Deforestation on Madagascar

Map:

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Rainforest in Madagascar:

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Deforestation in Madagascar:

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Historical State:

Madagascar was originally connected to Africa but due the continental drift they separated and Madagascar became its own island. It is known as the fourth largest island in the world and has been isolated for over 150 million years. Due to the prolonged isolation it has become a biodiversity hotspot with many endemic species. (1) As humans started to arrive on this island 2,000 years ago, over 90% of the forest cover disappeared. Madagascar is now left with 10% of its original forest cover. While deforestation is continuing, endemic species are put at risk. 

Endemic Animals of Madagascar

The Aye-Aye lives in the rainforests of Madagascar and feeds on insect larvae that it finds in the bark of trees. It is endangered because of habitat loss from rainforest destruction, and hunting. 

All species of lemurs are found in Madagascar. They are normally found in the forests, from northern to southern and eastern Madagascar. They feed on fruits, flowers, and young leaves and insects. The deforestation is detrimental to lemurs because this is where they make their homes and find their food.

Madagascar has only 258 bird species, 115 of these being endemic. It was home to giant land birds, such as the Elephant bird, but they were driven to extinction in the past hundreds of years by hunting, introduced species, and habitat loss.

The Brookesia chameleon is one of the world’s smallest reptiles (longest species is 30mm). They are fund in the leaf litter of rainforests and dry deciduous forests in much of Madagascar. Nicknamed the leaf chameleon for playing dead as a way to resemble a fallen leaf, it feeds on small insects found also on the forest floor. (22)

Endemic Plants of Madagascar

Out of the 12,000 plant species in Madagascar, 70-80% of them are endemic, making it one of the most diverse floras on the planet.

165 species of palms found in Madagascar aren’t found anywhere else, out of the 170 total species of palms in Madagascar.

Six out of the eight baobab species are endemic to Madagascar

The Didiereaceae family of plants can be found nowhere else, but in Madagascar. They resemble cacti, but instead produce small deciduous leaves which are protected by thorns and spines that grow out its branches.

85% of the 1000 known species of orchids are endemic to Madagascar.

Anti-cancer drugs, such as vincristine and vinblastine, are created from the periwinckle found only in Madagascar. (23)

Current Human Impact:

Madagascar is being threatened by deforestation, agricultural fires for land clearing, over-exploitation of species, the introduction of alien species, and over-fishing. (3) The conservation status of this ecosystem has become “ugly”. Humans have become a major threat to this ecosystem. One of the major threats to Madagascar is the practice of “tavy” or slash and burn agriculture. Humans are burning and cutting down the forest so they are able to grow rice, coffee, and other cash crops. (4) They continue to burn and cut down the forest until all of the nutrients in the soil have eroded, or until the area is covered with weeds or grass. 

Soil erosion caused by deforestation

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Logging for timber has become a huge problem for rainforests. Malagasy hardwoods are very valuable and can sell for almost $2000 a ton. This makes illegal logging a problem in most protected areas, particularly since a political crisis left the government unable to effectively enforce protection. In order for fuel wood and charcoal production endemic forests are being cut down. (5)

Illegal Rosewood logging in a National Park

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Uses of Rainforest (6):

Industrial uses	Ecological uses	Subsistence uses
Charcoal	Watershed protection	Saw logs
Flood and landslide	Fodder for agriculture	Gums, resins and oils
Pulpwood	Soil erosion control	Fuelwood and charcoal
Pit sawing and saw milling	Climate regulation e.g. CO2 and O2 levels	Building poles
Plywood and veneer	Special woods and ashes	Weaving materials and dyes
Industrial chemicals		Beekeeping
Rearing silkworms and protection		Fruit and nuts
Medicines
Genes for crops
Tourism

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Future Prospects:

In the last 10 years, many changes have taken place in Madagascar. Though the awareness of the problems deforestation causes has risen, it continues to be on the rise and there is still active loss of forest. (7) Because cash crops still account for a large percentage of the economy in Madagascar, deforestation continues at an alarming rate. If current trends continue, deforestation will continue to accelerate. Madagascar will not be able to support the population that lives on it due to the negative effects associated with deforestation. (8) For Madagascar’s remaining rainforest to be saved, sustainable agricultural practices will have to be implemented.

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What Can Be Done:

In order to improve the conditions of the rainforest on Madagascar, additional protections will be required. Since the long-term benefit for the country would be to keep as much forest as possible, the government should be actively working to expand the nature preserves and national parks. Enforcement could also be improved, as illegal logging continues to plague the nature preserves and restricted areas. (9) Finally, encouragement of ecotourism will also have a positive effect. Ecotourism gives businesses and the government incentives to protect the rainforest, as tourism has the potential to bring in more money than deforestation for cash crops. (10) With support from citizens and the government, it is possible to change the culture of destruction and shortsighted consumption. Though a tough challenge, the rainforests of Madagascar have the resilience to come back and thrive.

To improve the human impact, Madagascar needs to work towards agricultural sustainability such as mulch-based and conservation agriculture, which doesn't require farmers to plant the land anymore. With this method, farmers can let the stocks rot and fertilize the soil naturally to form a protective layer over the ground. This reduces the need for harmful fertilizers and pesticides because they are cultivating the soil. This method also prevents erosion and creates better quality food because it requires a certain kind of crops or a particular organization of crops by putting certain plants and crops together. Mulch-based and conservation agriculture needs to be accompanied by the education of farmers on how it can boost their crop production and protect the environment at the same time.

