The Future

Since 1972, forest cover in Madagascar has disappeared at an alarming rate. The annual average rate of deforestation on the island is 760 hectares.

Fires being burnt to clear cut forests in Madagascar on October 26, 1997.

Between 1950 and 1995, nearly half of Madagascar's littoral forests have been destroyed. If this pace of deforestation continues, no littoral forest will remain in thirty years. The pockets of forest which do remain, are often badly degraded. This however, does not mean that they are lost. Although many are badly damaged, they still contain an exceptionally high degree of floral species richness and diversity. One beam of hope comes from the study done by Du Puy and Moat. The maps and papers they produced, are currently being used in Madagascar. In 1996 the government joined the Convention on Biodiversity, forming their first Environmental Action Plan. It is this plan that has relied greatly on Du Puy and Moat's study, using it to help them decide which areas are of the utmost importance for current conservation.

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