Mon, March 02, 2009
A scenic landscape of forest, hills and valleys awaits visitors to Anja Park in southern Madagascar; the private reserve is located on 8 acres of community land.
Anja is famous for its rock formations and is also home to some of the country's rare plants and wildlife. Franck Ramahandry works here as a guide.
Anja Park attracts hundreds of visitors every year who come to see the ring tailed lemur that's endemic to the region.
Madagascar has 33 types of lemurs and this species is one of the most vocal among the primates.
A visit to Anja is not complete without watching different types of chameleons change their skin colour. There are about 150 types of chameleons in the world, half of which can be found in Madagascar.
Madagascar makes about 300 million USD from tourism every year. Because of its visitors, the park provides an opportunity for business like this restaurant in Anza.
Most people in this area are subsistence farmers and now have additional income because of the park. It's been ten years since they agreed to stop cutting down trees and more people are moving to the area to benefit from the eco-tourism.
The UN says that involving ordinary citizens in conservation is still the best way to protect our surroundings. World environment ministers recently met at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and were encouraged to prioritise conservation especially during the current economic recession.
Another group of tourists has just arrived at Anja.
They proceed to the ticket office and pay about 8 dollars each for a tour.
As usual Franck is ready to take them round. His work helps him protect Anja's biodiversity and he would like more people here to find their own way of doing the same.
