The Island of Madagascar (6)
Madagascar
Madagascar is an island
in the Indian Ocean about 250 miles off of the southeastern coast of Africa. It
is the fourth largest island in the world measuring over 1000 miles long and 350
miles wide. Madagascar has been isolated from other land masses for
millions of years since it broke off of Africa. This isolation has led to extremely
high levels of endemism among the plant and animal species that live there with
an overall 80-90 percent of all species being endemic (4). This incredible
biodiversity makes Madagascar a unique and important place.
Coquerel's Sifaka Lemur and Baby (5)
Tropical
Rainforests
The tropical rainforests
of Madagascar stretch along the eastern coast of the island. They are also
referred to as the lowland forests because they are located at low elevations
from sea level up to 800 meters. Rainfall in this ecoregion is over
2,000 mm per year and in some areas it can receive up to 6,000 mm per year. Tropical
rainforests are the most diverse forests on the island with many unique species
that only exist here (4, 7). Hundreds of species of animals and thousands
of species of plants are specifically endemic to this ecoregion. This includes a
high diversity of mammals especially lemurs, which all 50 know species are
found in Madagascar. The tropical forests have the greatest diversity of birds
with some of the rarest birds in the world like the Madagascar serpent eagle. 84
species of mammals, 50 species of reptiles, 42 species of birds, 29 species of amphibians, and 82 percent of
all plants are endemic (4).
The island has very high biodiversity and endemism but they are extremely
threatened.
The tropical
rainforests of Madagascar may be one of the most diverse forests in the world but
these forests are also among the most threatened habitats in the world. Since
humans arrived 2,000 years ago much of the original forest cover has
disappeared and is continuing to disappear at a rapid rate (4,5). This means that
all of the ecosystems and endemic species that live here are also facing
significant threats.
What Madagascar’s
Tropical Rainforests Historically Looked like (10)
Madagascar’s Tropical Rainforests Today (6)
Historical
State
The tropical rainforests
have suffered huge amounts of degradation and fragmentation. Only a tiny fraction of what
historically use to exist is now present. Over 90 percent of the original
forests of Madagascar are now gone (3). Forests use to cover a majority of the
island with tropical rainforests covering the whole eastern third of the island. Due to deforestation this is no longer true today. Before colonization
the tropical forests were estimated to have covered about 11.2 million hectares and
now are estimated to only cover 2.5 to 6.9 million hectares (8). The forests of
today are significantly smaller and severely fragmented compared to in the
past. The remaining tropical rainforests of Madagascar are still under threat
today and will continue to disappear if nothing is done to protect them.
Loss of Tropical
Rainforest in Madagascar (3)
Human
Impact
The major threat to the
Madagascar’s tropical rainforests is humans. The arrival of humans to the
island has caused many negative impacts on the ecosystem. The main way humans
are impacting the tropical rainforests today is the agricultural
practice of "tavy," or slash and burn agriculture. In slash and burn
agriculture, the forest is cut and burned to grow crops such as rice or coffee.
After several years of production the land can no longer be used and is
abandoned due to lack of soil nutrients. Only after a few years the land can be used to grow crops again. However, due to increasing
population pressure, fallow periods have become much shorter causing the land
to become degraded to the point where it can no longer be used for crops and it is just abandoned to
become grassland or invaded by weeds (4, 11). Madagascar is home to approximately
17.5 million people, 75 percent of whom depend on subsistence farming and rely
heavily on the forest for survival (7). The population is still continuing to
increase which increases pressure to use the remaining natural forest.
Another major impact threatening the forests is fire.The fires set to clear the land for agriculture can get out of control and spread to other areas and burn much more of the forest than intended. Every year, as much as a third of Madagascar’s forest area is lost due to fires (5). The deforestation also leads to severe erosion and landslides which can have disastrous consequences on many other ecosystems like the coral reefs right off the coast (2).
Another major impact threatening the forests is fire.The fires set to clear the land for agriculture can get out of control and spread to other areas and burn much more of the forest than intended. Every year, as much as a third of Madagascar’s forest area is lost due to fires (5). The deforestation also leads to severe erosion and landslides which can have disastrous consequences on many other ecosystems like the coral reefs right off the coast (2).
The rainforests are also significantly threatened
by logging for timber. The high value for Malagasy hardwoods, like ebony and
rosewood, makes illegal logging a big problem in some areas even ones that are protected. Deforestation
has also drastically increased since the 1950s due to the large debt incurred
by the Malagasy government. The country is forced to exploit its wood resources
to pay off money owed to other countries (5). The tropical forests are also
logged and cleared to make way for livestock grazing, fuel wood, and mining.
Many endemic reptiles and amphibians are collected for the pet trade as well
(2).
Tropical Rainforest in Madagascar being cleared for
Agriculture (9)
Future
Prospects
It is estimated that tropical rainforests lose about 200,000 hectares annually due to deforestation. Recent
studies by the Center for Applied Biodiversity Science at Conservation
International indicate that if the rate of forest reduction remains at the current
level, all of Madagascar’s forests will be lost within 40 years (7). The loss
of tropical forests on Madagascar would be devastating to the people and
animals of the region. Many of the endemic plant and animal species will go
extinct and be gone forever. This huge loss of biodiversity would be
devastating to the entire world. Madagascar is among the world's poorest
countries and people's day to day survival is dependent upon the natural
resources found around them. Many of them depend on the forests for income and
sustenance which they will no longer have. Steps need to be taken in order to
preserve the tropical rainforests or the future prospects do not look good for
this ecoregion.
