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Deforestation

Deforestation and Wildlife Extinction in Madagascar
By: Kristonda Pryor
05-07-06
One region of the world which has at least two, if not more, serious identifiable environmental problems is Madagascar. Many environmental problems in Madagascar include soil degradation, air or water pollution, wildlife extinction or threatened biodiversity, overpopulation, and deforestation. This report will be focusing mainly on deforestation and wildlife extinction.

People in Madagascar have been cutting down different parts of the forests for several years (decades even). Over the last century much of the rainforests of Madagascar have disappeared. Many of Madagascar’s native people have started moving from the cities due to industries expanding and the dramatic increase of land used for farming, particularly land used for farming coffee, the native people have been replaced by transients and those people who prefer to live in the bustling cities. This entire phenomenon has led to the destruction of the forest of Madagascar. Obviously, this has become a major issue for Madagascar and the world, not only because of the value that the forests have on the living environment of earth, but also because of Madagascar's unusual and rare species.

Biologically, Madagascar is one of the richest areas on earth. It is estimated that about five percent of the world's species reside in Madagascar; also the island has at least 8,000 endemic species of flowering plants alone (New Scientist, 1990). However, the island of Madagascar is in grave danger. Rapid deforestation, caused predominantly by the large population boom of the developing country, economic downturn, and mass migration to cities, is destroying much of the natural habitat of Madagascar.

The Malagasy forests have been rapidly depleting ever since 1896, when Madagascar became a French colony. Many misuses of the forest have caused this depletion including; logging which has occurred for shifting cultivation,...