Impact Spotlight
Delivers reliable off-grid solar power to households and a community ecotourism center, benefiting 330 people in Andranopasy
Uses reliable solar power to attract tourists and create sustainable ecotourism livelihoods for local communities
Protects baobab habitats by strengthening community ownership and reducing slash-and-burn agriculture and wildfire risk
About
ARO Baobab—Assessment, Research and Outreach for Baobab Conservation—is a Malagasy nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting Madagascar's baobabs, their ecosystems, and the communities whose lives depend on them. Emerging from a USAID- and U.S. National Academy of Sciences-supported research initiative, ARO Baobab became a nonprofit organization in 2024 in response to the trust and aspirations of Indigenous and local communities living around baobab habitats.
The organization combines scientific research with community-led conservation, ecological restoration, environmental education, and sustainable livelihood development, working particularly with rural women, young people, and vulnerable farming households to help them become leaders and long-term stewards of their natural heritage. Its vision is a future in which thriving baobab landscapes support resilient and prosperous communities, connecting local knowledge, science, restoration, ecotourism, and climate-resilient livelihoods so that conserving baobabs creates lasting benefits for both nature and people.
“For ARO Baobab, solar energy is more than electricity—it is a pathway to dignity, sustainable livelihoods, and stronger community stewardship. By creating new opportunities through ecotourism, we can empower local families to prosper while protecting Madagascar’s extraordinary baobabs for future generations.”
HF Partnership
Through this partnership with the Honnold Foundation, ARO Baobab will bring reliable, renewable electricity to the remote community of Andranopasy in Madagascar's Menabe region, installing a community-scale off-grid solar system serving approximately 60 households and a community ecotourism center, directly benefiting an estimated 330 people. Solar electricity will help place Andranopasy on the tourism map, making it possible for visitors to safely discover its extraordinary landscape, home to some of the world's most magnificent baobabs, while providing lighting, communications, phone charging, security, and essential visitor services that create the foundation needed to launch community-led ecotourism at the site.
Increased tourism will create livelihood opportunities as local guides, restaurant operators, hospitality providers, artisans, and conservation workers. A community energy committee, with at least 50% women's representation, will oversee equitable access, while women and young people will be trained as Solar Stewards to support safe use, monitoring, and basic maintenance. By connecting clean energy, ecotourism, and local livelihoods, the project will strengthen community ownership and provide a lasting incentive to protect Andranopasy's baobabs and surrounding habitat.
In the News