An organization encouraging sustainable ecotourism in Madagascar

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Works Cited

1. Cleveland, Cutler J. "Madagascar Lowland Forests." Madagascar Lowland Forests. Encyclopedia of Earth, 03 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/154343/>.
2.  Chapman, M. "Deforestation in Madagascar." Deforestation In Madagascar. American University, 19 Dec. 1996. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www1.american.edu/ted/MADAGAS.HTM>.

3. Wildlife Conservation Society. "Madagascar." - Wildlife Conservation Society. WCS, 14 Oct. 2011. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://www.wcs.org/where-we-work/africa/madagascar.aspx?gclid=CO7m_KLu3boCFe1xQgodci4A5g>.

4. Crowley, Helen. "Eastern Madagascar." WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund, 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.

5. Butler, Rhett. "Threats to Madagascar's Biodiversity and Ecosystems." Madagascar: Environmental Profile. Rhett Butler, 4 Feb. 2006. Web. 26 Nov. 2013

6.  "Planting." Deforestation of Tropical Rainforests. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.

7. Butler, Rhett. "THREATS TO RAINFORESTS FROM HUMANKIND." Mongabay.com. 27 July 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0803.htm>.

8. Cunningham, R. Deforestation Madagascar. 2008. Photograph. Madagascar's Deforestation Problem. 31 Jan. 2008. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTMyfmltiGlQC_kbkkZWBT5yQ63WjsBU4VWuiFbzERP9ZqwkZ9amfZoffgEa5pSJyGvR_VtQOXwyvkhQeIBYmfpRqQ5B_m5cZ5FEQNBsrtyFwIfwuI8KiYBda1A2kkV47WZULT2ReIlU/s640/deforestation_madagascar.jpg>.

9.  "Forest Loss Slows as UN Marks 'International Year of Forests'" Mongabay.com. Ed. Mongabay. Mongabay, 2 Feb. 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0202-international_year_of_forests.html>.

10.  "Deforestation in Madagascar." NC State: WWW4 Server. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www4.ncsu.edu/~tlbolton/world_forestry/>.

11. Allnutt, Thomas, Simon Ferrier, Glenn Manion, George Powell, Taylor Ricketts, Brian Fisher, Claire Kremen, Jean-Noël Labat, David Lees, Thomas Pearce, and France Rakotondrainibe. A Method for Quantifying Biodiversity Loss and Its Application to a 50-year Record of Deforestation across Madagascar. A Method for Quantifying Biodiversity Loss. Conservation Letters, 22 Aug. 2008. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00027.x/full>.

12.Klanderud, Kari. "Recovery of Plant Species Richness and Composition after Slash-and-burn Agriculture in a Tropical Rainforest in Madagascar." Springer.com. Biodiversity and Conservation, 9 Oct. 2009. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-009-9714-3/fulltext.html>.

13. N.d. Photograph. Rainforest Deforestation. Kent University, 05 May 2001. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. <http://kanat.jsc.vsc.edu/student/callahan/mainpage.htm>.

14. Wiedemann, Luis C. "Interview." Chasing Linnaeus. Chasing Linnaeus, 20 Dec. 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://chasinglinnaeus.com/2011/12/interview-with-luis-c-wiedemann/>.

15. NatGeo Photography. "Photo Gallery: Rain Forest Deforestation." National Geographic. National Geographic, 24 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/rainforest-deforestation/>.

16. Diorit, J. Illegal Slash and Burn Practise in the Region West of Manantenina. 2010. Photograph. Wikipedia. 25 Sept. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Manantenina_bushfire.jpg>.

17. Locatelli, Bruno. Soil Erosion in Madagascar. 2010. Photograph. Locatelli Gallery. Bruno Locatelli, 02 Feb. 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://www.locatelli1.net/gallery.php?ref=420190&lg=en>.

18. Haans, Robert. Illegal Logging of Rosewood. 2010. Photograph. Wikimedia Upload. Wikipedia, 03 Oct. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Illegal_export_of_rosewood_001.jpg>.

19. Mongabay. Causes of Tropical Deforestation. 2008. Photograph. Mongabay. 15 Apr. 2008. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. <http://s3.amazonaws.com/mongabay/charts/causes-of-tropical-deforestation.jpg>.

20. Mongabay.com. "Forest Loss Slows as UN Marks 'International Year of Forests'"Mongabay.com. Mongabay News Corp, 02 Feb. 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. <http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0202-international_year_of_forests.html>.

21. MWCA Corp. "Madagascar Wildlife Conservation Adventure." Help to Protect Unique and Endangered Wildlife. Madagascar Conservation, 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.frontiergap.com/projects/245/Madagascar-Wildlife-Conservation-Adventure>.

22. Wild Madagascar. "The Real Animals of Madagascar." The Real Animals of Madagascar. WildMadagascar.org, 2004. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.

23. Butler, Rhett. "Madagascar Flora." Flora of Madagascar. Butler, 2004. Web. 24 Nov. 2013