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.
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| 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/>. |
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