Author(s)

Andriamparany Rakotomavo¹, Diary Salohy Mandimbinirina¹, Edmond Roger²

¹ISSEDD: Higher Institute of Sciences, Environment and Sustainable Development, University of Toamasina, Toamasina, Madagascar.
²DBEV: Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Located about fifty kilometers North of Toamasina (East Madagascar), the Commune of Mahavelona Foulpointe has a mangrove relic of about 2 hectares. Despite the ecological and socio-economic roles played by this ecosystem, it remains so far an orphan site, both in terms of official management and development. The purpose of this article is to take stock of the situation with a view to proposing methods for the sustainable development of this small mangrove via valuation of its natural dynamics. Systematic floristic inventory work was carried out, following a linear ABC transect of 50 - 100 m, from the sea (zone C) to the rear mangrove (zone A). Five mangrove species exist at Foulpointe: Avicennia marina, Sonneratia alba, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Rhizophora mucronata, Lumnitzera racemosa. With anthropogenic harvesting and tourism activities in the area, this ecosystem suffers an annual spatial loss of about 0.14 ha between 2009 and 2016. With a natural regeneration rate of about 966% the small man-grove has a strong capacity for regeneration. Taking into account the pace of current clearing, it would disappear in 10 - 15 years. The valorization of regenerated young plants, followed by intensive preservation and restoration actions, constitutes a sustainable development path.

Mangrove, Management, Natural Regeneration, Foulpointe, East Madagascar

Rakotomavo, A. , Mandimbinirina, D. and Roger, E. (2018) Development Prospects of the Mangrove Relic of Foulpointe—East Madagascar. Journal of Environmental Protection, 9, 859-869. doi: 10.4236/jep.2018.98053.