Madagascar: stunning wildlife, landscapes, and cultural diversity
WildMadagascar.org highlights Madagascar's stunning wildlife, landscapes, and cultural diversity.
Madagascar is a land like no other. An island roughly the size of Texas or France, Madagascar is home to more than 250,000 species of which 70% are found nowhere else on the globe.
Geography: Madagascar can be divided into five geographical regions: the east coast, the Tsaratanana Massif, the central highlands, the west coast, and the southwest. The highest elevations parallel the east coast, whereas the land slopes more gradually to the west coast. Geography of Madagascar
Culture: are of the past; where in many areas taboo and tradition takes precedence over the law; and western-style religion is freely mixed with beliefs in sorcery and unparalleled funerary customs. The People of Madagascar
Plant biodiversity: Madagascar is home to as many as 12,000 plant species -- 70-80% of which are endemic -- making it one of the most diverse floras on the planet. Flora of Madagascar.
Animal biodiversity: Madagascar has some of the highest biodiversity on the planet. Of roughly 200,000 known species found on Madagascar, about 150,000 are endemic. Unique to the island are more than 50 types of lemurs, 99 percent of its frog species, and 36 genera of birds. Madagascar houses 100 percent of the world's lemurs, half of its chameleon species, 6 percent of its frogs, and none of its toads. Some species found in Madagascar have their closest relatives not in Africa but in the South Pacific and South America. Wildlife of Madagascar.
Madagascar News
In Cameroon, forest and water source restoration offers sustainable solutions (September 16, 2024)
In Bamukumbit village in northwestern Cameroon, residents have traditionally depended on natural water sources. However, these springs, streams, and rivers have deteriorated and become polluted over time as a result of intensive human activities, including agriculture, deforestation, pastoralism and livestock herding. Thanks to a project implemented by the nonprofit Support Humanity Cameroon (Suhucam), these water […]Java activists risk jail for exposing shrimp farm pollution crisis (September 16, 2024)
JAKARTA — In 2023, environmental activist Daniel Frits Maurits Tangkilisan was sentenced to seven months in prison under Indonesia’s controversial online hate speech law. His crime? A Facebook post criticizing illegal shrimp farms operating within Karimunjawa National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Tangkilisan was part of the #SaveKarimunjawa movement, which aimed to expose the environmental […]25-fold surge in malaria at Indonesia gold frontier raises deforestation questions (September 16, 2024)
POHUWATO, Indonesia — Lukman Ahmad managed in the end to drag himself down from the slopes of Mount Pani toward the southern coast of Indonesia’s Pohuwato district. When he staggered back into Botubilotahu village, the 56-year-old was gaunt and reeling. “I’m fine standing, and I can just about walk,” Lukman told Mongabay Indonesia. “But it […]How the Brazilian military sabotaged protection of Indigenous people in the Amazon (September 16, 2024)
Reports show it failed (or sabotaged) airspace control and food deliveries to the Indigenous people, who suffer from malnutrition as a result of mercury contamination from illegal mining.Investors urge banks to cut commodity-driven deforestation (September 16, 2024)
Investment managers with a combined $8 trillion in assets under management are urging the banks in their portfolios to eliminate deforestation from their lending and investment practices. The new guidelines call for banks to assess their ties to deforestation, set policies to reduce harm, and track their progress. The Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change […]Hooded vultures in Ghana and South Africa on the brink, study says (September 16, 2024)
High rates of inbreeding among hooded vultures in Ghana and South Africa spell trouble for their future, according to a newly published study. The study found that despite wide differences in the population size of the birds in the two countries, both face similar risks associated with low genetic diversity. It underlined the need to […]In Chile, a copper mining project tainted by environmental damage sues 32 locals (September 16, 2024)
During the second week of October 2023, in northern Chile’s Coquimbo, Yasna Silva used social media to ask for help. She and her entire family had been sued by the Los Pelambres Mining Company. The reason? Neither she, nor the rest of the residents of her community, Pupío, had agreed to the expansion of a […]Study highlights climate policies that actually work to reduce emissions (September 13, 2024)
To meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and avoid the worst outcomes of climate change, the world needs to rapidly reduce carbon emissions. Identifying effective policies to reach national climate goals has been challenging, but a new study published in Science examined 1500 climate policies implemented over the last two decades, and found […]Maasai women struggle to survive amid forced evictions in conservation area (September 13, 2024)
