Deforestation of Madagascar

Megan Cooper

When you think of an exciting African excursion, you think of a safari through the desert tundra on your way to finding animals you’ve only seen on the Discovery Channel.

The island nation of Madagascar is one of those excursions that is wished for, but will it be there for much longer is the question on many minds. Today, up to 90% of the original forest of the nation is no longer accounted for due to steady deforestation in the past hundred years.

From its time as a colony of France, Madagascar has been clear cutting forests for agricultural use of the land. The deforestation has now gotten to a point where it has led to species of plants and animals going on the endangered list and land erosion that is now at a point of no return.

In the past, these causes of deforestation have occurred because of the large use of the slash and burn method of clear cutting forests in order to make room for agriculture and cattle. The grazing of livestock has led to much of the soil erosion, but in an economy where so much worth is planted on the amount of cattle you have, it is a sticky situation. In addition, the singular source of fuel is the burning of wood.

Today, the economy of Madagascar is like a crumbling tower. After the 2009 political turnover, all foreign aid for the country—which accounted for 70% of the budget—was suspended. With such a shaky government and a population of which 77% is living on less than $1.25 a day in the past 2 years, there is no room left in the budget to work against the illegal logging. This illegal logging is now driving the majority of the present day deforestation for precious hardwoods such as rosewood. It has been said that this past overlooking of the illegal logging is making the government part to blame for the unbearable amount of environmental problems the country is facing.

One American company in cahoots with Madagascar’s illegal logging trade was the Gibson Guitar Corporation. In 2012, it was federally charged with illegally importing ebony for the use as fretboards in guitars. This violates the Lacey Act, an American environmental act that in May 2008 made it illegal to buy and bring in illegally logged wood from another country.

The effects of deforestation in Madagascar are seen up close and personal on the island, but also affect the world over. The island’s deforestation is jeopardizing the habitats of many endemic species of animals and plants that call Madagascar home. For example, this biodiversity hot spot is home to 11,500 species of plants, 50 species of lemurs, and hundreds of species of birds. In only the past ten years, over 600 new species have been discovered in Madagascar, but reports say that they are already in danger. Some of these animals are the Berthe’s Mouse Lemur—world’s smallest primate— which is just 30 grams in weight and 10 cm in length and a new color changing gecko which can vary from a subtle brown to a bright blue in courting.

The palm trees of Madagascar are also in serious need of attention. They now face extinction due to deforestation, which, in eastern rain forests of Madagascar, has reduced them to less than one quarter of their original size. This puts a large strain on not only the animals that call the rain forest home, but also the people of Madagascar that use the raw materials for the production and building of homes, food, and medicine.

In the past couple of years, the government of Madagascar has begun to close its grip on illegal logging in response to the global outcry against deforestation. It is also in response to an annual statement to the World Bank expressing its wishes for it to only support the national parks and biodiversity of Madagascar if the government shows a step forward in the protection of the countries natural resources.

The World Wildlife Fund, known for its cuddly koala bear, is the home to an outreach program trying to preserve, protect, and conserve the habitats and biodiversity of the island of Madagascar. It is working to teach local people the way of the land and how they can help in harmony with their cultures and careers. It has reached out especially to costal communities to teach them how to direct their natural resources in a smarter way and has developed a plan to address the threats of Madagascar’s southern-most forests.

The WWF has also begun an Adopt a Lemur project in hopes of protecting the endangered lemur from further endangerment and to restore their natural habitats. One of the most effective and simple ways to help at home is to choose good wood and paper that is from legal and sustainable resources.

During the summer of 2012, the United States was host to a music tour to fight the deforestation of Madagascar. “Wake Up Madagascar” was a group of Malagasy singers led by Razia—known for songs such as “Slash and Burn”—that toured all over the country in hopes of spreading word of illegal logging and putting an end to it. The group—all native to Madagascar—hopes to spread awareness for the greater tomorrow of their country through their songs.

In the end, there is no single solution for such a huge problem. You could tell the people of Madagascar that for every tree they cut down, they must plant ten new ones, but in a country full of economic turmoil like Madagascar, it’s not so simple. This a problem that will not be solved in one day, but in the lives of all environmentally conscience around the world doing their own small part in trying to solve the issue at hand. What is the outcome of the animals whose habitats are being destroyed, we don’t know. What is the outcome of the land that is being washed into the sea, we don’t know. All we can do is try to help the people and habitats of Madagascar as best we can, and maybe take our African excursion sooner.

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