What Is Being Done to Conserve Biodiversity in Madagascar - Report Example

Biodiversity in Madagascar Identify and describe a question or problem: Madagascar is the 4th largest island in the world and has been closed to foreigners until quite recently. Scientific and conservation communities have rated Madagascar as one of the richest countries in terms of biodiversity, endemism and range of habitats. The exotic flora and fauna of Madagascar include an estimated 200,000 plant and animal species, out of which three-quarters survive nowhere else on the globe. The flora of Madagascar is unique and diverse. As many as 8,000 out of 10,000 native higher plant species are endemic. At national and international level, the Madagascar flora value is potentially immense. This flora in terms of biological diversity is under serious danger in spite of its importance. “Over 80% of the island has already been stripped of its native vegetation cover; the majority of this area is now very species-poor secondary grassland which is burnt annually and is subject to intense erosion.” (Du Puy & Moat 1998). Madagascar forests have been degraded in such a way that now only less than 10% of its original forest cover is remaining. The intention of this article is to bring awareness on conservation efforts of evergreen forests of the high plateau, littoral forest and western dry deciduous forest. There are few forest recovery programs under conservation efforts in different forest types of Madagascar. These ecosystems urgently require toughened conservation programs due to their fragmented natural world. Forest fragmentation is causing a decrease in genetic diversity and is leading to an extinction path. The evergreen forest of high plateau is one of the high priority areas for plant conservation which is known as severely fragmented remnant forest. Recently, this forest was subjected to timber extraction which resulted in damage to its structure and integrity. Also some fragments of this forest have been significantly burned. In this forest, Madagascar’s most threatened, endangered species Schizolaena tampoketsana is found. Schizolaena tampoketsana, locally known as Sohisaka, belongs to one of the six endemic plant families. The reason behind endangered Sohisaka is selective felling of trees and burning from wild fires which are common in this region annually. Figure 1: Endangered Schizolaena tampoketsana in Madagascar Littoral forests are humid, low elevation forests on sand which have been identified as the most threatened vegetation type in Madagascar. It is along the east coast of Madagascar where the forests are highly degraded and fragmented that represents less than 10% of original area. In this forest, Madagascar’s endangered lemur Eulemur albocollaris is found. This forest is a vital resource to people living around in terms of medicinal plants, fuel, food, handicraft materials and timber. Forest existence is threatened by timber extraction and grassland fires that are aimed at clearing weeds in fields. Grassland fires have invaded in to this forest thus reducing its area by 7% in last decade. Western dry deciduous forests are the island’s most fragile, fragmented and threatened forest type. In this forest, endemic baobabs such as Adansonia madagascariensis are found. These forests are heavily exploited for production of charcoal and shifting cultivation. These are the respective problems associated with each forest type in Madagascar. Biological methods and processes: Missouri botanical garden (MBG) is an organization with conservation activities in Madagascar since 1983. “Consequently, a multi-faceted strategy was designed that includes species focused initiatives, site-focused projects at botanically important sites, and proactive advocacy for plant conservation within the country.” (Madagascar projects, 2007). Madagascar MBG community based programs intend to integrate and combine conservation of biodiversity and economic development. The primary focus of these programs is management of natural resources in a sustainable method by involving local people. Evergreen forests of the high plateau: Biological process for conservation of evergreen forests of high plateau secures the biodiversity and local people from dangers such as over exploitation and change in climate. Critically endangered species Sohisaka is used as a main topic for restoring and conserving the severely fragmented residue forests of Madagascar’s high plateau. Half of the remainin Sohisaka are seen in Tampoketsa of Ankafobe which is a rare forest fragment of the high plateau. Sohisaka is the highest endangered plant species and a project is developed to ensure its conservation. This characteristic species is used to draw attention to the vital situation of remaining forest in high plateau. Ankafobe is chosen to establish a secure Sohisaka population and local people under the guidance of MGB team already have planted around 15,000 saplings of 25 native species. Threats like timber extraction, wild fire are common in these forests. These are handled by surrounding the area with double fire breaks and