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The directory of informations
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Madagascar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Madagascar ·
History ·
Politics ·
Geography ·
Ecology ·
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Demographics
Ecology of Madagascar
Madagascar's long isolation from the neighboring continents has resulted in a unique mix of plants
and animals, many found nowhere else in the world; some ecologists refer to Madagascar as the "eighth
continent". Of the 10,000 plants native to Madagascar, 90% are found nowhere else in the world.
Madagascar's varied fauna and flora are endangered by human activity, as a third of its native vegetation
has disappeared since the 1970s, and only 18% remains intact.
The eastern, or windward side of the island is home to tropical rainforests, while the western and
southern sides, which lie in the rain shadow of the central highlands, are home to tropical dry
forests, thorn forests, and deserts and xeric shrublands. Madagascar's dry deciduous forests have
been preserved generally better than the eastern rainforests or the high central plateau, presumably
due to historically low population density and scarce water supplies.
Extensive deforestation has taken place in parts of the country. Slash-and-burn activity, locally
called tavy, has occurred in the eastern and western dry forests as well as the on the central high
plateau, reducing certain forest habitat and applying pressure to some endangered species. Slash-and-burn
is a method sometimes used by shifting cultivators to create short-term yields from marginal soils. When
practiced repeatedly without intervening fallow periods, the nutrient-poor soils may be exhausted or
eroded to an unproductive state. The resulting increased surface runoff from burned lands has caused
significant erosion and resulting high sedimentation to western rivers.
Madagascar ·
History ·
Politics ·
Geography ·
Ecology ·
Economy ·
Foreign relations ·
Demographics
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