AFO tracks vegetation fires across Madagascar using MODIS and VIIRS satellite data, turning two decades of burned-area records into insight for conservation, park management, and rural land use.
Fire has a long history in Madagascar — used to renew grazing areas for cattle, clear land for agriculture, and manage rangelands. But the area burnt each year has expanded significantly, making fire the primary driver of deforestation through slash-and-burn cultivation.
AFO — Actions in Fire Observation — provides satellite-based monitoring to help conservation organisations, park managers, and researchers understand fire patterns, seasonality, and impact on biodiversity across Madagascar's protected areas and surrounding landscapes.
We conduct detailed fire monitoring and seasonality analyses in key protected areas across Madagascar.
Tsitongambarika is a 58,597 ha Natural Resources Reserve in the Anosy region, just north of Fort-Dauphin, protecting one of the last large blocks of lowland humid forest in south-eastern Madagascar.
Dry deciduous forest in north-western Madagascar, and the site of AFO’s pilot fire analysis.
A critical dry forest habitat in western Madagascar, home to unique and endemic species.
From 2005 to 2025, Madagascar burned an average of roughly — per year. Explore the seasonality, the extreme years, and the rainfall connection behind the numbers.
46mm of rain overnight to revive the vegetation after months of dry-season fire pressure.
Fire broke out in Ambohitantely Reserve — local population and authorities worked to put it out.
Multiple hotspots detected in the Baly Bay region of northwestern Madagascar during peak dry season.