Wildlife crime court cases in Madagascar

With over 70% of its species found nowhere else on Earth, Madagascar is facing a biodiversity crisis, as commercial poaching and trafficking—second only to deforestation—drive many endemic species toward extinction. In 2021, nearly 3,500 species were listed as threatened, including 98% of lemurs and all terrestrial tortoises.

Despite Madagascar’s ratification of the CITES convention and recent governmental efforts under the Initiative for the Emergence of Madagascar (IEM), enforcement remains hampered by organised crime, corruption, and inusufficient legal mechanisms.

Every year, Madagascar Customs intercepts hundreds of wild specimens destined for illegal export. However, this trade is still thriving, and significant progress is still needed to eradicate illegal flows.

This study underscores the urgent need for strengthened legal frameworks, enhanced inter-agency coordination, and sustained international support to combat this transnational threat.

Without decisive intervention from Madagascar's government, the environmental, economic, and social repercussions of illegal wildlife trade could be profound and irreversible.