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Multiple values of isolated and clusters of Ficus tree species protected by Betsileo farmers in rural landscapes in Madagascar: implications for biodiversity conservation

Biodiversity and Conservation volume 29, pages 1027–1058 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

In Madagascar, biodiversity, local livelihoods and agroecosystems are increasingly threatened. It is critical to understand and support local social–ecological systems that sustain livelihoods and value biodiversity. This study investigates why Betsileo communities in Ambendrana and Sahabe protect isolated individuals and clusters of Ficus species in their rural landscapes. Ficus trees have multiple values and sustain webs of ecological interactions that favor biodiversity. We show that spontaneous seedlings of Ficus are protected and that people also actively propagate Ficus by stem cuttings. Their multiple values and uses and the distribution patterns of each species, are linked to social–ecological dynamics and to the historical construction of local landscapes. Both past and present uses associated with each Ficus species define how they are protected. Different sets of practices associated with each species are governed by both material and symbolic considerations. Ficus reflexa, a boundary marker of zebu corrals, has a symbolic role in protecting humans and livestock and checks erosion; F. lutea is a marker of residences of ancient noble classes and F. tiliifolia is a remnant of swidden agriculture and a marker of the memory of ancestors, but its numbers are shrinking. Ficus trees are protected but there is no strict taboo against cutting them when they hinder crop production. Their potential role for biodiversity conservation is linked to these social–ecological dynamics. Based on these findings, we propose some rules of thumb for developing collaborative approaches which consider synergies between local and scientific knowledge.

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Notes

  1. The Merina is the dominant cultural group that lives in the northern part of the Highlands in Antananarivo and in the surroundings of what came to be the capital city of the country.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by GIP Ecofor (Groupement d'Intérêt Public pour les écosystèmes forestiers). Funding to support the first author’s stay in France was obtained from the Service Culturel de la Coopération Française of the French Embassy in Antananarivo. The Centre for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology (CEFE UMR 5175), CNRS in Montpellier hosted the first author and helped with data analysis and identification of Ficus species. We are grateful to the communities of Ambendrana and Sahabe for their willingness to participate in the interviews. We especially thank our guides Mr. Rajean Marie, Mr. Rakotomaro, Mr. Ramily and Mr. Roger for following us during our field studies and for accepting to participate in a workshop of the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in Antananarivo (25–27 January 2016). We are grateful to Mr Dominique Hervé (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement) for local logistical support and to Mr Vonjison Rakotoarimanana for his support in data analysis. We heartfully thank Professor Doyle Mckey for his multiple comments on the manuscript and for having accepted to read the last version.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de biologie et écologie végétales, Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo, BP 906, 101, Antananarivo, Madagascar

    Verohanitra M. Rafidison & Bakolimalala Rakouth

  2. IRD-Montpellier, UMR Governance, Risk, Environment and Development (GRED), Université Paul-Valéry, Site St Charles, Route de Mende, 34199, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Stéphanie M. Carrière

  3. Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnnelle et Evolutive, CNRS UMR5175, Univ. Montpellier, Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, EPHE, IRD, 1919, route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Finn Kjellberg & Yildiz Aumeeruddy-Thomas

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  1. Verohanitra M. Rafidison
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  2. Bakolimalala Rakouth
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  3. Stéphanie M. Carrière
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  4. Finn Kjellberg
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  5. Yildiz Aumeeruddy-Thomas
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Correspondence to Yildiz Aumeeruddy-Thomas.

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Communicated by Daniel Sanchez Mata.

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Rafidison, V.M., Rakouth, B., Carrière, S.M. et al. Multiple values of isolated and clusters of Ficus tree species protected by Betsileo farmers in rural landscapes in Madagascar: implications for biodiversity conservation. Biodivers Conserv 29, 1027–1058 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01924-3

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Keywords

  • Ficus
  • Madagascar
  • Isolated and clustered trees
  • Rural landscapes
  • Traditional practices
  • Collaborative approaches
  • Forest corridor
  • Biodiversity

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