The Rainforest of Madagascar

The Rainforest of Madagascar

Human Impact

Size

Location

Uses and benefits

The size of the rainforest in Madagascar is estimated to be about 1/3 of the island, approximately 1 million hectares.

Madagascar is located in the Indian Ocean, 250 miles off the eastern coast of Africa across the Mozambique Channel, just south of the equator. Madagascar is over 1000 miles (1580 km) long and 350 miles (570 km) wide, being the world's fourth largest island.

Humans impact the rainforest greatly in a bad way. These impacts include deforestation and the practice of cutting down and burning the vegetation. Since 1950, deforestation has increased significantly damaging a large amount of Madagascar's rainforest. Forests are cut and burned to grow crops such as manioc and hill rice. Trees are also cut down for timber. These threats introduce invasive species, they reduce biodiversity and they cause damage to the environment from cutting down trees and dragging them out the forest.

Madagascar is amoung the world's poorest countries, therefore people are dependent on natural resources in day to day life. Most people in Madagascar never have the option to become doctors, sports stars, factory workers, or secretaries; they must live off the land what surrounds them, making use of whatever resources they can find. The rainforest provides food, water (from the river), vegetation, plant diversity, a habitat for animals, and also a home for Indigenous tribes. Overall the rainforest benefits the people greatly and has many uses. It's just sad that it is being destroyed through bad actions of humans (such as deforestation).

Adansonia grandidieri

Characteristics: Adansonia Grandidieri have large cylindrical trunks, up to three meters across, covered with smooth, reddish-gray bark. They can reach 25 to 30 m (80-100 ft) in height. At certain times of the year the flat-topped crowns bear bluish - green palmate leaves, dark brown floral buds or flowers with white petals. The large, dry fruits of the baobab contain kidney - shaped seeds within an edible pulp.

Habitat: Found in dry, deciduous forest, especially near seasonal rivers or lakes. However, today it is mainly found in open, agricultural land or degraded scrub land.

Location: South-western Madagascar between Lac Ihotry (near Morombe) and Bereboka.

Techniques to survive: Adansonia Grandidieri is most known for its ability to store water in its trunk. Before the wet season, which occurs at the beginning of the year in Madagascar, the tree flushes its leaves. The tree disperses large quantities of water from what’s stored in its trunk to its leaves.

Threats to survival: Heavily exploited.

Adansonia grandidieri

Indigenous Population

didierea trollii

MOuse lemur

Nile Crocodile

Indigenous Madagascar people are originally from Indonesia. They arrived on the island around 2000 years ago. Different people have arrived since, including Zana Malata (Malay Polynesians and pirates), as well as European colonists.

Today, there is a division between highlanders and coastal people. Bara people live in south-central parts of the island and are mostly pastoralists. Betisimarks, the second largest tribe, live on the east coast. Antaimoro live in south-eastern parts of the island and are known for their paper-making skills.

Characteristics: The plants are spiny succulent shrubs and trees from 2-20 m tall, with thick water-storing stems and leaves that are deciduous in the long dry season. Some species build a distinct youth form as small procumbent shrubs before a dominant stem is produced. They grow along the ground and produce clusters of greenish-white flowers with pink stamens.

Habitat: Didierea Trollii needs full sun exposure in the the rainforest.

Location: Found south and southwest Madagascar, where they form an important component of the Madagascar spiny forests

Techniques to survive: Didierea trollii stems store water to survive the droughts that occur in the region where it lives. Water is a precious commodity in Madagascar, making its succulent stems appetizing to many creatures - many of which no longer live in the region. The sharp spines immediately turn away any thirsty predators.

Threats to survival: Over-collection and habitat loss

Characteristics: The Latin word lemures means "ghost." Malagasy people have traditionally associated these primates with spirits because they are active at night, and because of their eerie, large-eyed stare. There are eight species of mouse lemurs, and several have been identified only in the past few years. Mouse lemurs are forest dwellers that live in female-dominated groups of up to 15 animals. They spend most of their time in trees, and can move from branch to branch and tree to tree. Mouse lemurs sleep aloft during the day and forage at night for insects, fruit, flowers, and other plants. They store fat in their tails and hind legs, and burn it when forage is lean. They may store up to 35 percent of their body weight this way.

Size: Head and body, 2.25 to 4.75 in (6 to 12 cm); tail, 4.75 in (12 cm) (relative to a teacup)

Weight: 1 to 4 oz (30 to 109 g)

Habitat: In general, all types of forest habitat on Madagascar are called home by mouse lemurs, including forests altered by humans. They can be found in forests such as evergreen littoral, dry deciduous, transitional, gallery, arid spiny, sub-arid thorn scrub, thick scrub, spiny, mangrove, sub-humid, partially evergreen, lowland, lowland and montane tropical humid, and mosaic. Mouse lemurs can be found from sea level up to almost 2000m.

Location: Like all lemurs, mouse lemurs inhabit the island of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa.

Techniques to survive: It has a sensitive nose that can smell ripe fruit from far away and large ears that keep alert for enemies such as the fossa.

Threats to survival: Mouse lemurs are protected from hunting, but they are still captured for the exotic pet trade. They are most threatened by loss of the limited woodland habitat of their Madagascar home.

Characteristics: Nile Crocodiles can reach a maximum size of about 20 feet (6 meters) and can weigh up to 1,650 pounds (730 kilograms). Average sizes, though, are more in the range of 16 feet (5 meters) and 500 pounds (225 kilograms). The Nile crocodile is the best known of all of the crocodile species. It is feared as a great man-killer, and its large, stocky body doesn't help its reputation. The snout is long and broad and ends in nostrils which can close underwater. The eyes have a third eyelid which protects them while underwater. The eyes, ears, and nostrils are found on the same plane on the top of the head, allowing the crocodile to be completely submerged underwater while still being able to see, smell, and hear. The teeth are long and conical. The teeth on the top jaw are in line with the bottom jaw, a feature which distinguishes all crocodiles from alligators. The fourth lower tooth is larger than the others and can be seen when the mouth is closed. Nile crocodiles have 66 teeth. The Nile crocodile has short, squat legs which end in sharp claws. The tail is very long. Old crocodiles are a dark uniform green in colour, with darker crossbands on the tail. The skin is rough, scaly, and waterproof. It prevents dehydration and loss of body salt. The back and tail are covered in rows of knobs.

Habitat: Nile crocodiles can be found in rivers, lakes, waterholes, mangrove swamps, estuaries, and freshwater marshes. They are mostly aquatic, but travel easily on land. During the wet season they travel long distances on land, returning when the floodwaters subside. During the day they can be found basking along riverbanks with their mouths open. They are social animals, and will work together to dig tunnels and cool down.

Location: They live throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the Nile Basin, and Madagascar in rivers, freshwater marshes, and mangrove swamps.

Techniques to survive: They are very fierce and dangerous animals, they are the top of the food chain. As long as they have food (which they can easily catch), survival is simple.

Threats to survival: Pollution, hunting and habitat loss are main threats to the Nile Crocodile, which is why in some regions numbers have been severely depleted.

Mahafaly people live in south-western parts of the island, and they are agriculturalists. Sakalava people live in western and north-western parts of the island. Betsileo people live in central areas, around the city called Fianarantsoa. And Merina - the most non-traditional people live in urban areas such as in and around the capital - Antananarivo.

Mouse lemur

Nile Crocodile

didierea trollii