Madagascar’s unique forests, and the lemurs that depend on them, are under threat. SEED Madagascar’s Ala Programme is helping to change that by planting trees and connecting forests, rewilding the landscape and giving wildlife more space to roam.
A Littoral Paradise
There was once an unbroken stretch of unique forest spanning 1,600 km along the eastern coast of Madagascar. Today, less than 10% of that forest remains.
This littoral forest – literally meaning “forest by the sea”— is defined by its sandy soil and distinctive plant community. These littoral forest plants alone make up 13% of Madagascar’s unique plant species. Clambering and crawling through these seaside forests are a wealth of animals found nowhere else in the world. Tiny chameleons, barely the size of a fingernail, hunt miniature prey amongst the leaf litter. Brightly colored tree frogs sing from tree hollows, leafy crevices, and high branches. And in the tops of the trees, bounding from branch to branch, are Madagascar’s most famous residents: lemurs.
Meet the Lemurs
There are four species of lemur that inhabit the littoral forests, all of which are endangered. Red-collared brown lemurs (Eulemur collaris) are the largest resident and the least picky. They sleep whenever they please, eat whatever they can grab, and can move around using the trees or on the ground.
The other three species are more particular; they sleep during the day, come out only at night, and spend their whole lives in the trees. The round-faced, densely furry Southern woolly lemurs (Avahi meridionalis) spend their nights seeking out leaves and flowers to eat, while the fat-tailed Thomas’ dwarf lemurs (Cheirogaleus thomasi) prefer a diet of insects and fruit. The newest addition to the littoral forest lemur family is the tiny Anosy mouse lemur (Microcebus tanosi) – only described by science in 2013. Very little is known about this miniature primate, save that it only exists in one small littoral forest area in the southeast of Madagascar.
Fragmented Forests
Nestled in the Anosy region of southeast Madagascar is the community of Sainte Luce, home to one of the last remaining littoral forests. However, the forest and its residents are facing a growing threat.
Like the lemurs, the surrounding human communities rely heavily on these forests for resources. Between logging and “Tavy” – a practice where large areas of land are burned to encourage grass growth for livestock— these forests have become fragmented and isolated. Once the space between forest patches gets too wide, the tree-dwelling lemur species are trapped, unable to move freely throughout the forests. This results in small, isolated populations that can’t move far enough to find food, escape threats, or find new mates.
Project Ala
In order for these precious ecosystems to survive, the forest fragments must be reconnected, and the lemurs free to move between them. This is where SEED Madagascar comes in. In 2019, SEED started Project Ala (meaning “forest” in Malagasy) with the aim of reconnecting the scattered fragments of Sainte Luce’s protected littoral forests. Since then, SEED has worked closely with the Sainte Luce community and other key stakeholders to plant nearly 50,000 trees. The hope is these new trees will act as a bridge for lemurs and other wildlife to travel freely between fragments, enhancing the overall resilience of the ecosystem. A connected, healthy forest is more likely to survive into the future, providing life-giving resources to all the communities that depend on it.
Facing Challenges
The Ala project has not been without challenges. Sainte Luce and the communities of southeast Madagascar already face life in an environment experiencing increasingly unpredictable weather. In 2024, eastern Madagascar saw the driest October through December period on record (SADC Agromet update 2025), resulting in a severe drought, and fires that burnt through large parts of the region in early 2025. The Ala Programme was also heavily affected, with many of the corridors suffering substantial tree loss. In addition to the fires and droughts, Sainte Luce has had to deal with cyclones, locust swarms, and the threat of extractive mining work in the coming years.
Challenges like this underscore the importance of reconnecting the forests as quickly as possible. When connected, forests are less vulnerable to droughts, fires, cyclones, and other disasters. When forests are connected, wildlife has routes to escape danger and find new resources. When connected, forest ecosystems and the communities that depend on them can bounce back from disasters.
Hope for the Future
Despite the setbacks, SEED and the local communities continue to plant and care for native trees in areas that will help build a stronger, more connected forest. In addition to planting, efforts are being made to ensure planted trees grow faster, healthier, and are more likely to survive. Through worm composting to boost soil nutrients, maintaining fire breaks to slow the spread of future fires, and investing in local education and training programs, SEED and the communities of Sainte Luce are working together to rewild the Sainte Luce littoral forests, ensuring everyone and everything relying on them can continue to do so for years to come.
SEED Madagascar’s rewilding work doesn’t stop there. They’re also working hard to re-establish populations of the critically endangered Antanosy day gecko (Phelsuma antanosy) and six species of threatened palm in the Anosy region of Madagascar.
Learn more about these and the rest of SEED Madagascar’s conservation programs here.
How You Can Help
- Learn more about the Ala Programme.
- Donate to the project
- Follow SEED Madagascar on social media
Editor’s Note: This guest post was contributed by Aubrey Alamshah, Conservation Research Coordinator at SEED Madagascar, a UK-based NGO working on community-led conservation and sustainable development in southeast Madagascar since 1999. Their Ala Programme (“forest” in Malagasy) is reconnecting fragmented littoral forest habitats to protect endangered lemurs and create resilient ecosystems that benefit both wildlife and local communities.
Have ideas for guest posts about rewilding projects worldwide? Contact us at hello@rewildology.com.
Related Topics: Madagascar conservation, lemur habitat restoration, littoral forest ecology, forest connectivity, community-led rewilding, climate resilience, endemic species protection
Key Takeaways:
- Less than 10% of Madagascar’s 1,600 km littoral forest remains intact
- Four endangered lemur species depend on these coastal forests for survival
- Nearly 50,000 trees planted since 2019 to reconnect isolated forest fragments
- 2025 fires and drought highlight the urgent need for connected, resilient forests
- Forest corridors enable wildlife movement and improve ecosystem disaster recovery
- Project combines tree planting with fire breaks, composting, and community training
