième d’émaciation. En outre, un résident sur six est anémique. Nous avons constaté que les forêts de Kianjavato fournissent des services écosystémiques essentiels à ces communautés rurales. Comme les forêts de Kianjavato sont altérées pour répondre aux besoins d'une population croissante, ces services écosystémiques à usage direct (tels que la consommation d'animaux sauvages ou des plantes médicinales) ne peuvent plus couvrir les besoins fondamentaux des familles qui y vivent. Une proportion inquiétante de la population de Kianjavato dépend des forêts quant à ses besoins sanitaires, nutritionnels et économiques, cependant ces dernières ne peuvent plus y pourvoir entièrement. Tous les ménages enquêtés (100%) comptent sur la forêt pour la satisfaction de leurs besoins sanitaires. Par ailleurs, l’exploitation de ressources forestières finies (extraction de pierres précieuses) représente 40% de l’économie régionale. La plupart des ménages consommaient très peu d'animaux sauvages (deux animaux par ménage par an) et la grande majorité (83%) des animaux forestiers qu'ils mangeaient n'étaient pas menacés d'extinction. Cependant, 40% de ces animaux forestiers ont été capturés de manière illicite. Certes la chasse ne menace pas actuellement la faune locale mais 16% de la population de Kianjavato reconnaît s’y adonner et 20% souffrent de malnutrition. Les services écosystémiques s’avèrent actuellement insuffisants pour répondre aux besoins des résidents. Il est par conséquent nécessaire de cibler les efforts pour accroître l’accès local au système de santé, ensuite pour améliorer la nutrition et l’économie des ménages (améliorer la production et la stabilité des produits agricoles locaux), et tout ceci dans le but d’augmenter la viabilité à long terme de la chasse, des revenus et de la sécurité alimentaire dans cette région. De tels efforts lorsqu’ils prennent en compte la croissance de la population - et donc ses besoins futurs accrus —peuvent aider à assurer l’utilisation durable des services écosystémiques, à améliorer la santé des populations locales, et en fin de compte, à maintenir l’intégrité des forêts dans lesquelles elles vivent

Integrating approaches to study land use change and hotspots of malaria transmission in rural Madagascar: an observational study

Background: Changes in how land is used can, by altering the ecology of microhabitats suitable for the Anopheles mosquito vector, modify the potential for malaria infection in a region. This can in part explain why malaria transmission is spatiotemporally variable and why localised foci of a substantially higher burden than regional or national averages are often observed. However, numerous other factors also contribute to the non-random distribution of malaria infections, such as human demography and behaviour, immune history and current health status, and access to adequate health services. Therefore, we aimed to integrate ecological, demographic, and socioeconomic data to better understand the forces driving malaria transmission hotspots in five sample regions in Madagascar. This research can be applied to develop land use practices or interventions that better mitigate malaria transmission. Methods: Large, interdisciplinary datasets from two prospective cohort studies of 701 and 856 people and one cross-sectional study of 5598 people (both sexes and all ages) from a total of 31 localities in Madagascar were analysed. Clinical (including malaria infection outcome) and health and socioeconomic survey data for each individual participant were paired with mosquito vector habitat transects and remote-sensing geospatial data in hierarchical models. To better examine transmission patterns in the spatiotemporal distribution of malaria infections, genetic analyses using a panel of polymorphic genetic markers were done to examine genetic diversity of malaria parasites. Findings: We observed a non-random distribution of malaria infections at multiple spatial scales, providing evidence of hotspots in malaria transmission at the individual, household, and community levels. For example, malaria prevalence varied from 5% to 40% between sites within 15 km. Malaria prevalence in many of these rural communities in Madagascar was substantially higher than expectations based on the published national or regional estimates of about 5–9%. Genetic data, especially in the northeastern localities, were consistent with the presence of stable foci of high transmission in remote areas where the landscape is dominated by recent and ongoing conversion of forest to agricultural land, primarily for rice cultivation. Interpretation: Remote communities in Madagascar, communities at the frontier of the rapid ecological transformation that is happening globally, have a disproportionately higher malaria burden than regional and national averages. Integrating diverse data streams allows a more complete understanding of the ecological and sociodemographic contributors to spatial patterns of infection and highlights the need for greater targeting of these vulnerable communities. We show the usefulness of a planetary health perspective in both identifying areas at high risk of infectious diseases such as malaria and providing a framework for future policies and practice that might jointly promote environmental and human health. Funding: Funding was provided by: NIH grant AI099105 to DLH, a grant to D. F. Wirth from the Global Health Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and a grant to CDG by the Rockefeller Foundation

Seasonal trends of nutrient intake in rainforest communities of north-eastern Madagascar

ObjectiveWe collected dietary records over the course of nine months to comprehensively characterize the consumption patterns of Malagasy people living in remote rainforest areas of north-eastern Madagascar.DesignThe present study was a prospective longitudinal cohort study to estimate dietary diversity and nutrient intake for a suite of macronutrients, micronutrients and vitamins for 152 randomly selected households in two communities.SettingMadagascar, with over 25 million people living in an area the size of France, faces a multitude of nutritional challenges. Micronutrient-poor staples, especially rice, roots and tubers, comprise nearly 80 % of the Malagasy diet by weight. The remaining dietary components (including wild foods and animal-source foods) are critical for nutrition. We focus our study in north-eastern Madagascar, characterized by access to rainforest, rice paddies and local agriculture.ParticipantsWe enrolled men, women and children of both sexes and all ages in a randomized sample of households in two communities.ResultsAlthough the Household Dietary Diversity Score and Food Consumption Score reflect high dietary diversity, the Minimum Dietary Diversity-Women indicator suggests poor micronutrient adequacy. The food intake data confirm a mixed nutritional picture. We found that the median individual consumed less than 50 % of his/her age/sex-specific Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for vitamins A, B12, D and E, and Ca, and less than 100 % of his/her EAR for energy, riboflavin, folate and Na.ConclusionsMalnutrition in remote communities of north-eastern Madagascar is pervasive and multidimensional, indicating an urgent need for comprehensive public health and development interventions focused on providing nutritional security

Population Viability and Harvest Sustainability for Madagascar Lemurs

Subsistence hunting presents a conservation challenge by which biodiversity preservation must be balanced with safeguarding of human livelihoods. Globally, subsistence hunting threatens primate populations, including Madagascar\u27s endemic lemurs. We used population viability analysis to assess the sustainability of lemur hunting in Makira Natural Park, Madagascar. We identified trends in seasonal hunting of 11 Makira lemur species from household interview data, estimated local lemur densities in populations adjacent to focal villages via transect surveys, and quantified extinction vulnerability for these populations based on species-specific demographic parameters and empirically derived hunting rates. We compared stage-based Lefkovitch with periodic Leslie matrices to evaluate the impact of regional dispersal on persistence trajectories and explored the consequences of perturbations to the timing of peak hunting relative to the lemur birth pulse, under assumptions of density-dependent reproductive compensation. Lemur hunting peaked during the fruit-abundant wet season (March–June). Estimated local lemur densities were roughly inverse to body size across our study area. Life-history modeling indicated that hunting most severely threatened the species with the largest bodies (i.e., Hapalemur occidentalis, Avahi laniger, Daubentonia madagascariensis, and Indri indi), characterized by late-age reproductive onsets and long interbirth intervals. In model simulations, lemur dispersal within a regional metapopulation buffered extinction threats when a majority of local sites supported growth rates above the replacement level but drove regional extirpations when most local sites were overharvested. Hunt simulations were most detrimental when timed to overlap lemur births (a reality for D. madagascariensis and I. indri). In sum, Makira lemurs were overharvested. Regional extirpations, which may contribute to broad-scale extinctions, will be likely if current hunting rates persist. Cessation of anthropogenic lemur harvest is a conservation priority, and development programs are needed to help communities switch from wildlife consumption to domestic protein alternatives