Endemic Animals

Black Lemur

Aye-Aye

Dwarf Lemur

Indri Lemur

White Footed Lepilemur

COMET MOTH

Images: http://www.wildmadagascar.org/wildlife

Endemic Plants of Madagascar

Ebenaceae

Ebenaceae

Orchid Flower

Baobab Tree 

 



http://www.mobot.org/mobot/madagasc/

The Undisturbed Beauty of Madagascar

http://travel.mongabay.com/madagascar/

The Ugly Truth

[http://swotti.starmedia.com/movies/madagascar_16229.htm]

Don't we all wish Madagascar looked like it did in the Disney film Madagascar?  The sad truth is that most of Madagascar is under threat. Due to years of clear-cutting, slash and burn, logging, and deforestation the state of the forest is declining. Home to many endemic animals, this extremely diverse island needs help from locals, tourists, the world.

In this image we see wood workers carrying wood from a recently cut tree in the Madagascar Rainforest.

http://www.kuederle.com/Madagascar/Pictures/?setid=9

Soil Erosion

The Manambolo River

This picture demonstrates an effect of clear cutting. This is part of the so-called "bleeding" river. This picture also shows the cleared land in the Madagascar rain forest. The color of this river is caused by soil erosion. Soil erosion occurs a lot in Madagascar because of mass deforestation in Madagascar's central high lands.

The picture above is an aerial image from 1983.

http://www.wildmadagascar.org/conservation/erosion.html 

This picture shows the aerial view of 1983, 21 years later in 2004. 

It is evident that soil erosion and deforestation has only grown within the last two decades. This is part of the evidence showing that the Madagascar Rainforest is not in good condition and will only become worse as the years progress.

 

"Erosion in Madagascar." Www.wildmadagascar.org. Wild Madagascar, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://www.wildmadagascar.org/conservation/erosion.html>.

 

Lemurs

http://www.ncmls.org/exhibits/explore-the-wild/lemurs

[http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2009/03/28/penguins_marches_to_its_own_beat/]

Madagascar's most famous inhabitant is the lemur. They are famous because the lemur can only be found in Madagascar. Lemurs also are, "most primitive groups of primates which have evolved into around 30 species"("Madagascar's Lemurs" 3). Due to the isolation of the island, lemurs were able to evolve over the course of millions of years. Lemurs also did not have predators to harm them. Competition is also not a factor because lemurs are herbivores. Some of them are nocturnal and most of them live on the rainforest trees. Lemurs also, "use their voices, smells, and legs for communication" ("Lemurs" 1). Lemurs are likely to suffer the most due to forest destruction as well as became a source of food for civilians, this is why so many are endangered and becoming extinct.

 "Madagascar's Lemurs." Earth Watch Institute, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://www.earthwatch.org/europe/downloads/Get_Invo:www.earthwatch.org/europe/downloads/Get_Involved/Lemurs_casestudy.pdf>.

 "Lemurs." Bushhouse-madagascar.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://www.bushhouse-madagascar.com/fauna-flora/lemurs>.

Data!

http://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2008/12/clear-cut-forest-in-madagascar.html'

 Above is an image of a clear cut forest in the island of Madagascar.

This graph shows how in recent years some countries have decreased the amount of deforestation that occurs, while in countries, such as Madagascar, deforestation has increased by 36% within the last decade.

This chart shows the total amount of forest remaining from 1950-1985. As evident here, it has decreased. Additionally, in relation to the graph above, it is evident that forest remaining kept decreasing.
http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/902/art%253A10.1007%252FBF02168856.pdf?auth66=1354043817_acea0c91558c07ac0d1974d8f7781eca&ext=.pdf

Maintaining a Balance

Maintaining a Balance between people and the environment!

Maintaining a balance between people and the rain forest in Madagascar is no easy task. Considering that the forest plays a key role in the survival of the people of the island, conservation efforts must address people who rely on the rain forest.

One method of maintain a balance is sustainable forestry. For example, the harvesting of renewable forest products would be more beneficial for locals and the forest—because they can generate money by selling the product and it does not destroy the resource base. Eco-tourism is also a vital part of maintenance in the forest. Tourists who visit national parks and visit the island provide money to continue conservation efforts. Additionally, revenue made from Eco-tourism provides jobs for locals. Local people, the economy and the rain forest all benefit from Eco-tourism. Using land that has already been cleared is also important; it must not be neglected. Restoration efforts are significantly important because some forest have the capability of recovering quickly. Although the forest’s can never recover to their glory day, their restoration can mean a new home for certain species. New sustainable products can also be grown in order to maintain a balance between preservation and local use. Growing will benefit the damaged land, give home to animals, and it will allow for agriculture and low-intensity logging for islanders. Lastly, there needs to be more enforcement in the island of Madagascar. Although there have always been restrictions, the effect has been minimal. People manage to enter protected areas and cut down valuable trees (as was discussed in a past blog post).

The conservation status of the Madagascar rain forest is a long way from being good. Locals and the government need to take actions, such as the above mentioned, in order to promote the vitality of the Madagascar rain forest. 

"Making Conservation Work in Madagascar." Wildmadagascar.org. Wild Madagascar, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. <http://www.wildmadagascar.org/conservation/saving.html>.

The likely future of the Madagascar Rainforst

The future prospect of the Madagascar rain forest is in the hands of the Islanders who use the rain forest for substance agriculture, cattle grazing, and coal mining. Because of the high level of poverty that exists people who inhabit the island are dependent on the resources of the rain forest. Additionally, they do not do not sustainably manage the rain forest. Areas of high diversity are defragmented and left to cause harm to the environment.  For example, from satellite pictures, rivers in Madagascar give the appearance of ‘bleeding’ because mountainsides that were once cleared released topsoil into the waterways.  

Madagascar "bleeding rivers" from a NASA satellite image.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/astronauts_eyes/iss010e19333.html 

"NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration." NASA. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/astronauts_eyes/iss010e19333.html>.

Aside, from islanders there are many outsiders that invaded the rainforest for expensive high quality wood. For example, during a brief period of political turmoil the island was invaded by illegal loggers that cut down expensive wood that was once protected—these were areas that hosted approximately 50% of Madagascar’s biodiversity.

Overall, I would conclude that there is a lot of work that needs to go into the Madagascar rainforest to ensure that it remains vital for years to come. First, there needs to be more government regulation to ensure that areas of high diversity are protected and maintained.  We also need to ensure that funds go into maintaining the protection of the rain forest. Without funds to regulate and create reserves not only will diminish, but the various endemic animals are at risk of going extinct. 

Butler, Rhett. "Madagascar’s Political Chaos Threatens Conservation Gains."E360.yale.edu. Yale University, 04 Jan. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://e360.yale.edu/feature/madagascars_political_chaos_threatens_conservation_gains/2217/>.