The country is home to tens of thousands of species of flora and fauna, some of which are not found anywhere else in the world. But expanding mining activities pose a potential threat to this biodiversity despite the Malagasy government's international commitment to protect it. What, then, are the legal reasons that explain why mining development on the island is threatening protected areas, despite regulations afforded by national and international law?
This is the question that Professor Lynda Hubert Ta seeks to answer in her new book Madagascar, entre protection de la biodiversité et développement minier : Quel rôle pour l’État ? (L'Harmattan 2025). She offers a detailed look at the international commitments made by the government of Madagascar on the international stage to protect biodiversity on its territory. She deciphers the laws and regulations it has adopted to implement these commitments at the national level. And she analyzes these laws and regulations in the light of the legislation and regulations governing the mining sector.
Professor Hubert Ta explores the relationship between these two legal frameworks and highlights the tensions between their respective rules, reflecting the different interests and objectives underlying these rules. She highlights a model that ultimately favours mining development over biodiversity protection, and which sees the Malagasy state as a promoter of the mining sector rather than a protector of biodiversity, thus calling into question the commitments made and measures adopted in this area.
While the book examines the case of Madagascar, it also sheds light on the broader issues surrounding the quest for “conciliation” between environmental protection and economic growth, which currently prevails in the global discourse on sustainable development.
Professor Hubert Ta is a specialist in issues affecting both environmental protection and economic development, particularly in the extractive sector.This new book – her first solo publication – is based on her doctoral thesis, defended and submitted to Laval University's Faculty of Law in October 2021.
Congratulations to Professor Hubert Ta!