Latest News / Blog

How we trained local communities and protected area managers on collaborative conservation

In July, MiRARI teamed up with’s teams and Natural Justice Madagascar to trained visited locale residents around local actors from two protected areas to train local actors on in the Community Management Agreement (CMA). The two protected areas were the Itremo Massif Protected Area and Madiromirafy, which are managed by our partners Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre and IMPACT Madagascar, respectively.

Publication date: 26 September 2023

National workshop on best practices in social safeguards around protected areas in Madagascar

The team of the Department of Forestry and Environment of the École Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques (ESSA-Forêts) in partnership with Bangor University, has worked closely with the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development since their initiative to reform management tools for Protected Areas in Madagascar in 2020.

Publication date: 20 July 2023

Strengthening the capacity of managers for more resilient and equitable conservation in Madagascar

MiRARI project conducted a five-day training course from 6 to 10 February 2023 in Andasibe and in villages near the Torotorofotsy and Maromizaha protected areas.

Publication date: 28 February 2023

MiRARI’s team recently visited three local communities across three protected areas

From October 1st until October 23, MiRARI’s team went to three protected areas to understand local communities’ perceptions of the co-management of the forest and any development interventions implemented in and around the protected areas.

Publication date: 5 December 2022

Forest4Climate&People and MiRARI present at the first IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress, Kigali, Rwanda

Team member Mirindra Sitraka Rakotoarisoa travelled to Rwanda to engage with Africa-wide discussions about Protected Areas and people

Publication date: 3 August 2022

New project (MiRARI) continues the Forest4Climate&People’s impact activities

Forest4Climate&People continues its impact through the Darwin Initiative-funded project MIRARI - MItantana ara-dRARIny

Publication date: 17 June 2022

Important new paper on the impacts of covid-lockdowns on fires in Madagascar's Protected Areas

Members of the Forest4Climate&People team have coauthored an important new paper published in Nature Suststainability

Publication date: 23 May 2022

Forest4Climate&People at XV WORLD FORESTRY CONGRESS, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Our research fellow, Herimino Manoa Rajaonarivelo, presented a poster on the role of land tenure in forest conservation and restoration for tackling climate change during the XV World Forest Congress

Publication date: 23 May 2022

Forest4climate&People head ‘out west’

Field trip to discuss project results with partners (and consider future collaborations)

Publication date: 4 May 2022

Research results presented at the University of Antananarivo

On the 27th April Julia Jones from Bangor University presented in a really well-attended research seminar at the Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques (ESSA-Forêts) at the University of Antananarivo.

Publication date: 4 May 2022

Forest4Climate&People film showing and panel discussion facilitates open dialog across diverse stakeholders

On 29th April, the Forest4Climate&People project held a film-showing and panel discussion which brought together a uniquely diverse cross-section of those concerned with forest conservation to discuss the challenges for effective and equitable forest conservation in Madagascar. By Mirindra Rakotoarisoa and Sanda Rakotomalala

Publication date: 29 April 2022

Forest4Climate&People team share results with a major new conservation consortium

On the 28th April, Julia Jones and Sarobidy Rakotonarivo from Forest4Climate&People spent the afternoon discussing research results with a consortium of organizations working together to deliver effective and equitable forest conservation in Madagascar.

Publication date: 29 April 2022

Implementation of the COP26 declaration to halt forest loss must safeguard and include Indigenous people

Dr Sarobidy Rakotonarivo is a co-author on a high-profile piece published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, January 2022

Publication date: 19 January 2022

Poster promoting better understanding of social safeguard issues around Protected Areas produced and distributed

As part of the reform of the environmental and social management framework of PAs in Madagascar, we worked with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and other partners to develop a poster to better communicate the concepts of social safeguarding to local stakeholders.

Publication date: 11 January 2022

Forest landscape restoration: what challenges for Madagascar? (new paper)

The forest4Climate&People team published a new paper reviewing land tenure laws and policies and how they influence forest landscape restoration in Madagascar.

Publication date: 6 January 2022

Forest4Climate&People team members present at the International Congress of Conservation Biology

Four of our team did presentations at the International Congress of Conservation Biology held between the 13th and 17th December 2021

Publication date: 13 December 2021

Forest4Climate&People head ‘up north’

Field trip to support the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development in their work reforming Madagascar’s Environmental and Social Management Framework for protected areas

Publication date: 17 November 2021

Forest4Climate&People team talk to the media at COP26

During COp26, Sarobidy Rakotonarivo and Julia Jones from Forest4Climate&People did a number of TV, radio and print media interviews about the importance of including local people to ensure forest conservation as a Nature Based Solution to climate change is more equitable and more effecive

Publication date: 16 November 2021

Q and A with Sarobidy at #COP26

Forest4Climate&People research fellow (Dr Sarobidy Rakotonarivo) was interviewed by the journal Nature at COP26.