In 2022, the government of Tanzania began forcibly evicting thousands of Indigenous Maasai from 1,500 square kilometers, nearly 600 square miles, of their ancestral land to make way for elite tourism in the renowned Ngorongoro Conservation Area. A large group of Maasai recently blocked the road leading to Ngorongoro, protesting the evictions and denial of […]Billions in public funds ‘wasted’ on carbon capture projects, report finds (September 13, 2024)
A handful of governments have spent nearly $30 billion in public funds on carbon capture and hydrogen projects, mostly for private fossil fuel companies, over the past 40 years, a new report from Oil Change International finds. National governments are expected to spend an additional $115 billion to $240 billion in the coming decades, the […]Wildcat miners: will cyanide displace mercury? (September 13, 2024)
The activities of wildcat miners in the Pan Amazon has become an increasing issue of concern over the past five years; in part, because their numbers have exploded, but also because as a group, they have flagrantly violated the land rights of Indigenous people, particularly the Yanomami, but also the Murunduku and Kayapó (Brazil), the […]Honduras taps armed forces to eliminate deforestation by 2029. Will it work? (September 13, 2024)
Honduras this year launched a plan to eliminate deforestation by 2029, with a special focus on recovering land used by criminal groups for timber trafficking. Officials have already carried out hundreds of operations and arrested dozens of people tied to organized crime. But some experts worry that the plan doesn’t go far enough. The “Zero […]Ugandan oil project linked with massive human rights abuses: Report (September 13, 2024)
The Kingfisher oil project in Uganda operated by a Chinese company has resulted in numerous human rights violations, including forced evictions, inadequate compensation, threats, violence and loss of livelihoods, a new report says. Climate Rights International (CRI), a U.S.-based nonprofit, published the report on Sept. 2. “Our findings substantiate that this project is not for […]Malaysian court shuts down hydroelectric dam project on Indigenous land (September 12, 2024)
The Indigenous Semai tribe in Malaysia have achieved a significant legal victory in their long-running battle to protect their ancestral land from the impacts of a hydroelectric dam project. The high court in Malaysia’s Perak state ruled on Monday that the dam developers had failed to properly consult with or gain the consent of the […]Why I quit the film industry to work on ecological restoration (commentary) (September 12, 2024)
I’ve spent a significant part of my career exploring and documenting how ecosystems function, and the profound impact humanity has on nature. Over time, I’ve come to recognize that not only is the way we treat the environment critically flawed, but so too is our current economic system. Conventional economic theories, like Keynesian economics, focus […]Report links killings to environmental crimes in Peru’s Amazon (September 12, 2024)
Ten years ago, four Indigenous Asháninka environmental defenders were murdered in the forests near their community of Saweto in Peru’s Amazon Ucayali region. In 2023, a court in Pucallpa found three loggers guilty of aggravated homicide against the leaders, sentencing them to 28 years and three months in prison. However, this case has since been […]Marine ecosystems still overlooked in Indonesia’s new conservation law, critics say (September 12, 2024)
JAKARTA — Indonesia’s recently updated conservation law continues to prioritize terrestrial protection, raising concerns over much-needed improvements to the management of the country’s rich marine ecosystems and resources. Parliament passed revisions to the 1990 conservation law this past July, seven years since it was submitted for legislation. The update introduces 24 provisions that modify or […]To save endangered trees, researchers in South America recruit an army of fungi (September 12, 2024)
It’s a sunny July day during an otherwise exceptionally rainy season in the lush green mountains of Huila, in Colombia’s eastern Andes. Adriana Corrales, her assistant and a local guide climb through the dense cloud forest. Above them, birds sing and monkeys howl through the canopy of ancient Colombian black oaks (Trigonobalanus excelsa), an endangered […]Clearest picture yet of Amazon carbon density could help guide conservation (September 12, 2024)
Cutting-edge machine-learning models have created one of the most detailed, high-resolution maps yet of aboveground carbon density in the Amazon Rainforest, revealing where the forest is most intact and what areas are most in need of conservation attention. A combination of machine-learning models and satellite readings show that the Amazon Rainforest contains 56.8 billion metric […]Sri Lanka completes first elephant census since 2011 amid uncertainty (September 12, 2024)
COLOMBO — This past Aug. 17 would have been just another ordinary day for the elephants of Sri Lanka: feeding, drinking, resting and, for some, raiding nearby farms. But for the staff of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and thousands of volunteers, it was the start of a busy weekend as they carried out […]Extreme drought pushes Amazon’s main rivers to lowest-ever levels (September 11, 2024)
Experts say the outlook for the next months is even worse, putting researchers on alert for the possibility of Amazon’s worst drought ever.Cambodian carbon credit project hit by rights abuse claims is reinstated (September 11, 2024)
