MADAGASCAR: Mitsinjo Reserve

Close to the village Andasibe in eastern Madagascar, around 140 km away from the capital Antananarivo, there exists a reserve called Mitsinjo. It is led by the identically named, communally led organization. In 1999, a small group of Malagasy founded both. They wanted to take the future and conservation of their rainforests into their own hands. Appropriately they chose the name: Mitsinjo means as much as “looking ahead”.

In 2003, the first big success was the take-over and expansion of the forest station in Analamazaotra. This station had existed since the beginning of the 20th century yet, and now came into life again. The house roofed with palm leaves is only 200 m away from the entry of a part of the state-run national park Andasibe-Mantadia. Behind the forest station, there are 7 km² of rainforest, which offer an home to Inris, diademed sifakas and numerous other rare animals. A part of the area consists of acreage formerly used for slash-and-burn agriculture, thus Mitsinjo founded several tree nurseries for reforestation. A spacious swampland called Torotorofotsy close to Menalamba, northwest of Andasibe, belongs also to the reserve. It hosts on almost 100 km² an enormous richness of amphibians, rare plants and birds, as well as the greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus). In 2005, Torotorofotsy was declared a Ramsar site, which means an area that is seen as especially worth protecting by the “International Convention on Wetlands”, signed in the city Ramsar (Iran). Since there would have been no protection besides paperwork without the involvement of governmental institutions, Mitsinjo has been caring for implementation.

Furthermore, science has always been high on Mitsinjo’s agenda: In 2011, the first research and captive breeding center for amphibians in Madagascar opened its doors here. Andasibe is known for its high diversity in frog species. More than one hundred species occur in the fascinating fauna of the reserve and the area around. Most of them can only be found in Madagascar. With the help of international supporters (among them Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Amphibian Ark or the Association of Zoo and Aquariums), a breeding station for amphibians, insect breeding facilities for feeders and a quarantine station were established in the reserve. Over the intervening years, much new knowdledge about conservation and especially breeding of highly threatened amphibian species like the golden mantella (Mantella aurantiaca) has been won and published scientifically.

But Mitsinjo does not only care about the protection of their own rainforest and its inhabitants. They also inform local people about malaria and AIDS, support schools with free visits and projects and do a mass of little things to make conservation and ecotourism reach Malagasy children and adults of the area. Today, more than 50 people work for Mitsinjo, among them 19 as trained local guides.

You can visit Mitsinjo reserve every day from 07 to 16 o’clock. At the forest station of Analamazaotra, you will get a local guide and pay the entrance fees of 35.000 to 50.000 Ariary per person (approximately 11 to 18 €, depending on the length of your stay and route). Later, you can visit the souvenir shop of the organization. Travelers who like to camp in the rainforest, can use a small camp ground with water (no electricity) for a small fee.

Since Mitsinjo is a communally led reserve and not a national park, you can do nocturnals there, too. Let the magic of the night happen and hear all the countless frog calling in the dark. If you prefer to visit the reserve during daytime, you will surely find a matching hiking trail among the paths of two to eight kilometers length.