Deforestation and Slash-and-Burn in Madagascar
Deforestation and charcoal production bring significant problems of soil erosion and loss of biodiversity.
Over 75% of the original plant species have disappeared.
The traditional agricultural system, charcoal collection, and trade in precious woods are being questioned, suffering much too late.
While the number of protected areas is a sign of the willingness to contain the phenomenon, the lack of resources makes it difficult to impossible to contain the disaster.
Madagascar is a globally unique biodiversity reserve.
It is home to a unique flora and fauna, Madagascar is home to numerous endemic species, with 245 out of 247 amphibian species and 107 bird species being endemic.
A paradise threatened by rampant deforestation.
The practice of bushfires is not new in Madagascar, it has become a simple response to the lack of arable land.
Subsistence agriculture thrives on the slopes, constantly encroaching on the primary forest.
The argument “one must survive” is often used by the culprits, not in defense.
The forest is also used for charcoal production, which is essential for cooking and therefore the main reason for the massive deforestation.
Deforestation has become a major issue in Madagascar.
Main Energy Source for Madagascar
Over 92% of the energy consumed daily in Madagascar comes from charcoal, with more than 85% of households using it primarily for meal preparation.
This energy source, financially accessible to all social classes, is by far the cheapest of all.
Urban residents, especially the poorest, use charcoal in the same way as the 70% of the population living in rural areas.
Families producing charcoal in a traditional way, mainly in rural areas, earn a significant income despite the low yield:
Only 10 kg of wood produce just one kilogram of charcoal.
For the production of charcoal, mainly Eucalyptus is used, and 1 hectare of Eucalyptus produces a production of nearly one ton or about 300 sacks.
Consumption and Consequences.
Cooking is done indoors, and the smoke produced by the Fatapera comes directly through the straw on the roof of the house.
It can be assumed that a city family consumes about 60 to 70 kg of charcoal per month, which is about 2 sacks, totaling approximately 110,000 tons.
Every year, this leads to deforestation of about 32,000 hectares of forest in the city of Antananarivo.
Approximately 70% of Antananarivo’s charcoal needs are met by the pine and eucalyptus forests of Anjozorobe, Tiazompaniry, Majakandriana, and Moramanga.
Deforestation and its Consequences
For example, the mountains no longer play their role as water reserves, they no longer retain water and the streams dry up. Down in the valley, rice farmers see the bitter damage to their crops, with almost no yield in case of lack of rain.
In Madagascar, the tradition of slash-and-burn threatens the forest and the future of its inhabitants.
The flames that
As they move through the savannah, the vegetation and landscapes that have been abandoned by rain for too long are instantly consumed.
A bushfire in southern Madagascar, making the dark night visible from afar.
Whoever started the fire is long gone. In the morning, it will be time to assess the extent of the burned vegetation.
A daily spectacle in the great tradition of burning, practiced from generation to generation on this land.
There was. In a time when the forest that protects the mountains also covered a large part of the valleys, hectares after hectares of trees were cut down, the land burned, and turned into charcoal.
Less than 10% of the original vegetation remains.
Three problems intertwine and contribute to irreversible deforestation: population growth, which requires more farmland and charcoal.
Slash-and-burn agriculture in Madagascar is one of the most alarming in the tropical environment.
In the south and southwest of the island, the cultivation of corn through slash-and-burn agriculture is the main cause of the decline of the forest, which is particularly important in.
In this region, deforestation is increasing year after year.
It seems that, unlike what is often observed in the humid tropical zone, the deforestation process, which is the cause of a significant decline in plant biodiversity, is irreversible in this part of the Big Island.
Today, deforestation has reached alarming levels.
Every year, about 200,000 to 300,000 hectares of forest disappear. This process has intensified recently, especially in the south and southwest of the island.
In the south and southwest of the Big Island, deforestation is largely due to the development of corn cultivation, locally known as “Hatsake”. This “pioneer” agriculture is developing under the Influence of multiple factors rapidly impacting forest costs: increasing demographic pressure due to the arrival of migrants, saturation of the most fertile land intensively cultivated, and loosening of state control over deforestation.
Not least, corn, originally a food crop, has become mainly a commercial crop to meet the needs of the national market and that of the island of Réunion. As a result, corn cultivation in the forest is steadily gaining ground, with breweries also consuming huge amounts of corn.
Can the forest recover after logging is abandoned?
The results conclude that deforestation is irreversible.
Abandoned crops are actually replaced by wooded savannah, and the forest ecosystem does not recover even after 30 years of fallow land.
Why does the forest not return in the southwest of Madagascar, like in most humid tropical regions?
On one hand, abandoned areas are returned to other uses (grazing, wood and energy production) and regularly burned by bushfires.
On the other hand, the drier climatic conditions in southern Madagascar lead to a slower vegetation dynamics.
Finally, the fragility and low competitiveness of the endemic forest flora do not contribute to the restoration of secondary forests.
Deforestation and the disappearance of biodiversity in Madagascar still remain an issue.
Among the most concerning issues in the tropical world.
Although its ecological costs have not been fully assessed, some points can already be highlighted.
Biodiversity erosion is proving to be very high, according to an estimate conducted in the Mikea Forest, deforestation is associated with the disappearance of 75% of the original plant species.
Among them are species of high economic value, used as timber or medicinal plants.
This is all the more alarming as Madagascar’s forests host almost all endemic species of the island.