mounting fire spotting patrols. Conservation by protecting against wild fires has already resulted in auto-regeneration of these species. Littoral forest: Biological processes for conservation of littoral forest secure the biodiversity and enhance the local people of this area by implementing sustainable strategies. Mahabo forest, one of the largest fragments of littoral forest occupying 1240 hectares, is used as the focal point for restoring and conserving the biodiversity of South east Madagascar. Threats like timber extraction, wild fire, cultivation shifting are common in these forests. The restoration of nature in this area includes several activities. First is the plantation of 250,000 fast growing non native saplings in the grassland surrounding the forest with an objective of having local people’s alternative sources to timber and firewood. Other activities include plantation of 25,000 saplings of 15 native variety species in most degraded portions of forest to restore the natural habitat. 21,000 saplings of fruit and spices trees are produced to fulfil the local people’s requirement in terms of food and income. People in these areas who earlier exploited timber as their livelihood have been provided with pigs, chickens and ducks as alternate sources of livelihood hence protecting the natural resources of these forests. Figure 2: Mahabo alternative sources of firewood and timber Western dry deciduous forest: Biological processes for conservation of western dry deciduous forests secure the biodiversity of most fragile, fragmented and threatened forest type. Oronjia forest is one such fragment of western dry deciduous forests that is used as a topic of conservation value for restoring and conserving the biodiversity of west Madagascar. West is a region with only residues of dry and deciduous forests having endemic majestic baobabs like Adansonia madagascariensis and threatened hardwood Palisander. Threats like cultivation shifting and charcoal production are common in these forests. The restoration in these areas includes several activities such as plantation of saplings with an objective of having local community alternative sources. Are biological methods appropriate? Advantages and draw backs: These biological methods focus mainly on restoration of natural habitat. Habitat restoration is a process that depends on vegetation, soil, water, animals and local communities. All processes are established by series of experiments and results monitored to design effective restoration activities in attaining conservation. In case of conservation of evergreen forests of the high plateau the most effective restoration methods have been used on the Tampoketsa’s harsh environment. Different planting techniques are followed and survival rates between a range of tree and shrub species used for restoration have been compared. Macaranga alnifolia, Harongana madagascariensis, Filicium decipiens and Dodonea madagascariensis are the species that are showing the best survival and growth rates in this region. Conservation of forests is achieved by controlling pressures such as timber exploitation, cultivation shifting, charcoal production, hunting and wild fires on natural resources. Endemic species are restored effectively by biological process like saplings plantation. Endangered fauna can be restored by conserving the natural habitat including their food and shelter. Several lemurs live only on native plant species which due to restoration process are being protected in present scenario. Conservation of nature by biological process also provides alternative sources of timber and firewood for the local population reducing pressure on the natural habitat. The above biological processes also provide knowledge required for optimum management by local communities. Conservation and restoration helps in policies and decisions of management for better livelihood of locals. Sustainable use of resources without losing biodiversity and ecosystem is achieved by rational and coordinated resource management. Offensive exploitation can be reduced by dropping poverty thereby improving human welfare. Two implications of applied biology: Social and Economical: Forests have been exploited heavily by local people in socio-economic ways. Timber is extracted for commercial purpose, construction of houses and coffins etc. Endemic plants are exploited for medicines, handicraft, fuel woods and also food. Grasslands around forests have been used for cattle grazing and cultivation shifting. Evergreen forests are heavily used as a source of timber, firewood, wild honey, poles for fences construction and the like. Few floras are exploited for personal use to generate income. Forests have also been exploited initially for precious stones and orchids for sale. These are also exploited for charcoal production. Forests can also be used potentially for tourism and recreation. Sometimes birds and lemurs are hunted by foreigners who visit these places. Evaluate benefits and risks: The recolonization of distributed habitats with respect to flora and fauna is one of the major issues in conservation biology. Native