Makira Protected Area

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) recently announced the establishment of a new protected area in Madagascar. To read the full article and for more information visit the following sites:

www.wcs.org/353624/madagascarsnewprotectedarea
www.wcs.org/international/Africa/madagascar/makira

For me this new found information has provided a better understanding of my duties as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Until now my assignment as a Protected Areas Management Volunteer seemed a little vague. The idea of working on natural resource management activities in rural communities near protected areas has left me wondering about the innumerable possibilities I could face in the future. It is encouraging to see a concrete example of protected area management in Madagascar that is in line with my assignment and how it will benefit both the community and natural resources. The site will be co-managed by WCS and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests (MINEF). As a PCV my primary duty is to meet the needs of MINEF and other partner organizations. The new Protected Areas System was designed to involve local communities in natural resource management.

Whether or not I will be assigned to work in this particular area of Madagascar, I don't know. Makira Protected Area is one of five newly established protected areas, with more sure to follow. President of Madagascar Marc Ravalomanana has committed to increasing the total area protected from 1.7 million to six million hectares by 2008.