Unesco Paper on Madagascar Bio 100

UNESCO Paper on Madagascar

Bio/100

University of Phoenix Axia College

Madagascar and its rainforests are an important part of our global ecosystem. Rainforests act like a filter for the world’s air. The trees use a large amount of carbon dioxide and produce copious amounts of oxygen. If we allow the destruction of the rainforests to continue the quality of the very air we breathe is at risk.

The rainforests of Madagascar are home to a very large and diverse population of flora and fauna. There are over 12,000 species of plants that make their home on the island of Madagascar. Many of these species are unique to Madagascar. According to The Nature Conservancy (2009), “Anti-cancer drugs (vincristine, vinblastine) derived from the Madagascar rosy periwinkle” (para. 3) are just one example of the power that can be harnessed from the rainforest.

Just as with the flora some of Madagascar’s fauna are endemic to the island also. More than half of the birds, 98% of the frogs (frogs are the only amphibians on Madagascar), 95% of all the lemurs, and 91% of the reptile species are endemic to Madagascar (Hacking Family, 2011). Surprisingly, Madagascar is completely devoid of poisonous snakes. There are theories that the snakes were left on Africa when Gondwanaland broke apart.

The flora and fauna of Madagascar have complex interrelationships amongst themselves and the ecosystem both on Madagascar and worldwide. There is also the relationship between the Forest and the Malagasy. The Malagasy have long utilized the bountiful resources of the rainforest. For quite some time the Malagasy respected the rainforest but the last few centuries the relationship has become an abusive one.

Human intrusion is the single biggest threat to the rainforests of Madagascar. De-forestation causes a loss of not only trees but also the homes of many endemic species as well. The Malagasy people call the process of deforestation Tavy. The cleared land is used...