|
Madagascar Flora and Fauna
The island of Madagascar has been described as an
"alternate
world" or a "world apart" because of the uniqueness and
rarity of
many of its plant and animal species. Their
characteristics are
believed to reflect the island's origins as a part of
Gondwanaland and its many millions of years of virtually
total
isolation following the breakup of the landmass. Thus,
certain
plants, including the "traveler's" tree (so called because
its
trunk holds potable water), are found both in Madagascar
and on
the South American continent, but not in Africa. Many of
the most
characteristic African species, particularly such large
mammals
as the elephant, rhinoceros, giraffe, zebra, and antelope
and
such beasts of prey as the lion and leopard, do not exist
in
Madagascar. In addition, the island has been spared the
great
variety of venomous snakes indigenous to the African
continent.
Although it is assumed that most life forms on the island
had an
African (or South American) origin, many millions of years
of
near-complete isolation have allowed old
species--elsewhere
extinct--to survive and new species unique to the island
to
evolve. Thus, a great number of plant, insect, reptile,
and fish
species are found only in Madagascar, and all indigenous
land
mammal species--sixty-six in all--are unique to the
island.
Madagascar was once covered almost completely by
forests, but
the practice of burning the woods to clear the land for
dry rice
cultivation has denuded most of the landscape, especially
in the
central highlands. Rain forests are concentrated on the
steep
hillsides along a slender north-south axis bordering the
east
coast, from the Tsaratamana Massif in the north to
Tolagnaro in
the south. Secondary growth, which has replaced the
original
forest and consists to a large extent of traveler's trees,
raffia, and baobabs, is found in many places along the
east coast
and in the north. The vegetation of the central highlands
and the
west coast is for the most part savanna or steppe, and
coarse
prairie grass predominates where erosion has not exposed
the
orange-red lateritic soil. In the southwest, the
vegetation is
adapted to desert conditions.
The remaining rain forest contains a great number of
unique
plant species. The country has some 900 species of
orchids.
Bananas, mangoes, coconut, vanilla, and other tropical
plants
grow on the coasts, and the eucalyptus tree, brought from
Australia, is widespread.
Wood and charcoal from the forests are used to meet 80
percent of domestic fuel needs. As a result, fuelwood has
become
scarce. The World Bank in 1990 launched an environmental
program
that has increased the planting of pine and eucalyptus to
satisfy
fuel needs.
Data as of August 1994
|
