The GEPOMAY back on the wet meadow of Malamani!

On February 15, 2023, six members of the GEPOMAY association and a volunteer went to the wet meadow of Malamani, in the municipality of Chirongui, with the aim of eliminating as many invasive plants as possible and thus renaturing the site by favor of the Madagascar pond-heron.

Uprooting invasive alien species on the Malamani wet meadow in February 2023 – GEPOMAY

A site followed since 2020

The wet meadow is a feeding site for the Madagascar pond-heron, the most endangered bird on the island. Since 2019, the association has been working on the site as part of the LIFE BIODIV’OM project.

In 2022, the wet meadow also benefited from a week of restoration to ensure the preservation of one hectare through the uprooting of invasive plant species, the collection of waste and the cutting of a coconut tree. This project was carried out in particular in partnership with the Mlezi Maore association and around fifteen young people in professional integration.

In 2022, GEPOMAY had also set up, in partnership with the Conservatoire du littoral and the Chamber of Agriculture, a Temporary Occupation Agreement for Agricultural Use with a breeder with the aim of improving site management through moderate grazing. in particular preventing recolonization by invasive plant species.

In October 2022, the GEPOMAY, the CBNM and the Mlezi Maoré association set up a plant hedge on the site by planting nearly 335 native plants intended to delimit the wet meadow of Malamani.

Establishment of native plants in 2022 – GEPOMAY

At the start of 2023, GEPOMAY is therefore carrying out an operation to monitor the site and control invasive alien species. The association estimates that it uprooted around 1/4 and 1/3 of the Senna torra plants that invaded the space after the heavy rains.

In order to preserve the other sites of interest for the Madagascar pond-heron, GEPOMAY has set up a similar control program at the level of the wet meadow of Miréréni (in the south) – monitoring site for the Madagascar pond-heron. This project will be coordinated by the 8 students of the BTS GPN of the agricultural school during the month of March.