Threatened ecosystem conservation
Protecting forests and species at risk of extinction, together with communities.
Association Natiora · Madagascar
Thriving ecosystems, resilient communities.
Conservation, climate justice, environmental education and community development: Natiora works wherever nature and people are connected, starting with the Manjakatompo Ankaratra Reserve.
Our focus areas
Acting for nature, climate and communities.
The Manjakatompo Ankaratra Reserve is at the heart of our work today, but our mission goes further. Natiora works across six complementary areas, from the forest to the classroom.
Manjakatompo Ankaratra in numbers
8,130 ha
in area (81.3 km²)
2,643 m
Tsiafajavona, Madagascar's 3rd highest peak
AZE Site
Alliance for Zero Extinction
Cat. VI
IUCN protected area since 2015
A Malagasy association serving nature and communities.
Recognized as an association of public utility, Natiora works for environmental conservation, climate action and sustainable development in Madagascar.
In July 2026, Natiora was officially designated delegated manager of the Manjakatompo Ankaratra Natural Resources Reserve, bringing institutional stability and professional management to the site.
What
Protecting a unique AZE site
We manage 8,130 hectares of highland forests, springs and micro-endemic species threatened with extinction.
How
With the VOI
The reserve is co-managed with local community associations (VOI, Vondron'Olona Ifotony), in close collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD).
Why
For water, life and culture
The massif is the water tower of Ambatolampy city and surrounding communities, and holds sacred cultural sites. Its forests store carbon and strengthen local resilience to climate change.
Biodiversity
The last remnant of Madagascar's central highland forests.
From 1,600 m up to the summit of Mount Tsiafajavona, the reserve shelters species found nowhere else:
Critically endangered amphibians — Boophis williamsi and Mantidactylus pauliani, umbrella species of the highland forest ecosystem.
Critically endangered mountain gecko — Lygodactylus mirabilis.
Four CITES-listed reptiles — Furcifer campani, Furcifer lateralis, Phelsuma barbouri and Calumma hilleniusi.
Over 140 plant species, with 47% endemism.
Thanks to community efforts, M. pauliani density rose from one individual per 30 m² in 2013 to one per 10 m² in 2017.
A river of the Ankaratra: the massif protects watersheds across the entire Vakinankaratra Region.
The threat
For years, the absence of a manager left local communities without institutional or financial support. Illegal logging, charcoal production and bushfires destroyed more than 60% of reforested areas in 2010, and still threaten the survival of the reserve's AZE species today.
Natiora is determined to turn the tide. Since stepping in in 2025, the results are already visible: when communities are supported, the forest recovers.
The 2025 breakthrough
−65%
forest loss in a single year
With support from Conservation Allies, Natiora equipped patrollers with SMART technology, set up fixed surveillance posts and coordinated mixed patrols with the DREDD and law enforcement. Forest loss fell from 16 ha in 2024 to 5.62 ha in 2025.
Source: Global Forest Watch
Our work in Manjakatompo
Three pillars for effective and equitable management.
Communities and culture
The guardians of the Ankaratra.
Eight villages live around the reserve. Their stone and earth houses, rice fields and sacred places are an integral part of the landscape we protect together.
News
All news →
Partners
Standing with us.
Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development
The government authority overseeing Madagascar's protected areas. In July 2026, the Ministry officially entrusted Natiora with the delegated management of the Manjakatompo Ankaratra Natural Resources Reserve.
Visit the Ministry's website →
Conservation Allies
A nonprofit that connects international donors with local conservation organizations around the world. Since 2025, Conservation Allies has supported Natiora in equipping community patrollers, setting up surveillance posts and carrying out ecological restoration.
Visit Conservation Allies →Get involved
Become a partner
Donors, companies, institutions: let's build the future of the reserve together.
Contact usVisit the reserve
Hiking, waterfalls and cultural immersion: your visit supports conservation and local communities.
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