habitat can be reconstructed by managing the protected areas where reintroduction of flora through plantations of native trees leads to indirect growth of the fauna also. Madagascar is known for its special biota across the globe. Varied diversity, endemism and deforestation rate thoroughly explains its status as one of the hotspots for biodiversity conversation. Most of the biodiversity in Madagascar occurs in evergreen forests and moist forests. “The total native vascular flora of Madagascar is estimated to be 12,000 species based on approximately 250,000 collections in herbaria worldwide.” (Consiglio, et al. 2006, p.1802). Nearly 90% of native forests are lost already which implies that there is a need for protecting remaining forests fragments to evade disappearance of hundreds of endemic species. Conservation of these forests serves as first line of defence against cyclonic depression which further provides protection for both local communities and marine invertebrates and also for a variety of threatened flora and fauna. Incorporation of the remaining forest fragments under protected area network results in long term perseverance of Madagascar’s unique forest community while achieving unduly high degree of biodiversity conservation. Specific proposals on fragmented forests are vital elements in the attempt to spread out the protected-areas network, given their high rate of loss, little remaining area, insufficient representation in this network and unduly high diversity of plant species. Due to continuous sapling plantation of non-native species for human needs, in the long run there are chances of losing the natural habitat in such areas. Because of its status as a tourist hotspot, Madagascar is made accessible to other countries under the name of economic growth. Company mining giant Rio Tinto has been given the license for digging up some Madagascar unique forest to extract ilmenite. “This is a very sad day and very bad news for the people of Madagascar. Rio Tinto is exploiting natural resources in the developing world and, once again, it is the local people who will pay the price.” (Revill 2005). Alternate views and solutions: Due to deforestation and habitat changes, in future the Madagascar forests are expected to have less number of endemic plant and animal species. Primary concern in this process is the disruption of flora and fauna interactions. Currently the process of saplings plantation is carried by local people but there is a possibility of fauna facilitated seed dispersal in regeneration. In future conservation plans, Pteropus rufus should be included which is a flying fox and can be used for long distance seed dispersal. Conservation of these forests should be carried effectively by local people with the help of organizations like MBG. During the conservation process, new plantations should be created for local people to provide wood for fuel and other purposes. The creation of forest passage will be useful for linking isolated fragments and also facilitates genetic exchange between populations. Conservation related income activities should be promoted for better livelihood. Reference List Consiglio, et al., 2006. Deforestation and plant diversity of Madagascars littoral forests. [Online] Conservation biology 20(6), p.1802. Available at: http://lis-upmc.snv.jussieu.fr/lis/ressources/equipe/vignes/sep/M1_pdf/PAB/lowry/Consiglio%20et%20al.,%20Littoral%20Forest%20Deforestation1.pdf [Accessed 06 April 2010]. Du Puy, D. & Moat, J., 1998. Vegetation mappingand classification Madagascar (using GIS): implications and recommendations for the conservation of biodiversity: Introduction. [Online] Royal Botanic Gradens, Kew, p.2. Available at: http://www.kew.org/gis/papers/frank1998.pdf [Accessed 06 April 2010]. Madagascar projects, 2007. [Online] RNC Alliance. Available at: http://www.rncalliance.org/epages/rncalliance.sf/en_AU/?ObjectPath=/Shops/rncalliance/Products/%22RNC%20project%20Madagascar%22 [Accessed 06 April 2010]. Revill, J., 2005. Madagascars unique forest under threat. [Online] Guardian.co.uk. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/aug/07/conservationandendangeredspecies.internationalnews [Accessed 06 April 2010]. Evaluation of two references used in this report Source Name About the source Validity of source Limitations of source 1 Restoring Natural Capital Alliance The RNC Alliance offers locally appropriate solutions to resolve environmental & economic development problems The source is a well established organization. Research, demonstration, education and outreach are the basic activities of Alliance. This website may be limited as a source of information as it may not be kept up to date with all the latest news. 2 Geographical Information Systems at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew To provide an interface for RBG Kews plant diversity research, presenting data and producing tools to underpin surveys and inventories, conservation, and environmental monitoring It is a published article so the information it contains should be accurate. Some of the information may be out of date. Read More