Language: French
The Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) has been working in Madagascar since the 1970s, with a permanent office since 1987. The main objective of the program is to develop knowledge of the Malagasy flora, and of the distribution and abundance of plant species existing in Madagascar. To cope with the pressure on natural resources, and to safeguard Madagascar`s floristic wealth, MBG has established 11 community conservation programs in order to integrate sustainable use of natural resources in rural development. This form of conservation involves the local population.
Vohibe forest, located in the municipality of Ambalabe is a very rich forest biodiversity. It is home to many endemic plant species, and many species of animals, such as 11 species of lemurs. The MBG work in Ambalabe began with a floristic forest inventory of and in 2006 the population agreed to collaborate with researchers of MBG to find a lasting solution to stop forest destruction. A major objective of this program is to inform the public and scientific community about flora and fauna in Vohibe. Guide des Plantes D'Ambalabe is the first book of a series designed to inform about the plants of the forest and their utilization.