Illegal mining activities are gaining ground in Madagascar’s forests, with a rising number of arrests occurring within protected areas.
“Mining is proliferating in protected areas,” warned an environmental official who requested anonymity yesterday. “Based on my discussions with colleagues, it is happening everywhere.”
Recent successive arrests in several protected areas illustrate this trend. Last weekend, three individuals were caught red-handed in the Torotorofotsy Ramsar site during a patrol conducted by law enforcement and the Mitsinjo Association, which manages the site. “These operators destroyed a significant portion of the site, particularly the natural habitat of frogs, to search for gold. It looks as if they bulldozed the area. This site is located right in front of Mantadia. They had already cleared forests before targeting this specific spot,” reported Christin Nasoavina, president of the Mitsinjo Association. Other individuals involved managed to flee.
In the Alaotra-Mangoro region, three other people were arrested in Zahamena National Park for illegal mining. “The case was referred to Ambatondrazaka, and the individuals have been placed in pre-trial detention,” a source reported. A few days earlier, three others were caught in the act in the Ankeniheny-Zahamena corridor.
Furthermore, two Chinese nationals suspected of purchasing precious stones from the Makira protected area were arrested in early September following an operation by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. “This trend began to accelerate at the beginning of the year. We do not yet know the causes of this progression,” an environmental official noted.
Protected areas are under severe threat from the rise of mining within forests. “If there are no strict measures to stop this scourge, the forests of the East will have disappeared within fifty years,” warns Christin Nasoavina.
On the ground, authorities claim to be continuing the fight against this phenomenon but are hampered by a lack of human resources and equipment. “It is impossible to conduct a thorough sweep. If you organize a mission and arrest someone, you must bring them back immediately; you cannot continue the operation with them in custody,” the source explained, calling for multisectoral measures to break the chain of illegal operations.
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-22 05:53:45 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/09/environnement-lexploitation-miniere.html