Human Impacts

Deforestation

                                             [http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0901.htm]

Humans are often criticized to be the main reason for the deforestation occurring in Madagascar’s tropical rainforests. Madagascar has lost many of their forests, only ten percent of the original forest cover remains. In the 1940s population in Madagascar began to increase because of the introduction of vaccines, which demanded that the land provide more for these people. People began to use the forests for agricultural purposes to grow products that serve as a great income for Madagascar, which is an extremely poor country, in particular coffee being the main export. About 250 to 300 million people began practicing shifting cultivation, which took up almost half of the land that was later abandoned. Aside from taking over the forests, many hunters also hunt native species in order to sell and eat.  People also began logging for timber to sell on the international level, “mostly ebony and rosewood which may fetch $2,000 a ton in international markets” ("Threats to Madagascar's Biodiversity and Ecosystems" 1). Timber was also depended on to construct railroads, which meant that the demand for wood increased rapidly. Humans truly exploit the forests of Madagascar causing deforestation all over the rainforest. 

    

 "Threats to Madagascar's Biodiversity and Ecosystems." Madagascar: Environmental Profile. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20madagascar.htm>.
Jarosz, Lucy. "Defining and Explaining Tropical Deforestation: Shifting Cultivation and Population       Growth in Colonial Madagascar (1896-1940)." Economic Geography. 4th ed. Vol. 69. N.p.: Clark University, n.d. 366-79. JSTOR. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/143595uid=3739256&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21101415676461>.  

            "Madagascar." MADAGASCAR. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://www.illegal-logging.info/approach.php?a_id=73>.

Slash and Burn Agriculture

[http://travel.mongabay.com/madagascar/images/madagascar_0979.html]

Another harm to Madagascar's rainforests is slash and burn agriculture, that is very common to practice. The process begins by cutting and burning a piece of the forest. After, the rainforest is used to cultivate crops such as rice. Farmers begin to repeat the process as often as they can but after a while the land loses nutrients. Now, the new land has alien plants. Alien species are also introduced to Madagascar which are found in the rivers. By introducing alien species, the endemic species are put at a risk of endangerment and extinction. Competition can increase and certain predators can become preys. If slash and burn agriculture is practiced to much it leads to the loss of not only animals but forest cover. Using fire also "favors nutrient loss" and "kills native, regenerating tree species" (Styger 258). Too much fire in the forest harms the native species that inhabit the trees and grasses in certain areas. The areas also do not have sufficient nutrients to provide for the remaining animals. The rainforest suffers because of cropping purposes that are to sustain the population and the economy of Madagascar. 

Styger, Erika. "Influence of Slash-and-burn Farming Practices on Fallow Succession and Land Degradation in the Rainforest Region of Madagascar." Science Direct. N.p., 28 Aug. 2006. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. 

"Threats to Madagascar's Biodiversity and Ecosystems." Madagascar: Environmental Profile. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. <http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20madagascar.htm>.