Campaign Update:
We have reached the lower end of our goal $15,000. However, we are hoping you can help us push it past $20,000!
Why do we need more?
We have acquired enough material for a short film but need more money to make it longer and to distribute the film to more communities in Madagascar.
What have we done so far?
We filmed enough footage for a roughly 10 min conservation education film. Our on the ground team has trained 24 community members to help monitor forests to protect them from fire. We have also cut over 6 km (4 miles) of fire breaks protecting over 350 ha (nearly 900 acres) of fragmented forest which buffers a large tract of continuous forest.
What is our plan?
We plan to go back to Madagascar to film more about the project in late October - the peak of the dry season. We will then edit and make the longer film closer to 22 min in the new year. Once edited we will distribute the film to all the communities within Ankarafantsika National Park. We will literally take an ox cart, generator, projector and screen and we will show the film to communities where fires threaten forests. Also as we describe below we will distribute the film to our partners, for viewing in other regions. Finally, we plan to air this film on Malagasy television, to increase its reach and impact.
Who we are:
We are Planet Madagascar. We are passionate about Madagascar, its people, and its wildlife. Planet Madagascar is a conservation,
education, and community development project, aiming to promote lemur species
conservation by building local capacity in communities in Northwest Madagascar.
What we want:
We want to work with local communities in Madagascar to stop fires from destroying lemur habitat.
Why it matters:
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Lemurs
are the most endangered mammal group in the world and are found only in
Madagascar. 94% of lemur species are threatened with extinction, largely due to
the fact that the forest habitats that they call home are rapidly disappearing at
the hands of humans.
But it’s
complicated: 92% of the people in Madagascar live on less than $2 a day and
their survival is intrinsically linked to the exploitation of natural
resources. The need for lemur conservation and community development in
Madagascar has never been so great.
Urgency:
As you read this, forest is catching fire
in Madagascar and lemur habitat is disappearing. Community involvement,
education, and direct financial incentives are needed if the lemurs and the
remaining forest are to be protected in one of the world’s poorest countries.
How we want to help:
We want to create a powerful film to educate people in Madagascar
about how fire is destroying lemur habitat and what they can do to help prevent fire. The film will highlight fire management solutions that our
organization, in partnership with local communities, plans to implement. Our broader goal is to find ways of helping people improve their livelihoods while saving lemurs and their habitat.
The ask:
We need your help raising money to make a
compelling educational film. We need funds to cover the costs of filming and editing.
The film:
Our film will make a vital contribution towards community involvement and education, by highlighting issues surrounding human-wildlife interactions in Madagascar and illustrating why a healthy ecosystem is beneficial to both humans and wildlife. The film will be used as an educational tool to empower local communities to prevent fires from destroying lemur habitat.
Madagascar
is one of the world’s "hottest" biodiversity hotspots, which means it is home
to an extraordinarily high number of species that are found nowhere else in the
world. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that
94% of lemur species—all of which are found only in Madagascar— are threatened
with extinction, due to human-induced habitat disturbance. Uncontrolled fires play a major
role in the loss of lemur habitat in Madagascar.
Unfortunately,
Madagascar also suffers from immense poverty, and people often exploit the
habitat simply to feed their families. The habitat needed by lemurs is also needed for people. Community involvement, education, and direct
financial benefits are needed if the lemurs and the remaining forest are to be
protected in one of the world’s poorest countries.
Meet Mamy Razafitsalama:
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Mamy Razafitsalama will be the host of our film. Mamy is a trilingual Malagasy
primatologist, who works tirelessly to save the planet's most endangered mammal—the
lemur—in one of the world’s most fragile forests. Mamy grew up in a tiny village in eastern
Madagascar. As a child, he fell in love with lemurs. His parents—a teacher
and school principal—valued education. Mamy studied hard and successfully
finished a BSc and DEA (similar to a Master’s) at the University of
Antananarivo. Mamy has become a local star in the world of lemur science and conservation in Madagascar.
Mamy helped start the
in-country wing of Planet Madagascar, and he currently runs all of our projects
in Madagascar. The film will follow Mamy as he works to find practical solutions
to conservation issues affecting both lemurs and people.
How we'll use this film:
We will screen this film in remote, forest-dependent communities in
Madagascar. Mamy is running our educational programme on the ground in
Madagascar right now. We want to produce this film and provide it to Mamy to
use as an educational tool as soon as we can. The film will help local
Malagasy communities recognize how their actions have direct impacts on the
surrounding wildlife—and ultimately their own livelihoods —and hopefully will inspire them
make changes that will benefit both their quality of life and surrounding
ecosystems. We will also distribute the film to our partners, for viewing in
other regions. Finally, we plan to air this film on Malagasy television, to
increase its reach and impact.
How the money will be spent:
Planet
Madagascar has partnered with Chris Scarffe, a renowned, independent,
environmental filmmaker who specializes in wildlife, conservation, and
community films. We estimate that to make
this engaging and inspirational film, we need somewhere between $15,000 and
$20,000 to cover production costs. All additional money raised will be fed
directly into Planet Madagascar’s work on the ground in Madagascar.
Risks & Challenges
Working in Madagascar is not easy. There are language barriers, transportation challenges, and political issues. Our Planet Madagascar team members have worked in conservation, education, and research since 2007. We have established a formal partnership with Madagascar National Parks and we work closely with our on-the-ground partner, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. Our biggest asset in our fight to help people and wildlife is Mamy Razafitsalama. His tireless efforts astound and inspire us.
Other Ways You Can Help
We realize that some of you just can't contribute financially, but that doesn't mean you can't help. Here are some other ways that you can help us achieve our goals: