An island of unique biodiversity, Madagascar faces conservation challenges

Posted on 02/12/2022 06:00

(Credit: Tobias Andermann/Disclosure)

Nature in Madagascar, an island in southeastern Africa slightly larger than mainland France, is so unusual that 82% of its plant species and 90% of its vertebrates are endemic, and found only there. A picture of the country’s biological wealth, as well as the main threats, can be found in two studies published in the journal Sciences By researchers from around the world, including Brazil.

said Thais Geddes, co-author of the book of articles. Geddes is a researcher at the Institute of Biology of the State University of Campinas (IB-Unicamp) with a grant from the São Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp).

review

In one article, the researchers present a comprehensive, up-to-date review of the literature on the evolution, distribution, and uses of the island’s biodiversity, showing that its flora and fauna are so locally distinct that the extinction of just one species could mean the end of every evolutionary lineage. “Madagascar has species that are unique in the world, but they are much more than that. There are broader classes of species that are found only there, such as lemurs (Lemuroidea), a whole group of birds (Mesitornithiformes) and all but three species of mantilla frogs (Mantellidae). Guedes said.

In fact, three subspecies of lemurs (koalas, monkey, and sloth lemurs) are now extinct, as are the island’s two subspecies of hippopotamus, Grandiere’s giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys grandidieri) and the order of elephant birds (Aepyornithidae). According to the researchers, the extinction of megafauna has significant implications for the functioning of the ecosystem.

The study includes updates showing that 11,516 vascular plant species (82% endemic) and 1,215 bryophyte (28% endemic) have been described. As for terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates, 95% of island mammals, 56% of birds, 81% of river fish, and 98% of reptiles are found nowhere else on Earth. 13 endemic species are believed to have gone extinct since 1500 and another 33 disappearances occurred in prehistoric times, most likely as a result of contact with the first humans to arrive on the island.

sustainable use

The other article includes reflections on the decline of Madagascar’s biodiversity and points to conservation opportunities in the country. The authors believe that the fact that a large part of the population lives outside the forest, gathering wood or hunting, is an opportunity for development based on sustainable use of biodiversity.

“So far, the focus has been on creating protected areas and keeping people away from them as much as possible, in order to minimize the impact of human activity on biodiversity,” says Alexandre Antonelli, who led the two studies.

A biologist from São Paulo, Antonelli is Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (Kew Gardens) in London, England (UK). “Unfortunately, this did not produce the expected results, because poor communities – the vast majority of the population – need to cook and heat their homes and have no other choice but to cut down trees in existing reserves for firewood,” he says.

In light of these difficulties, the authors suggest that the focus should not be on establishing new protected areas, but on restoring vegetation elsewhere, in order to reduce pressure on existing protected areas. Reforestation, conservation and scientific evidence of efficacy are among the five listed opportunities for the country.

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