order to define the position and principles of the park regarding prevention of HIV/AIDS and treatment for HIV positive employees. • Suggestions for the introduction of an internal programme on the response to HIV/AIDS were made. This programme should promote understanding among employees through information provision, education and communication and should formalise care and support, both medical and psycho-social, for staff affected by HIV/AIDS. • Suggestions for the contents of an external

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... ogramme on the response to HIV/AIDS were also made. These refer to informing and mobilising communities in the ANP's area of work, working in particular with those local structures with which the park already collaborates successfully. • The Action Plan also contains suggestions for monitoring and evaluation, which should ensure control of its implementation and adaptation of activities in future years. SUMMARY XVII • Finally, the Action Plan contains a paragraph on considering HIV/AIDS in all of the park's activities. Potential negative consequences of HIV/AIDS for the park should be identified as part of the planning and evaluation processes and ways to combat those consequences should be developed. The Action Plan includes 28 specific measures as part of the five action areas. Among these, for example, are the creation of an information point on HIV/AIDS, training sessions for staff members of the ANP, and information on preventing HIV/AIDS for the population in the park's area of influence. For each proposed measure the Action Plan details the objective, its relation to existing national and local HIV/AIDS strategies, expected beneficiaries and the persons to be responsible for the implementation. The duration and cost of each is also outlined, along with issues to consider in implementation. A great deal of detail is provided in these recommendations, but adaptations, innovative ideas and additions by the ANP are both possible and hoped for. Budgetary planning for activities planned for 2005, along with a list of potential partners for the ANP, among other things, can be found in the annex to the Action Plan. Analysis of good practice and experience gained during the development of the Action Plan, as well as discussion with experts provided a basis for the development of the recommendations for the national protected area authority, ANGAP. During a final workshop in Antananarivo, these recommendations were developed and discussed in collaboration with ANGAP and other stakeholders. The following are among the recommendations made to ANGAP headquarters regarding the integration of a response to HIV/AIDS into the Malagasy network of protected areas: • to play the role of coordinator, catalyser and to provide assistance • to share experience from various protected areas on HIV/AIDS • to help those responsible for HIV/AIDS in protected areas and to find sources to finance their activities • to accelerate the introduction of a monitoring and evaluation system, adapted to the requirements of activities • to develop a Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS applicable to the entire ANGAP network XVIII SUMMARY • and to continue to actively participate in the development and implementation of a strategy for the 'rural development' sector as part of the national multisectoral HIV/AIDS policy. In addition, a recommendation was made to develop similar Action Plans in other protected areas based on experience from Ankarafantsika National Park. Both the process of developing an Action Plan and its contents should be adapted to the specific conditions of each protected area.