Madagascar is home to weird and wonderful creatures that occur nowhere else on the planet. In many parts of the island, this biodiversity is under pressure due to wildlife trafficking, industrial-scale fishing and the destruction of forests. Yet it is fast becoming one of the world’s most dangerous places for those who work to protect the environment. Environmental defenders are increasingly threatened, attacked and even killed in reaction to their efforts to protect the country’s natural resources. Recent prominent cases include Angélique Decampe Razafindrazoary, who in 2023 received death threats due to her work protecting the Vohibola forest in eastern Madagascar. And in June 2024, communities in the same region’s Moramanga district were shocked by the murder of Raymond Rakotoarisoa, the vice president of a local forest protection association. The government frequently fails to protect activists taking a stand against illegal activities, sometimes instead subjecting them to arbitrary detention and unfair trial, according to Amnesty International’s latest country report on Madagascar. Hery Razafimamonjiraibe, Madagascar country director for U.S.-based NGO Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), is only too familiar with the security risks to the country’s environmental defenders. “[These cases] are very worrying and raise awareness of the need for specific legislation and actions to protect whistleblowers in Madagascar,” he tells Mongabay. IMAGE 1: Razafimamonjiraibe inspects a juvenile radiated tortoise at the TSA’s Androy tortoise rescue center. Image by Carolyn Cowan/Mongabay. Razafimamonjiraibe inspects a juvenile radiated tortoise at the TSA’s Androy tortoise rescue center. Image by Carolyn Cowan/Mongabay. Razafimamonjiraibe leads conservation teams…This article was originally published on Mongabay
The post ‘You have to be passionate’: Interview with Turtle Survival Alliance’s Hery Razafimamonjiraibe first appeared on EnviroLink Network.