Planet Madagascar
Planet Madagascar is a conservation, education, and community development non-profit focused on building sustainable forest communities. Planet Madagascar primarily works in three communities— Maevatanimbary, Ambanjabe, and Andranohobaka— within Ankarafantsika National Park.
The creation of Planet Madagascar was inspired by a PhD research project on the impact of forest fragmentation on the survival of lemurs. Planet Madagascar’s founder and Executive Director, Travis Steffens was living and working in Ankarafantsika National Park in northwestern Madagascar. Travis witnessed uncontrolled forest fires, found evidence of illegal lemur hunting and forest resource extraction, and also watched as people in nearby impoverished communities passed away from preventable diseases. It became clear that to preserve habitat and help lemurs it is imperative to work closely with the local residents in Madagascar.
Travis incorporated Planet Madagascar as an NGO in 2015. Since then, Planet Madagascar has worked closely with local communities to improve the lives of people that live in Madagascar and conserve lemurs and their habitat.
Reprinted with permission.
“The Dr. Abigail Ross Foundation for Applied Conservation has been important in helping develop the women’s cooperative we work with and pivotal in launching our women’s health projects. These projects include family planning initiatives in partnership with Marie Stopes as well as health visits by a doctor and nurses. The cooperative is engaging in their own business ventures that include citrus farming, forest restoration initiatives, and bee keeping. We are thankful for TDARFAC’s generous support.”
— Dr. Travis Steffens, Founder & Executive Director of Planet Madagascar
