Peut-on conserver sans sécuriser les droits : ce que révèle l’affaire Tsiazompaniry (Madagascar)

This case study by Natural Justice examines a land dispute in the Tsiazompaniry forest of Madagascar, where the Tsarafara community successfully defended its management rights against an individual's land claim. The document uses this case to highlight the critical role of legal personality and secure land tenure for community-based organizations (VOIs) in achieving biodiversity conservation goals and the global 30x30 target.

• The Tsarafara community, operating as a community-based organization (VOI), successfully defended its rights to manage the Andriankely Tsiazompaniry forest after a legal battle that reached the Court of Cassation of the Supreme Court of Madagascar in 2024. The dispute began in 2019 when an individual claimed ownership of a 30-hectare parcel within the community-managed area, seeking the community's eviction and compensation for harvested trees.
• The legal trajectory of the Tsiazompaniry case saw conflicting rulings: the Ambatolampy Court of First Instance dismissed the claimant's case in 2020, the Antananarivo Court of Appeal overturned this in 2022 by ordering the community to pay damages and vacate, and finally, the Court of Cassation quashed the appeal in 2024 to restore the community's rights.
• The case underscores the importance of 'legal personality' for community access to justice in Madagascar. While the Tsarafara community's status as a legally recognized association ensured its case was admissible, many other local communities (Fokonolona) lack formal legal personality, which may significantly constrain their ability to defend collective rights in court.
• Under Malagasy law, the 'legal interest to sue' (intérêt à agir) is a requirement for legal action. The document notes that Article 5 of Law No 2015-003 (Environmental Charter) defines environmental management as a 'matter of public interest,' which provides a legal basis for courts to recognize the standing of local communities managing natural resources.
• Community-based organizations are essential to Madagascar's forest governance due to severe staffing shortages in the state administration, where a single forest officer is responsible for approximately 200,000 hectares of forest.
• The document argues that achieving the global 30x30 target in Madagascar requires more than expanding conservation areas; it necessitates securing the enforceable rights of the communities managing those areas. Currently, many community-managed sites are classified as lands with 'special legal status' but lack formal land tenure security, increasing the risk of conflicts.
• The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2026-2030 aims to address tenure insecurity by prioritizing the strengthening of land tenure security for protected and community-managed areas, monitoring land-use changes, and ensuring community access to justice.

APA

Martens, C. (2026). Peut-on conserver sans sécuriser les droits : ce que révèle l’affaire Tsiazompaniry (Madagascar). Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/peut-on-conserver-sans-securiser-les-droits-ce-que-revele-laffaire-tsiazompaniry-madagascar/

Chicago

Martens, Claire. Peut-on conserver sans sécuriser les droits : ce que révèle l’affaire Tsiazompaniry (Madagascar). Natural Justice, 2026. https://naturaljustice.org/peut-on-conserver-sans-securiser-les-droits-ce-que-revele-laffaire-tsiazompaniry-madagascar/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Martens |first1=Claire |title=Peut-on conserver sans sécuriser les droits : ce que révèle l’affaire Tsiazompaniry (Madagascar) |publisher=Natural Justice |date=9 July 2026 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/peut-on-conserver-sans-securiser-les-droits-ce-que-revele-laffaire-tsiazompaniry-madagascar/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{martens2026peuton, author = {Martens, Claire}, title = {{Peut-on conserver sans sécuriser les droits : ce que révèle l’affaire Tsiazompaniry (Madagascar)}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2026}, month = jul, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/peut-on-conserver-sans-securiser-les-droits-ce-que-revele-laffaire-tsiazompaniry-madagascar/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }