Between its exceptional rate of endemism and traditional slash-and-burn agricultural practices, Madagascar is a global biodiversity hotspot. These fires raise environmental and socio-political issues and are therefore at the heart of the debate on sustainability of Malagasy socio-ecosystems. The main objective of the thesis is to understand the effect of human-induced fires on the current state of forest ecosystems on a regional scale in order to determine both influences of climate and human practices on the biogeographical dynamics of the landscape since the presumed arrival of humans 2000 years ago.
Complementary temporal, methodological and disciplinary approaches will combine paleoenvironmental data, ethnoecology of fire practices and calibration by remote sensing on satellite images. This thesis is resolutely in line with the aim of improving the management and restoration policies of Malagasy ecosystems, notably by reinforcing the work of consultation with the local population while immersing in the current issues of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of landscapes in the region of interest.