Tropical moist broadleaf forests of Eastern Madagascar
Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, has been and continues to be an unprecedented diverse region rich with animal and plant varieties. Located roughly 250 miles from the southeastern coast of Africa, Madagascar has been described as a “living laboratory” due to its high levels of endemism throughout all of its main biogeographic regions (1). Between the sedimentary plains of the west, the central highlands of the north, and the tropical forests of the east, the species found in Madagascar’s biomes are often found nowhere else in the world. The tropical moist broadleaf forests, a humid and low-elevation biome found along Madagascar’s steep eastern escarpment, sees more than 70 inches of annual rainfall and is home to tens of thousands of species unique to the island (2). Under constant threat of deforestation and expansion of cash-crop industries, these tropical broadleaf forests face an unprecedented peril that has been destabilizing the diversity of the forest’s ecosystem for decades.
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With westward blowing winds constantly coming in from the Indian Ocean, the tropical forests of Madagascar’s eastern coast are constantly met with humidity and precipitation. The wetness brought to the eastern coast allows the diversity of the forest’s animals and plants to thrive, with nearly 85% of Madagascar’s living species found in no other region of the world (1). In fact, upwards of 150,000 of Madagascar’s 200,000 discovered species are endemic to the island (1). Among the endemic species that live anywhere from the canopy treetops to the forest floor include seven Rodentia genera, six Carnivora genera, five primate families, and five lemur families (1). Upwards of 170 bird species, 50 reptile species, and 25 mammalian species also span across the eastern broadleaf forests, many of which are unique to these moist lowland forest biomes (1). Impressively, roughly 97 percent of the tropical forest’s evergreen palms are endemic to the island (1).
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http://www.goldensites.ru/media/1/20090904-b_941.jpg
Historically, the tropical moist broadleaf forests of Madagascar covered three to four times more land than they do today. Since humans came to the island more than 2,000 years ago, Madagascar has been cleared of nearly 90 percent of its forests (3). Given their low elevation and proximity to the ocean, the tropical rainforests that span the eastern and southern coasts have been exceptionally cleared. Hundreds of years ago, the tropical moist broadleaf forests formed an uninterrupted chain of tree cover spanning thousands of miles along the coast. The eastern rainforests once “[extended] continuously through significant elevational gradients starting at sea-level,” with different biomes gradiently transitioning into one another and with constant tree cover shading the forest floor (4). Now, the tropical moist forests lay in isolation from each other, with fragmented patches of forest spotting the eastern coast. The tropical moist broadleaf forests occupy merely 10% of the eastern land as it once did even just one hundred years ago (5). Aside from the absolute amount of tree and species diversity that once littered Madagascar’s eastern forests, the types and diversity of plant and animal life has eroded too. Historically, these humid “forests… once blanketed the eastern third of the island,” and what once was a constant tree cover of palms and tall forest trees now lay cash-crop fields, dry “cactus scrub,” and remnants of charred timber (4).
Deforestation, expanding populations, and increasing globalization have led to severe degradation and fragmentation of the tropical moist broadleaf forests of eastern Madagascar. Looking back at French colonialism of the 19th century, the eastern tropics were cleared for coffee fields. Beginning with French control in 1896 until 1925, seventy percent of the forest was destroyed (6). Madagascar’s forestry service did little to stop the environmental degradation, and beginning in the 1920s, gave way to increased “burning, grazing, fuel wood gathering, logging, and economic development projects, cattle ranching, and mining” (6).
As capitalist production of coffee fields skyrocketed at the beginning of the 20th century, European settlers pushed the Malagasy people to the eastern slopes. Coffee fields were situated in the coastal areas with the most fertile soil, and as the Malagasies were forced to the tropical escarpments, they had to clear the forests for subsistence farming. The combined deforestation by European settlers and Malagasies along the eastern coast decimated the tropical forests, and soil erosion rates where the forests once stood nearly doubled (6). The Forest Service of Madagascar, a colonialist pseudo-agency that had little regard for the preservation of the forests, soon became involved in the burgeoning railroad construction business, and for nearly forty years allowed for widespread clear-cutting for timber export (in addition to the already devastating coffee fields that lined the eastern Madagascar coast).
