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Madagascar - An Island of Natural Wealth


 

Periwinkle

Madagascar is the world's fourth-largest island and harbours some of the most remarkable flora and fauna on earth. Of an estimated 200,000 species, three quarters exist solely on Madagascar. Many medicinal plants, such as the rosy periwinkle used for the treatment of leukemia, are found amid the islands enormous natural wealth.

Tragically, both human population and the natural environment are under serious threat from unsustainable agriculture (e.g. slash and burn 'tavy', urban energy needs and marketing of cash crops) and fishing practices, which will inevitably and rapidly deplete the forests and resource base on which the Malagasy people depend.

Resources Under Pressure




Malagasy Children
A report by the UN Population Fund estimates the population at 15.8 million. With the growth rate at 3.5% per annum the population will have doubled by 2025. This high rate of population growth puts extra strain on food producing resources and social services.

The south of the island is also severely affected by climatic conditions, drought and cyclone, which can cause famine. The majority of the local populations are rural producers, representing 84% of the poor in the south, whose survival depends on sufficient harvest of food produce.

Targeting the South




Most of these rural producers live in isolated communities where they have little access to information and are not able to prepare for periods of drought. Food production techniques are not always sustainable and there is no educational facility to enable them to learn better ways of farming or ensuring crop yields are sufficient for their needs, especially when threatened by famine.

With little infrastructure and no access to basic services of health and education, many children suffer from retarded growth and infant mortality runs at approximately 110 per thousand.

Addressing Poverty




One of the major problems facing the inhabitants of the villages in the south of the island is the crippling poverty - family income is as low as £23 per month.

Most villages have no proper water supplies or sanitation. Many families live two or three generations to a small wooden hut. There is little chance of any schooling for the children.

Grain
A serious consequence of this poverty is that in order to survive on the small income supplied by rice farming and fishing, most villagers are extremely dependent on the forests. These provide charcoal for fuel, and wood for housing and boats. To exacerbate the problem further, the forests are continually cut back to provide land for rice farming and the desperate circumstances of the people often leads to other short term agricultural solutions.
Deforestation These can have serious environmental consequences that will ultimately threaten the survival both of the villagers and their forests. Madagascar had been described as 'the red island' because the degree of deforestation is so serious that massive soil erosion on the hills bleeds tons of the red Malagasy soil into the rivers whenever the rains arrive.

More about Madagascar on BBC Crossing Continents
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