ANDASIBE
A film about community conservation in Madagascar
Madagascar’s ecosystem is one of the most threatened on the planet. A nation compiled of subsistence farmers, most Malagasy people do not have the luxury to see beyond their daily needs to consider the long-term consequences of deforestation. Throughout the country, native forests have been devastated by human activities, ranging from sales of illegal timber to charcoal production to the desecration of large segments of land through slash and burn agriculture.
Andasibe focuses on the efforts of two dedicated individuals and one organization: NIRINA, a fifty-nine-year-old guide who regales folklore of the natural world, solicits men to stand guard around a remaining fragment of native forest; CLAUDE runs workshops on sustainable practices, unionizes women craft-makers, and trains young people as nature guides; MITSINJO, a grassroots organization, is determined to protect the natural habitat where lemurs dwell. Through primary school workshops, they teach empathy between native children and the animals that live along side them – thus empowering children as the crucial next generation to carry on the efforts of change.
​Working against these efforts is the mindset of the everyday community member struggling to survive, continuing to practice slash and burn agriculture, making charcoal out of native trees, and engaging in illegal sales of rare hardwoods.
Though the film is a celebration of the efforts of the local people, it also draws attention to the needs of the country as a whole and the effect that deforestation and slash and burn agriculture is having on global climate change.
The film includes commentary from various field experts and renowned scientists such as Dr. Crinin Alexander from the British Royal Botanic Garden; Dr. Rainer Dolch, a Finish reforestation expert; Dr. Meredith Gore, a professor of conservation criminology from Michigan State University; Dr. Patricia Wright, a distinguished professor of anthropology from Stony Brook University; Dr. Norman Uphoff, a renowned social scientist and agroecologist from Cornell University; and Dr. Hal Needham, a climatologist and storm surge expert from Louisiana State University.
Together, they paint a picture not only of environmental turmoil, but the relationship the Malagasy people have, and traditionally have had, with the land; in addition, there are discussions on over-population and instability in the central government. We also hear from Malagasy people on the dire need to support their families and the effect that regulation has had on their ability to feed themselves.
