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Conserving Biodiversity in Madagascar Conservation

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Why we love it

The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is designed to safeguard Earth’s biologically richest and most threatened regions. CEPF is a joint initiative of l'Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation, and the World Bank. Maps serve as a great way to reach the organization’s global audience. We love this map of conservation efforts in Madagascar for its exceptional cartographic quality. The map gives us a clear picture of work being done across a large area.

Why it works

This map works because it uses visual hierarchy to help tell the story of conservation priorities in Madagascar. Darker colors symbolize which sites are funding priorities. Reference information does not overwhelm us. Instead it provides enough context to orient anyone looking at the map. Masking helps maximize legibility of the labels and declutter parts of the scene. 

Important steps

  • Display only relevant information

    Filter reference data (cities, rivers, roads, etc.) to only display those relevant and necessary to your map’s story. Consult local experts and other maps for inspiration.

  • Make the labels stand out

    Try to avoid placing labels where the background will have high contrast or is too close to the label color. If that’s unavoidable, mask the background to be just that—a neutral background.

  • Use insets for clarity

    Use insets sparingly and thoughtfully for those areas where there is too much detail for clarity. Use a small locator map with the inset to tie it back to the main map.
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Requirements

  • Data and software

    Data about conservation and protected areas were provided by CI-Madagascar, VMap0, Natural Earth, World Vector Shoreline. The hillshades are sourced from DEMs including GTOPO1 and ASTER. The EEZ boundary is from World Maritime Boundaries. Software used: ArcGIS Desktop.
    View CI-Madagascar (French translation)
    Download VMap0 data
    Download Natural Earth data

  • Analysis

    The analyses were performed by conservation experts.

  • Time

    The entire map production process from data prep to final press check was about 2 weeks.
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Tips and tricks

  • Make hillshade stand out through high transparency

    Symbolize the hillshade using an image stretch that highlights the terrain, so that it can be visible when a high transparency is applied. Put polygon fills below the hillshade, and all linework above the hillshade.

  • Change the font symbols

    Use different font symbols for different features, and where appropriate match the label color to its related feature.
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Resources

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Map Author

Kellee Koenig

Kellee is an award-winning cartographer who's passionate about GIS and the power of maps to communicate complex information and tell stories.

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