The Crossroads

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Brookesia Chameleon

A Lost Land at the Crossroads

Madagascar, known as one of the most unique islands because of its unusual biodiversity found nowhere else on Earth, may soon become a modern day example of the Tragedy of the Commons. The island has already lost 90% of its natural resources due to deforestation, and many rare species of plants and animals have already gone extinct, like the elephant bird or pygmy hippopotamus. Most of the deforestation is a result of the need to feed. All throughout the mainland you can find mountains and hillsides full of rice patties in place of where trees once lived.

This is due to a growing population of people who rely on their environment for sustenance and profit, and it leaves the endangered species struggling to survive in a fragmented and shrinking habitat.

Primatologist and native of Madagscar Jonah Ratsimbazafy has dedicated his life to protecting the endangered species there. “We have a saying - all cows cannot awake at the same time. There are some people who are aware of the problem. Some people, maybe tomorrow” he says. That is why he works with Durrell Wildife Conservation Trust to get the local community to understand and get involved in protecting the forests. Those communities who do, are rewarded for their efforts through Durrell's management transfer programs, which include building schools or infrastructure in reward for helping to conserve their environment.

“If man is part of the problem, he should be part of the solution,” he says.

Madagascar could become an example of the “sixth great extinction,” that scientists fear is upon us, if the rate of extinction does not slow down. According to a nation-wide survey conducted by the American Museum of Natural History, seven out of ten biologists believe that we are in the midst of a mass extinction of living things, and that this dramatic loss of species poses a major threat to human existence in the next century.

Since man's arrival on Madagascar only 1500 years ago, one-fifth of all known lemur species and a third of known genera of lemur have gone extinct. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List in 2008 states 355 animal and 281 plants species in Madagascar are threatened with extinction. The underlying threat for these endangered species is habitat loss, which extends to multiple classes of wildlife.

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