In 1989, a book written by Martin E. Nicoll and Olivier Langrand was published on the protected areas of Madagascar, which heralded in a new era of conservation for this island nation. In the subsequent three decades, there was an important increase in inventories and studies on Madagascar’s terrestrial biota. This work led to significant changes in the systematics of Malagasy plants and animals, a large percentage unique to the island, and a notable augmentation in knowledge on Malagasy biodiversity. In addition, the considerable expansion of the protected area network, reinforcement of legal tools, and the development of new management modes and tools have contributed to a modernization of the protected area network.

The purpose of the French-language Les aires protégées terrestres de Madagascar is to present a large-scale update of information available from 98 terrestrial protected areas, various analyses to understand general trends in the conservation of these sites, and a synthesis to assess the needs for future scientific programs. Beautifully illustrated throughout with color maps, graphs, and photos, these three volumes will be an important reference for students, researchers, protected area managers, conservationists, and visiting ecotourists. Volume two covers northern and eastern Madagascar.

Steven M. Goodman has studied different aspects of the fauna of Madagascar for close to three decades and published numerous scientific articles and books on a variety of subjects. He holds the posts of MacArthur Field Biologist at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and scientific advisor for the Association Vahatra in Antananarivo. Marie Jeanne Raherilalao is a naturalist and passionate about different questions concerning the birds of Madagascar. She is instructor-researcher at the University of Antananarivo, a founding member of Association Vahatra, and coeditor of Malagasy Nature, a journal published by the association. Sébastien Wohlhauser studied evolutionary biology and landscape ecology and worked on various ecosystem conservation actions and for independent rural development. He is the Madagascar country representative of the NGO Nitidae.