It’s Getting Hot In Here

(photo via Lova )

A major study about a new methodology for protecting biodiversity in Madagascar was published in the latest Science issue. The findings from the study were so critical that it was reported in numerous news articles: AFP, BBC, Discovery, New York Times and Reuters. This is a significant victory for environmentalists who are struggling to preserve the unique biodiversity of Madagascar under the constant threat of deforestation and climate change.

Here are excerpts from news articles explaining the significance of the study:

“A vast study of the plants and animals unique to Madagascar was published Thursday in a bid to protect thousands of rare species found only on the large African island” (from Discovery news)

“More than 80% of the known species on the island nation are not found anywhere else in the world. [..]Madagascar is an amazing place because of its evolutionary history” (from BBC news)

“..A significant victory for conservation by bringing one million hectares (more than 3,800 square miles) of wild landscapes and seascapes under national protection.” (Wildlife Conservation Society).

“La Grande île de Madagascar, située dans le sud-ouest de l’océan Indien, figure parmi les 10 hot spots de la diversité biologique mondiale et possède l’un des écosystèmes les plus riches du monde” ( from Planete Vivante)

So What is the take home message from this study by Kremen et al ? Continue reading ‘A Major Achievement for the Protection of Biodiversity in Madagascar’

As Madagascar commences the recovery process from the devastation of Cyclone Ivan, the local population is still struggling with flooding issues in many parts of the country.

The provisional official report as of February 23th on damages and casualties accounted for 42 human losses and 82, 228 people relocated or without homes and 18.000 hectares of rice fields underwater.

The violence of the tropical storm was comparable to Hurricane Katrina yet as Chris Mooney wrote in “the intersection”, the reports from mainstream media was rather minimal:

“When Britney shaves her head, everybody hears about it.When Ana Nicole Smith dies, everybody hears about it.But when Madagascar gets struck by a record six tropical cyclones in one season, killing hundreds and displacing perhaps as many as a hundred thousand, not to mention jeopardizing food supplies for many more, does it garner major and sustained U.S. press coverage?”

Marie-Sophie of planete vivante also noticed that the coverage in the french press was reduced to a bare minimum. “Hardly some paragraphs in the newspaper “Le Monde” and on the national television. Many Malagasy complain here and rightly!!!”

Mainstream media may have dropped the ball on covering the cyclonic season in the Indian Ocean but alternative citizen media filled the void and try their best to keep the lines of communication open within the country and with the rest of the world. Continue reading ‘The Cyclonic Season in Madagascar Deadly but With Very Little Press Coverage’

Madagascar is well-known for the stunning diversity that its rainforests encompass. It has some of the richest biodiversity on the planet with roughly 200,000 known species found on the island and of which 150,000 exist nowhere else. Our flora is home to as many as 12,000 different species of plants, making it one of the most diverse floras on the planet. However, the Malagasy forest is in danger of disappearing at a rapid pace as 95% of its rainforests have already vanished for the past 50 years. The impact of deforestation on global climate is evident in the increased release of CO2 as the rainforest is major regulator of CO2 fluxes.

A critical threat to the Malagasy rain forest is the increasing interest by mining companies for the countries’ mineral resources (ilmenite, nickel and cobalt among others…). Renown mining companies such as Rio Tinto, Kumba or Implats have invested in mineral sand projects on sites that not only could interfere with endangered ecosystems but also directly affect the way of life of the local populations, often resulting in the transfer and reassignement of a group of population.

Many associations in Madagascar have come together to try to prevent any further endangerment of the forests by human cause. Educating villagers against the practice of slash and burn is one of the most direct courses of action that are often undertaken.

Planting trees in dry endangered areas is the other activity that 3 associations in Madagascar are pushing through: Namana serasera, the association milasoa and Foko-Madagascar. Here is a video of the latest tree planting event that gathered 45 people on February 9th, 2008. The selected planting site is surrounding one of the most important spring of the region, source of Madagascar’s main mineral water. For the same video with English subtitles, click here.

Continue reading ‘Fighting Deforestation in Madagascar’