An essential oil produced by local communities in order to support the protection of threatened lemurs in the national park of Ankarafantsika.

The dry forests found in the West of Madagascar are unique. This is why the Ankarafantsika National Park was created. A natural habitat of sifaka lemurs, this area boasts the famous Madagascan dancing lemur. In addition, 129 species of birds can be observed in the area, of which 75 are found nowhere else in the world than on this large island. Here we can also fin 823 species of plant with a rate of endemicity reaching more than 80%. Saro is one of these plants and is part of the local pharmacopoeia due to its extraordinary medicinal properties.

The extreme poverty faced by the surrounding populations, provoked by the intrusion of immigrants from other regions and pressure from trafficking and corruption, does not allow them to follow a traditional way of life that is respectful of the environment.

One of the solutions to this problem seems to be helping the populations located on the outskirts of the park to use Saro in order to make economic gains from their environment. As certain varieties of Saro are only found in the Ankarafantsika region, it was decided to help the local communities to produce and develop the value of this plant on its key markets. This initiative also allowed the encouragement of the natives to respect and better manage their forest resources.

It takes a considerable amount of time to get the production of an essential oil up and running when it is important to conserve its therapeutic and cosmetic properties. This work has been ongoing since 2003 and has required the partnership of professional research teams from the company Yves Rocher, the International Centre for Applied Development Research (CIRAD), the University of Rutgers in the United States, and Olivier Behra. Four very different chemical compositions of this essential oil have been able to be identified through this research. The local producers have then been trained within the forest itself to be able to identify the different types of Saro by their scent. They have also benefited from the installation of a small distillery unit and training sessions on its use.

A new adventure was launched after an intermediary stage lasting a few years, which marked the end of the research efforts. A team of Madagascan women, who were also part of the initial research team, took it upon themselves to take up this initiative once again in 2016, notably through the reinforcement of the skills learnt by the producers. Things are moving along and committed partners have come alongside this project. Work must now continue in order to promote a healthy and durable production and to accompany the producers during the commercialization phase.

In terms of harnessing the powers of natural products for healthcare, the number of benefits that are to be found in Saro is incredible. What is important now is to defend the value of these products on the international market and support the forest-dwelling communities to ensure that they receive a fair profit for the sale of this plant.

If these communities are able to sustainably produce and trade Saro, we could be able to see the whole forest protected!