Community-based approaches have gained attention in recent decades as crucial building-blocks for conservation in many regions of the world.  But what does it take to make them work?  Over 45 years ago, leaders of a small community in southwest Madagascar joined with academics in Madagascar and the US to launch a partnership with the declared goal of helping people, forests and wildlife in the area flourish together.  Using this as a case study, I trace the Bezà Mahafaly partnership’s gradual development from a “bargain struck” between constituencies with very different interests into a broadly shared endeavor.  Today, Bezà Mahafaly offers a model for transcending the small scale and limited impact typical of community-based conservation initiatives, and a glimmer of hope that they can play a powerful role in safe-guarding the environment in Madagascar and beyond.

FOLLOWING PRESIDENT MICHAEL A. MCROBBIE'S GUIDELINES ON OUR CAMPUS RESPONSE TO COVID-19, DAME ALISON RICHARD'S VISIT HAS BEEN CANCELED. WE HOPE TO RESCHEDULE THIS VISIT FOR THE 2021-22 ACADEMIC YEAR.