PHNOM PENH — Carbon credit certifying agency Verra announced on Sept. 10 that it has lifted the suspension of the Southern Cardamom REDD+ project in Cambodia following a roughly 14-month review of the project’s audits. Verified emissions reductions, better known as carbon credits, can now once more be issued by Cambodia’s flagship REDD+ project. The 465,000-hectare […]Why is violence against environmental defenders getting worse? Five things to know (September 11, 2024)
In January 2023, two men mysteriously disappear after speaking out against pollution from a controversial iron ore mine in Michoacán, Mexico. The following March, climate change protesters in Austria and Germany are beaten and pepper sprayed, and some have their homes raided by law enforcement. In September, a pair of youth environmental advocates are abducted […]How the Zai farming technique is transforming soil fertility in North Cameroon (September 11, 2024)
GAROUA, Cameroon — Ouro Andre, a village in the Lagdo sub division in the North Region of Cameroon, appears desolate on this rainy morning as farmers set out early to till the soil and plant crops. Goats munch fresh grass, bellowing to break the quiet in this 700-person village sandwiched between hunting interest zones (prohibited […]Northern elephant seals likely used sonar ‘dinner bell’ to find food (September 11, 2024)
When eight young northern elephant seals suddenly began showing up at a deep-sea observatory, researchers were taken by surprise. Their repeated visits to the research site, otherwise a speck in the vast, dark ocean, wasn’t a chance occurrence, a new study reveals. The mammals were likely drawn to the area by the observatory’s sonar pulses. […]In Nepal, conservation battles head to Supreme Court amid civil society silence (September 11, 2024)
KATHMANDU — Nepal’s Supreme Court has become the last battleground for campaigners and conservationists, as knowledgeable civil society organizations remain largely silent on conservation issues with long-term repercussions. Looking at its past record, the court has been a strong pillar of support in matters related to environmental and biodiversity protection. It’s now at the center […]Bangkok turns to urban forests to beat worsening floods (September 10, 2024)
“I remember when I was a young child in Bangkok, we used to sail our boat on the clean floodwater,” says landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom. “Flooding was fun.” But when a tropical storm hit the city of Bangkok in 2011, her opinion of floods changed forever. Residents had to flee their homes and more than […]Lack of research as contaminated Yaqui River poses health risks (September 10, 2024)
YAQUI VALLEY, Mexico — In June, residents of communities along the Yaqui River found various dead tilapia, carp and catfish floating on the banks of the river. According to Guadalupe Flores Maldonado, this was not a singular event. Fish die-offs have been happening for over a month now. Health officials said it was because of […]Bats & bees help ni-Vanuatu predict storms — but will climate change interfere? (September 10, 2024)
Weeks before Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Harold loomed over the Vanuatu islands in 2020, Indigenous ni-Vanuatu people received nature’s warning call. Locals secured their thatched roofs and baked taro and laplap (a common delicacy) in an underground oven to stock up on food for the harsh weather. For generations, the ni-Vanuatu relied on terrestrial and […]In Venezuela, natural regeneration helps restore a threatened cloud forest (September 10, 2024)
“And this big one?” Ancelmo Dugarte asks his 3-year-old son, Marco Antonio, pointing to a towering pine in front of them. “Pino laso,” the little voice replies. “And this one? What’s this called?” Dugarte asks again, now touching the leaf of a plant. “Laurel baboso,” Marco Antonio answers. His father repeats it once more, as […]Successful Thai community-based hornbill conservation faces uncertain future (September 10, 2024)
Budo-Sungai Padi National Park is a swath of dense tropical rainforest a fifth the size of Bangkok that lies along southern Thailand’s isthmus linking the country to Peninsular Malaysia. Its rugged peaks and lush valleys cut through Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani provinces — an area facing rising political unrest, unpredictable weather, and escalating wildlife poaching. […]The Itombwe owl: Two birds and an identity crisis (September 10, 2024)
A lost bird Everything we know for certain about the Itombwe owl comes from just two individuals: one dead for more than 70 years, and the other also most likely dead by now. The second, a small, chestnut-colored owl, was netted by Tom Butynski’s team in 1996; a wild owl can expect to live 10 […]Overviews - by language
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Books
Madagascar, 9th: The Bradt Travel Guide
Madagascar Wildlife, 3rd: A Visitor's Guide
Mammals of Madagascar: A Complete Guide
Madagascar Travel Pack
Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands
Birds of Madagascar: A Photographic Guide
Lonely Planet Madagascar & Comoros
The Natural History of Madagascar
Malagasy-English: Dictionary and Phrasebook
Lords and Lemurs
The Eighth Continent: Life, Death, and Discovery in the Lost World of Madagascar
The Aye-Aye and I : A Rescue Journey to Save One of the World's Most Intriguing Creatures from Extinction
Shadows in the Dawn: The Lemurs of Madagascar