Rôle et implications des croyances et des savoir-faire locaux dans les programmes de conservation : exemple d'un site à lémuriens sacrés au cœur de la station forestière à usages multiples d'Antrema (pays Sakalava, Madagascar)

The importance of sites containing sacred lemurs has been stressed by several studies in northwestern Madagascar. These studies indicated that some places (villages, hills, islets) constitute true « natural areas of conservation » for biodiversity. Ancestral laws of great importance to the Sakalava populations traditionally protect these sites, which typically are home to a species (animal or plant) recognized as sacred by the local community. Due to these sacred attributions, both the species and the site itself remain protected. The present study concerns a previously overlooked site in the territory of Antrema where sacred lemurs (Propithecus coronatus of the Indridae family) can be found. The study highlights the complementary roles of both local tradition and international regulation in the domain of conservation.