Rainforests of the Atsinanana in Madagascar removed from the list of World Heritage in Danger

The property had been on the Danger List since 2010, primarily due to illegal logging of precious woods, ongoing deforestation and increasing illegal hunting of endangered lemurs. The Committee welcomed the progress made by the State Party of Madagascar in implementing the corrective measures adopted in 2011 and in achieving key indicators of the Desired State of Conservation for the Removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR).

“The removal of the Rainforests of the Atsinanana from the List of World Heritage in Danger is a testament of the commitment of Madagascar to act on the threats to these outstanding sites,” Luther Anukur, IUCN Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said. “Whilst efforts must be strengthened and sustained to ensure long-term recovery, IUCN acknowledges this positive development as an encouraging step for the World Heritage Convention.”

The decision was made following a recommendation from IUCN, the official advisor on nature to the World Heritage Committee. It was informed by a joint United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)/IUCN reactive monitoring mission, with the participation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretariat undertaken in March 2025. 

The mission found major improvements, including the cessation of international illegal trade in rosewood and ebony, expanded monitoring and surveillance through spatial monitoring and reporting tools (SMART), and a reduction in lemur poaching indicators. Additionally, restoration efforts have addressed over 60% of the forest loss recorded in recent years, and increased collaboration with local communities has strengthened both enforcement and stewardship.

However, it highlighted several ongoing issues. One major concern is the persistence of deforestation across several parts of the site, especially in Andohahela, Masoala and Marojejy, where forest loss has increased in recent years. Continued national-level trade in palisander and pressures from agriculture and mining also require close monitoring and sustained management attention. Whilst these challenges are no longer considered to jeopardize the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), it is essential that national efforts are scaled up. In this regard, the firm commitment made to the World Heritage Committee by the State Party of Madagascar to fully implement the mission's recommendations is particularly important, as it will help ensure the conditions necessary for maintaining the World Heritage values of the property.

IUCN, through its regional and global programmes, will continue to work closely with Madagascar to support the long-term conservation of the property. IUCN has been actively supporting lemur conservation in Madagascar through its SOS Lemurs Initiative,  a flagship programme under the Save Our Species programme. Since 2011, the initiative has supported over 70 projects across Madagascar, focusing on habitat protection, anti-poaching efforts, community engagement and scientific monitoring to safeguard the world’s most threatened primate group. The programme directly contributed to addressing some of the threats that led to the inscription of the Rainforests of the Atsinanana on the Danger List in 2010, including illegal hunting of lemurs and habitat loss.

Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2007 under criteria (ix) and (x), the Rainforests of the Atsinanana are globally significant for their ecological and biological processes as well as their biodiversity and the threatened species they support. The property comprises six national parks distributed along the eastern part of the island. These relict forests are critically important for maintaining ongoing ecological processes necessary for the survival of Madagascar’s unique biodiversity, which reflects the island’s geological history.