Madagascar Research Paper

Introduction

It is widely known that the island of Madagascar comprises a rich biodiversity and houses predominantly endemic species. Madagascar’s impressive biodiversity is reflected in the many ecosystems and habitats present on the island; which include the dry deciduous forest, the littoral forest, and the evergreen forests (Jörg U. Ganzhorn, Porter P. Lowry II et al., 2001). According to recent information it is known that at least three unique ecosystems on the island have become too fragmented and degraded for native species to survive, or the remaining parts of the ecosystem are too small to support the mammalian species (Ganzhorn et al., 1997). This essay aims to establish a clear argument focusing on the conservation status of Madagascar,

Yet also to extent the benefits of protection to all biota within the ecosystem such as the Silky Sifaka mentioned earlier. This is vital for the preservation of Madagascar’s biodiversity as all species depend on each other for survival. 90% of Madagascar’s endemic species are exclusive to woodland and forest areas and over 70000km² of the ‘core forest’ have been lost between the 1950s and 2000 this has led to an extensive loss of habitat (Brooks et al., 1999; Cowlishaw 1999). Deforestation also leads to an increase in exposure to damaging winds (Ferreira and Laurance 1997), forest fires (Cochrane 2001) and access for livestock, other non-forest animals, and hunters (Enserink 1999; Cullen et al., 2000). All of these factors effectively reduce the island’s biodiversity as they pose competition to native plant and animal species for space, light, food and other nutrients necessary for survival, potentially resulting in native species being outcompeted. It has been estimated that tropical rainforests provide 50% of terrestrial species with a habitat (Lovejoy 1997) even though

2005). This statistic highlights the importance of tropical rainforests in maintaining a rich biodiversity throughout the world. Efforts have been made by authorities to protect areas on the island, in 2002 Madagascar had 46 legally protected areas which equated to 3% of the island (Randrianandianina et al., 2003) and plans were made to expand this area to 60000km² by 2007. Furthermore, the management and formation of protected areas posed considerable negative consequences on the quality of life of residents who live in close proximity to the protected areas and therefore discouraging the local support for conservation (West and Brechin, 1991; Hough, 1991; Kiss, 1990; Anderson and Grove, 1987; Sahama, 1984). Local residents heavily rely on the forest’s resources for international exports or to produce their own products, as well as requiring the land for agriculture in order to provide themselves and others with food. The conservation of the Ranomafana rainforest is stressed in particular as it houses a remarkably high level of biodiversity and is under direct threat by immediate human activity (Paul J. Ferraro 2002). The Ranomafana national park (RNP) established in 2003 has regulations