Deforestation Rate of Forests in Madagascar (7)
Protected
Areas
National Parks
and reserves were first established in Madagascar by the French colonial
government in the 1920s (3). During the World Park Congress in Durban in 2003,
Madagascar’s President committed to tripling the island’s protected areas from 1.7 million ha to 6 million ha, he also wanted to add an additional
4.3 million ha, and place more than two thirds of the country’s remaining forest under
protection (7). In 2012 Madagascar officially designated its largest protected area
of tropical rainforest, Makira Natural Park, which covers 1,438 square miles of
forest. Management of Makira Natural Park will
be partially funded by the sale of carbon credits under the REDD+ (Reduced Emissions through
Deforestation and Forest Degradation) program, a global organization that works
to pay countries for protecting their tropical rainforests. The establishment
of Makira will prevent about 31 million tons of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Also much of the proceeds from the sale of carbon credits are given back to the local
communities living around the protected area (6). These protected areas
are a huge step in the right direction to saving the tropical rainforests of
Madagascar.
Deforestation Rates (5)
What can be done to improve human
impacts?
The tropical rainforests are not a
lost cause and many things can be done to maintain the balance between people
and the ecosystem. Madagascar has already started through the designation of
protected areas but they still need to expand and increase the number of protected
areas in the country. However just designating an area as protected isn’t
enough. The protected areas should be established so they provide income for local
communities so they benefit both the people and the forests. Locals could be hired as guides or to help manage the area. A
lot of the “protected” areas still face threats such as illegal logging (1). Increasing
surveillance and patrols of the parks should be implemented as well and can be
done through the hiring of locals for this task. The increased security would also help prevent
people from trying to obtain animals for the pet trade. Getting the locals
involved will allow the park to be more successful because if they have a reason to want to protect the park, like saving their income, they will be more inclined to do so (5).
Promoting eco-tourism is
another way to help protect the rainforests as well as Madagascar’s economy.
Madagascar is an amazing place that many tourists would love to visit. Eco-tourism
can generating huge amounts of money and employ large
numbers of local people. Eco-tourism would give local people jobs and provide income so they would no longer be forced to rely on cutting down forest
for subsistent agriculture or livestock grazing. The revenue obtained through
eco-tourism will also give the government more incentive to protect the
rainforest (5).
Many people rely on
agriculture in Madagascar but the traditional use of the slash and burn
technique is not environmentally sustainable. The government should better
educate the local people on the environmental impacts of the current methods
being used and teach them more sustainable practices. One way they have started
to improve existing agricultural practices is through the use of savoka gardens. Savoka gardens are planted on fallow plots of land and are a
carefully selected succession of plants and trees that help to re-enrich the soil
while producing a supply of food crops. The addition of these crops like
citrus, manioc, vanilla, banana, mango, or pepper, can help restore nutrients
to degraded soils and allow them to remain productive for many years while
providing more types of food to the locals (11). The use of this technique will
lessen the impact of agriculture and make it more sustainable in the long run.
Madagascar’s tropical
rainforests are full of endemic plants and animals that are under huge threat
due to negative human impacts. The future prospects of this ecosystem do not
look good unless things start to change. The rainforests and all the
biodiversity they contain can be saved if humans learn to implement positive
impacts so that the balance between people and ecosystem is maintained.
Male Panther Chameleon (5)
References
1. Butler, Rhett. “Madagascar’s
Political Chaos Threatens Conservation Gains.” Yale Environment 360. 4 Jan. 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. http://e360.yale.edu/feature/madagascars_political_chaos_threatens_conservation_gains/2217/.
2. Corlett, Richard T., and Richard
B. Primack. "Tropical rainforest conservation: a global perspective."
Tropical forest community ecology (2008): 443-457.
3.
“Deforestation of Tropical Rainforests – A Case Study of Madagascar.” Web. 12
Nov. 2012. http://www.geocases1.co.uk/printable/Deforestation%20of%20TRF%20a%20case%20study%20of%20Madagascar.htm.
6.
“Madagascar gets biggest protected
area.” Wild Madagascar.org. August
17, 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0817-makira-madagascar-wcs.html.
8. Perlman, Dan L. “Panorama: Madagascar tropical rainforest.” EcoLibrary. Web. 23 Nov. 2012. http://ecolibrary.org/page/DP9003.
9. “Photo Gallery: Rainforest
Deforestation.” National Geographic.
Web. 23 Nov. 2012. http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/rainforest-deforestation/#/madagascar-slash-burn_278_600x450.jpg.
10. “Ranomafana National Park.” Frans Lanting Studio. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. http://franslanting.photoshelter.com/image/I00004XqO47x5xOU
11. Toillier, Aurélie, and Sylvie
Lardon. "Farmers' adaptation capacities in the eastern rainforest of
Madagascar: From forest-clearers to environmental managers." Outlook on
Agriculture 38.2 (2009): 119-126.