Source: http://blog.conservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/madagascar-deforestation1.bmp
It wasn’t until the 1930s that the Forest Service created protected reserves; however, by that time, almost all of the eastern tropical forests had been cleared for the “increasing external and internal demands for forest products, rice, beef, and expanding coffee cultivation” (7). Increased exploitation of the forests, including exports of “selected forest species for decorative purposes” and “a reduction of the farming fallow period,” has placed further pressure on what little is left of the tropical moist forests (1). Between tavy, or slash and burn agriculture, logging, fuelwood and charcoal production, grazing, and cattle-ranching, the tropical moist broadleaf forests of eastern Madagascar now face unprecedented threat levels.
Today, tavy agricultural practices have been implemented in the tropical rainforest biomes to convert them into rice fields. An acre at a time is typically deforested and burned, with the remaining ashes used to fertilize the soil for optimal rice production. Though fruitful in the interim, repeated tavy along the Madagascar coast heightens the soil erosion rates, and eventually the cleared areas are replaced with grass and weeds. On the slopes, this weak scrub vegetation does little to anchor the soil, leading to massive landslides and erosion (8). Moreover, timber logging - both legally and illegally - is causing the clearance of thousands of acres of these tropical forests, and with it the rich array of species within. “Ebony and rosewood, which may fetch $2,000 a ton in international markets,” are among the most-sought timbers on the eastern coast, leading to illegal logging in protected reserves and the further destruction of already-endangered areas (8). Lastly, the indigenous peoples of the Malagasy island often burn certain trees within the forests to collect timber and pieces of charcoal for personal use and sale. The impact of a few farmers burning forests for charcoal has a minimal impact, but the exploitation and corporatization of it and fuelwood production leads to vast areas of burned forests. Malagasy people use the timber for heat and construction, and subsequently use the cleared forest lands for cattle ranching areas.
Source: http://blogs.dw.de/globalideas/files/Mada_Reisfeld_b-f-GI-1024x680.jpg
Moreover, the animal species living in eastern Madagascar are both “aggressively hunted” and displaced due to deforestation. Lemurs, a richly diverse species found in these tropical forests, are hunted heavily despite national and international protections. “Reptiles and amphibians are enthusiastically” removed from the tropical habitats for international pet trade, and the introduction of foreign plant species has gone awry for the animal species that live there (8).
Certain steps have been taken in the last half-century to slow the destruction of these forests. From expanding forest reserves to keeping endangered wood off the international market, to outlawing logging in certain areas to bolstering eco-tourism, a cornerstone of President Marc Ravalomanana’s early 2000s presidency was focused on ecological preservation (9). Natural reserves and forest reserves were created in 1927 and 1930, respectively (6). However, only roughly seven percent of the eastern tropical forests are well-protected, and approximately 27 percent are somewhat or poorly protected (6). Corruption and an inadequate bureaucracy have essentially led the forest reserves to become illegal logging grounds, and the intrusion into protected areas has led the eastern tropical moist broadleaf forests “confined to the coastal plains” to become “under intense pressure” as “numerous towns and settlements” rely on it (10).
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The remaining patches of forest along the coast “are soon to be largely destroyed through mining” and are predicted to “remove a substantial proportion of the remaining primary forest” (10). Write Malagasian botanical experts David J. Du Puy and Justin Moat, “every effort is required to preserve as much [of the eastern tropics] as is possible” (10). Dr. Helen Crowley of the World Wildlife Fund notes that “damage to the natural resources of the remaining eastern forests will continue” so long as tavy, logging, and intentional fires clear the coasts (1). Ultimately, this biogeographic region is one of the most threatened areas that would cause such high levels of casualties to the diversity and endemism. Seen below, deforestation rates in Madagascar increased 136% between 2000 and 2010. The pace isn’t slowing, either, and the tropical rainforests on the east are bound for total clearance, regardless of whether they’re protected or not. The lack of resources, financial capital, and oversight with the forest reserve programs, which often are also overridden by a corrupt government signing off on illegal logging, ensures that the path towards entire deforestation will continue without national and international intervention.
Source: http://news.mongabay.com/2010/1006-fao_forest_cover.html#sthash.e4HRVgeD.dpbs
To avert the path towards destruction, several steps can be taken to reverse the trend of deforestation and animal extinction. Agricultural techniques that are more sustainable than slash and burn should become infused with the farming of the main crop (on the eastern coast, rice fields). To address the problem of nutrient-deficient soil and the subsequent inability to grow crops there, savoka gardens have been introduced as an agricultural technique to supplement subsistence farming that destroys the land. In which a “carefully selected succession of trees and plants” are planted, vegetation in savoka gardens re-enrich the soil with nutrients as they produce food and other products (11). Perennial plants like citrus, mango, rubber, pepper, and banana introduce nutrients back into the soil and allow subsistence farmers to sell their byproducts (11). Moreover, ecotourism can be encouraged by the government and forest reserve agencies. Increased tourism to the eastern region of Madagascar can both lead to more income and more jobs, all with no environmental damage. As Malagasy farmers gain income, they will rely less on the unsustainable forest practices for its products; and as the jobs created rely upon keeping the forests in good enough condition for the tourism, the people will be more inclined to protect it (11).
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Moreover, on an international level, conservation efforts on behalf of non-governmental organizations, international nonprofit conservancies, and state governments should work together to protect as much of the tropical moist broadleaf forests of eastern Madagascar as possible. The Malagasy government should commit itself to fully protecting the remaining forests, should extend reserve boundaries, and should cease all access to trade for illegal loggers.
Overall, the eastern coastal forests of Madagascar - one of the most densely populated tropical rainforests with incredibly high levels of endemic diversity - are on the verge of total extinction due to deforestation and soil erosion. The humid broadleaf forests, laden with a diversity of plants and animals unseen to the world, are subject to clear-cutting and wildfire burning to sustain the various microeconomies of Madagascar. With nearly 90 percent of the once-was forests decimated, Madagascar faces an impending environmental crisis. The diversity and endemism of animals and plants is entirely unique in the world, and unless urgent steps are taken to protect what’s left, the world will surely see a loss to one of the most amazing biodiversity hotspots.
Reference List:
- Crowley, Helen. "Eastern Madagascar." World Wildlife Fund. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
- "Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests." World Wildlife Fund. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
- "Facts about Madagascar." World Wildlife Fund. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
- Butler, Rhett. "Forests in Madagascar." Mongabay. N.p., 19 July 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
- "Madagascar's Littoral Forests." Madagascar's Littoral Forests. Missouri Botanical Garden, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
- Hagan, Kevin. "Deforestation in Madagascar(MADAGAS)." Deforestation In Madagascar. American University, Dec. 1996. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
- Jarosz, Lucy. "Defining and Explaining Tropical Deforestation: Shifting Cultivation and Population Growth in Colonial Madagascar (1896-1940)." Economic Geography 69.4 (1993): 366. JSTOR. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/143595>.
- "Threats to Madagascar's Biodiversity and Ecosystems." Wild Madagascar. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
- Ravalomanana, Marc. "Madagascar Naturellement: Birth Control Is My Environmental Priority." World View 2006: n. pag. Wilson Center. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
- Du Puy, D.J and Moat, J.F. (1998, in press). Vegetation mapping and classification in madagascar (using GIS): implications and recommendations for the conservation of biodiversity. In: C.R. Huxley, J.M. Lock and D.F. Cutler (editors). Chorology, taxonomy and Ecology of the African and Madagascan floras. Pp Xxx-xxx . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- "Making Conservation Work in Madagascar." Wild Madagascar. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.
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