Action for the Wild has donated over £16,000 in its membership of the lemur consortium, the AEECL, since 2004. The AEECL aims to protect the habitat and ecosystems within the Sahamalaza National Park, Madagascar, to monitor and increase lemur populations and be a strong conservation ambassador for the area. To achieve this, they invest in local communities through education, resource management and communication, to ensure the communities of today can forge a safe haven for wildlife tomorrow.

Throughout 2017, the AEECL provided salary support for 78 community teachers, awarded scholarships to 15 high school students and constructed a new school in the village of Ambinda. In 2018, the project will continue to provide salary support for the community teachers; half of the community teacher salaries will be paid by the AEECL and the villagers should pay the rest. The construction of the school is tangible proof of AEECL’s commitment to support the community. The construction allowed them to stand out from the other organizations working in Sahamalaza and in 2018, the AEECL plans to construct another school in Antafiabe.

The AEECL works to establish firebreaks in order to stop the spread of fires. In 2017, fire breaks were established around the Ankarafa forest from 6th to 8th August 2017. In total, 856 persons participated in the building of the firebreak, this was an increase of 60% compared to the previous year. In 2018, they hope forest fires will decrease by 50% over the year.

Another important role of the AEECL is to participate in environmental events to increase awareness about the conservation of the environment by bringing all organisations and groups together in one place. The AEECL participated and organized four activities at environmental events throughout 2017. In 2018, they hope to see an increase in local participation by 50% during the celebration of the lemur festival in Sahamalaza.

Ecotourism has been a big focus for the AEECL in 2017 as it helps to strengthen community links, creates employment for local people and creates awareness of the incredible biodiversity in the area. 60 tourists visited the camp in 2017 and the development of infrastructure at the tourist camp will continue in 2018 to increase tourists visiting and increase awareness.