 In 1971, the Malagasy government undertook a project to protect of mangrove forests, the first national effort to protect Madagascar's marine ecosystems.In 1986 the government of Madagascar, with support from the IUCN and the World Wildlife Fund, initiated a twelve-year process to review and assess existing protected areas and others requiring protection to create an initial list of Madagascar's conservation priority areas.The "Association Nationale pour la Gestion des Aires Protégées" (ANGAP), established in 1990, was the first government agency created with the express purpose of expanding and managing Madagascar's protected areas.