SEED Madagascar

The Useful Palms of Sainte Luce: Implications for Local Resource Availability and Conservation

F. Hogg, S. Funnel, M. Shrum, E.R. Ellis, L.H. Tsimijaly.

The community of Sainte Luce, southeast Madagascar, has traditionally relied on palms for a wide range of applications that underpin local livelihoods, but unsustainable extraction and forest cover loss are reducing palm numbers and habitat extent in the area. Six of the ten native palm species found within the littoral forest of Sainte Luce are threatened with extinction (IUCN 2012). This investigation reveals that local dependence on these palms remains high, raising concerns both for resource availability and conservation. The potential onset of large-scale mining operations in the area intensifies the need to address these concerns.

Key topics:

Environment

Year of publication:

2013

Published in:

Palms, Vol 57(3)