WWF's Africa/Madagascar Programme


The Africa/Madagascar Programme
Picture of a giraffe


wo of Africa's most striking features are its size and its diversity. A rich variety of animals, plants, and other natural resources are found alongside a wealth of different human cultures, languages, and systems of government - and a wide range of conservation problems.

During more than three decades of conservation work, WWF has always had more projects in Africa than in any other part of the world. In the early days, like most other conservation organizations, WWF focused on monitoring and protecting endangered species, and supporting park management and research activities. Since then, however, the focus has broadened, and WWF has been developing a variety of strategies to accommodat accommodate the diversity of the continent's conservation needs.

It continues to support protected area management and ecological monitoring activities, and to promote effective law enforcement. But there has been an increased emphasis on community-based conservation, environmental education, and raising awareness of conservation issues. Other key strategies include providing support to institutions such as government environment departments and building the capacity of local non-governmental organizations.

An example of WWF's broader conservation focus can be found in Madagascar, where traditional healers work with a team of Malagasy students to catalogue the wealth of medicinal plants found in the country's northern forests. And in one innovative clinic, a western trained doctor and a traditional healer treat the sick, drawing on both ancestral plant cures and western medicine.

Many activities are designed to serve as demonstration projects that can be imitated elsewhere, but WWF is very conscious that it is still learning important lessons. In the words of Claude Martin, Director General of WWF International: "We do not claim to have come up with definitive solutions. Nevertheless, we feel confident that we are moving in the right direction, and that we have sown seeds that will develop, multiply, and, in time, achieve lasting results."





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