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*Tropical Rain Forests Located Around the World(12) |
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| *Map of Madagascar (17). |
INTRODUCTION TO MADAGASCAR
*What Madagascar Tropical Rainforest Historically Looked Like (9).
*What Madagascar Looks Like Today (10).
HUMAN IMPACT
The current human impacts on the Madagascar tropical rain forest involve the acts of slash-and-burn agriculture and logging for timber. Deforestation has been present in this ecosystem for centuries now due to a growing population. The inhabitants on this island rely solely on natural resources for their survival, as Madagascar is known as one of the world’s poorest countries. (7)Slash-and-burn, or “Tavy”, is a popular method used by the Malagasy people to convert the tropical rainforests to rice or coffee fields. This method involves taking a few acres of land, cutting everything down, burning the land, and planting rice fields. This practice can be used over the same area of land every four to six years. After two to three cycles of slash-and-burn, the soil’s nutrients are completely extracted. This allows the land to be susceptible to alien crops and plants. If this process occurs on a slope then landslides or erosion can be problematic. (7)
*Tavy, also known as Slash-and-Burn in the Madagascar tropical rain forest. (3)
Logging for timber is another current problem for the Madagascar tropical rain forest that is caused by humans. This is an illegal action that involves cutting down the trees in the ecosystem, bunching them together, and selling the timber for money or goods. Some of the most valuable woods including hardwood and ebony can be cut and sold for $2,000 a ton in international market. (5) In return, the ecosystem suffers in biodiversity, invasions of new species, and damage to the forest ground. (6) There has been an increase in deforestation over the last fifty years due to the Malagasy government owing money to other countries. Deforestation has also occurred for livestock and mining purposes.
*Fuelwood Being Sold From the Tropical Rain Forest (4).
Future Prospects
Madagascar’s tropical rainforest has some unpleasant future prospects if the abusive human impact on it continues. 80% of Madagascar is already lost in its natural areas, and 200,000 hectares a year are added from deforestation. This projects that in 40 years the tropical rainforest will be lost. (12) This would result in a dramatic loss for Madagascar as it contains more than 150,000 species that don’t exist anywhere else in the world. (13) Without this biodiversity and a limited to none amount of forest, Madagascar will not have much left as being the fourth poorest country in the world. Preserving this ecosystem is key not only for Madagascar, but also for the world.
Protected Areas
Madagascar is protected and managed under the Madagascar National Parks Association (MNPA). The association has three sections that are protected. The three sections are the Strict Nature Reserves, National Parks, and Wildlife Reserves. Makira National Park is the largest national park in Madagascar and is completely protected under the MNPA (16).
How To Improve
Foremost,
to maintain and improve the condition of the tropical rainforest of Madagascar,
something has to be done to stop the deforestation. This however is a more difficult task than one might think,
because it is not just a matter of laws.
Madagascar, being one of the world’s poorest countries, relies on the
natural resources of the rainforest for day-to-day survival. Therefore, the best way to preserve the
natural rainforest of Madagascar is to help the Malagasy to become a more wealthy
country. This can be accomplished through
agroforestry, extractive reserves, ecotourism, or many other ventures, however
the future of the land is in the hands of the local people. It is paramount for
one to realize that parks and reserves will not persist, let alone be
successful, unless local communities are persuaded that it is in their material
interest to conserve. (9) While the deforestation is decreasing the number of
endemic species in the land, alien species are being introduced as well. This is causing imbalances in the
ecosystem. The best example of damage caused by
alien species can be seen in the island's rivers and lakes. Adaptable and
aggressive tilapia, introduced as a food fish, have displaced the native
cichlids. (9) By regulating the species coming into the country, the Malagasy
can help to keep the native species alive, and stop their ecosystem from being
destroyed.
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| *Deforestation Rate (10) |
採用環尾狐猴
Adopt at: http://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Ring-tailed-Lemur.aspx?sc=AWY1302WC922
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| Ring-Tailed Lemur (15) |
About Us
Michael Guzman
Mackie McDonald
Travis Martin
We are a group of undergraduate students at UCLA who made this
project for our Geography 5 class. We chose this topic because
we learned about the Madagascar tropical rain forest in class regarding
its diversity, especially about the uniqueness of the plant and animal species
due to the islands isolation. We hope you enjoy reading our blog and learn some
interesting facts about this fascinating ecosystem. God bless, Go Bruins!
Work Citied
1. “Eastern Madagascar.” WWF. Web. 12 Nov.
2012.http://worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at0117.
2. Parks, David R. "MBG: Madagascar Biodiversity and Conservation - Why Is
Madagascar so Special?" MBG: Madagascar Biodiversity and Conservation -
Why Is Madagascar so Special? Www.exploratorium.edu, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
3. Weiss, Andrew. "MBG: Madagascar Biodiversity and Conservation
Madagascar Vegetation Map." MBG: Madagascar Biodiversity and Conservation
Madagascar Vegetation Map. Stanford Center For Conservation Biology, n.d.
Web. 26 Nov. 2013. http://www.mobot.org/mobot/madagascar/why.asp?order=8>.
Madagascar Vegetation Map." MBG: Madagascar Biodiversity and Conservation
Madagascar Vegetation Map. Stanford Center For Conservation Biology, n.d.
Web. 26 Nov. 2013. http://www.mobot.org/mobot/madagascar/why.asp?order=8>.
4. 1290854. Digital image. National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
5. Selling timber wood in Madagascar. Digital image. Rare Dispatches.
N.p., 13 May 2010. Web. 23 Nov. 2013
N.p., 13 May 2010. Web. 23 Nov. 2013
6. Schuurman, Derek, and Porter P. Lowry III. The Madagascar Rosewood Massacre.
Mwc-info. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://www.mwc-info.net/en/services/
Mwc-info. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://www.mwc-info.net/en/services/
Journal_PDF%27s/Issue4-2/MCD_2009_vol4_iss2_rosewood_massacre.pdf>.
7. "Threats to Madagascar's Biodiversity and Ecosystems." Madagascar:
Environmental Profile. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
<http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20madagascar.htm>.
Environmental Profile. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
<http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20madagascar.htm>.
8. "Madagascar Lowland Forests." Madagascar Lowland Forests. N.p., n.d.
Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://www.eoearth.org> 9. "Ranomafana rainforest." World Possible. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. http://rachel.worldpossible.org/olpc/biologytropical-moist.html
10. "Rainforest Loss Slows." Mongabay.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.
11. "Threats to Madagascar's Biodiversity and Ecosystems." Threats to Madagascar's
Environment. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. |
12. "Tropical Rain Forest Map." National Geographic. N.p., n.d.
Web. 02 Dec. 2013<http://environment.nationalgeographic.com> 13. “Madagascar Forests.” WWF. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. http://www.panda.org/madagascar
14. “Madagascar.” MongaBay.com. Web.12 Nov. 2012.
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20madagascar.htm.
15. "Madagascar National Parks -." Madagascar National Parks -. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.parcs-madagascar.com> 15. "Gift Center." World Wildlife Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions /Ring-tailed-Lemur.aspx?sc=AWY1302WC922> |
n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.parcs-madagascar.com>
17. "MBG: Madagascar Biodiversity and Conservation -
Why Is Madagascar so Special?"MBG: Madagascar Biodiversity
and Conservation - Why Is Madagascar so Special? N.p.,
n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://www.mobot.org>
