In Madagascar, cultural taboos can protect or harm the environment
“Fady,” the Malagasy term for sociocultural and spiritual taboos or beliefs, greatly influence people’s daily lives in Madagascar.
Fady are ancestral rules that can apply to a place, a person or even certain animals and plants.
As they pertain to the natural world, fady can have either a positive or a negative impact on the environment and wildlife.
ANTSAHADINTA, Madagascar Marcel Rakotonary, 75, gives a sharp warning to visitors before they enter Antsahadinta, or the “valley of the leeches.” Located 20 kilometers (12 miles) southwest of the capital city of Antananarivo, the sacred hill of Antsahadinta is the site of royal tombs and ancient dwellings. Its forest has been protected from clearing and slash-and-burn agriculture, known as