Publication date: 15 November 2021

What makes good nature-based solutions?

Protecting, conserving, and restoring forests, also known as nature-based solutions (NbS) have recently gained global prominence as a fundamental component to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Kew Royal Botanic Gardens convened an event on the UN pavilion at #COP26 on 08th November 2021 to explore how we can ensure that they deliver their intended benefits. Social scientist Sarobidy Rakotonarivo shared her perspecitives informed by our project.

Publication date: 10 November 2021

How can researchers help mainstream concepts such as forest-based solutions in global climate change policies?

Dr Sarobidy Rakotonarivo from Forest4Climate&People took part in a side event hosted by the official UNFCCC platform and co-organised by Forest Stewardship Council, the Groupement Thématique sur le Changement Climatique a Madagascar, and Reforestamos México on 09th November 2021 at #COP26.

Publication date: 9 November 2021

'Voices from the Forest' film used to bring local voices into #COP26 discussions

We were honoured that the trailer of our film was used by the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development from Madagascar to bring local voices into discussions about climate finance at #COP26t an event on climate finance in the EU pavilion at #COP26

Publication date: 5 November 2021

Forest4Climate&People film featured on Radio 4

Part of our film 'Voices from the forest' was played on the 'Costing the Earth' programme, alongside an interview with two of our team.

Publication date: 3 November 2021

Reflections on what the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Deforestation really means for forest conservation

Project leader Professor Julia Jones wrote an article for The Conversation on why the COP26 agreement will struggle to reverse global forest loss by 2030, but why it matters to try.

Publication date: 2 November 2021

1st event on the UK Pavilion at #COP26 reflects on lessons from REDD+

Dr Sarobidy Rakotonarivo from Forest4Climate&People chairs session at COp26 aiming to learn lessons from the last decade of REDD+ implementation.

Publication date: 1 November 2021

Decision-makers discuss forest conservation challenges with local communities

On the eve of COP26 Forest4Climate&People (in collaboration with the conservation organization Madagasikara Voakajy) organized for senior Malagasy policy-makers and representatives of the British government in Madagascar to visit a community on the edge of the forest in Madagascar. The event involved an innovative role-play exercise to explore local issues.

Publication date: 26 October 2021

Madagascar holds a pre-COP to prepare for Glasgow

Forest4Climate&People were honoured to play a key role in Madagascar’s pre-COP. We presented our film and Mirindra Rakotoarisoa spoke about the roles of forest in addressing the climate crisis in Madagascar.

Publication date: 21 October 2021

Sharing workshop on the social issues of forest restoration and conservation

In collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Forest4Climate&People project recently convened and facilitated a sharing workshop to address social issues impacting the design and practice of forest conservation policies.

Publication date: 19 October 2021

'Voices from the Forest': film launch

Our film 'Voices from the forest: putting local people at the heart of decisions about tropical forest' contribution to tackling climate change' was launched with an expert panel discussion and an audience Q and A.

Publication date: 4 October 2021

Local communities give their feedback on 'Voices from the Forest' film

The Forest4Climate&People team have shown our film in four villages which contributed to making the film.

Publication date: 1 October 2021

Forest4Climate&People at the IUCN World Conservation Congress

Our team worked closely with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and the Madagascar Biodiversity Foundation (FAPBM) at the congress in Marseille in September 2021

Publication date: 10 September 2021

'Voices from the Forest' trailer played at the IUCN World Conservation Congress

Our film about the impact of forest conservation policies on local communities was shown on the plenary stage at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in a session about how to achieve fair and effective conservation

Publication date: 7 September 2021

Training on social safeguards in the northern highlands of Madagascar

Last week (15–17 February 2021), the Forest4Climate&People team delivered a training in social safeguards for protected area (PA) managers, government authorities and people from the development sector in northern Madagascar.

Publication date: 23 February 2021

Conservation and local people – informing Madagascar’s policy on social safeguards around protected areas

Publication date: 20 October 2020

Upcoming national workshop on reconciling protected area management and poverty alleviation

Publication date: 26 September 2020

World Environment Day: Forest4Climate&People researcher takes part in live TV debate involving the minister of environment and sustainable development

Publication date: 12 September 2020

National workshop on the 2020–2021 reforestation campaign. March 18–19, 2020 in Antananarivo

Publication date: 20 March 2020

Meeting with the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development

Publication date: 4 February 2020