Natural Resources of Madagascar


   Madagascar is one of the world’s largest islands and is home to many unique floras and faunas. This biodiversity hotspot, however, has become very vulnerable over the years due to a lack of conservation and tourism. The island of Madagascar lies mainly within the tropics but in the highlands, the climate is moderated by altitude. The land area in Madagascar is broken into three types, 87% of the land is classified as humid, 8% as semi-arid, and 5% as arid.[1] Madagascar is currently dealing with the serious problems of deforestation and soil erosion. The south part of the island is vulnerable to drought while the east coast deals with heavy rainfall and severe cyclones.

   Subsistence agriculture is a prime driver of the deforestation in Madagascar. Madagascar is a major agricultural society and they grow rice, beans, cotton, sugar, maize, and wheat. These are mostly grown for subsistence except for maize. Maize production in the west accounts for approximately 80% of the agricultural land and at least several thousand tons of maize is exported annually to Mauritius, the Seychelles, and to Reunion.[2]

   Madagascar has been slow to explore and develop its mineral resources except for chromite, gold, graphite, marble, and gemstones. The island also has rich deposits of ilmenite, nickel, cobalt, coal, uranium, bauxite, and diamonds which are only now being explored. Many oil companies are also prospecting for oil and gas onshore and offshore, but none has been found to date.[3]


    As home to over 150,000 unique species that are found nowhere else in the world, the island’s environment has become very vulnerable, and many rare species like the lemurs are under threat. In the dry forests of Madagascar is a remarkable tropical ecosystem that occupies almost the entire western slope of the island all the way up to the northern tip. While these forests provide a home for the flora and fauna of Madagascar, they also provide building materials, firewood, medicinal plants, grazing habitat for cattle, and land reserves for future agricultural expansion. The dependency of the Malagasy people on dry forests has had an impact on this important resource base. Between 1980 and 2000, the highest deforestation rate in Africa, was in Madagascar with a loss of 18%.[4]
   
   The best hope for Madagascar is the development of ecotourism. The island of Madagascar has emerged as a prime tourism destination in Africa but to keep the unique flora and fauna alive, there needs to be a major incentive to conserve its wildlife.[5]










Works Cited:
"Demographics and resources: Natural resources." Economist Intelligence Unit: Country Profile: Madagascar, November 1, 2008. Academic OneFile (accessed April 23, 2018). http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/apps/doc/A189505141/AONE?u=vic_liberty&sid=AONE&xid=fd44f89e.

"Resources and infrastructure: Natural resources and the environment." Economist Intelligence Unit: Country Profile: Madagascar, July 1, 2006. Academic OneFile (accessed April 23, 2018). http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/apps/doc/A147625219/AONE?u=vic_liberty&sid=AONE&xid=305f06b9.

Paul, J. (2015). The red island: Madagascar's unique landscape. Geography, 100, 174-179. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1757275357?accountid=12085

Waeber, P.O., L. Wilme, B. Ramamonjisoa, C. Garcia, D. Rakotomalala, Z.H. Rabemananjara, C.A. Kull, J.U. Ganzhorn, and J.-P. Sorg. "Dry forests in Madagascar: neglected and under pressure/Forets seches de Madagascar: negligees et sous pression/ El bosque seco de Madagascar: abandonado y bajo presion." International Forestry Review 17, no. 3 (2015): S127+. Academic OneFile (accessed April 23, 2018). http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/apps/doc/A428876614/AONE?u=vic_liberty&sid=AONE&xid=effdb02a.


                                                                                    
[1] "Demographics and resources: Natural resources." Economist Intelligence Unit: Country Profile: Madagascar, November 1, 2008. Academic OneFile (accessed April 23, 2018). 

[2] Waeber, P.O., L. Wilme, B. Ramamonjisoa, C. Garcia, D. Rakotomalala, Z.H. Rabemananjara, C.A. Kull, J.U. Ganzhorn, and J.-P. Sorg. "Dry forests in Madagascar: neglected and under pressure/Forets seches de Madagascar: negligees et sous pression/ El bosque seco de Madagascar: abandonado y bajo presion." International Forestry Review 17, no. 3 (2015): S127+. Academic OneFile (accessed April 23, 2018).

[3] "Demographics and resources: Natural resources." Economist Intelligence Unit: Country Profile: Madagascar, November 1, 2008. Academic OneFile (accessed April 23, 2018). 

[4] Waeber, P.O., L. Wilme, B. Ramamonjisoa, C. Garcia, D. Rakotomalala, Z.H. Rabemananjara, C.A. Kull, J.U. Ganzhorn, and J.-P. Sorg. "Dry forests in Madagascar: neglected and under pressure/Forets seches de Madagascar: negligees et sous pression/ El bosque seco de Madagascar: abandonado y bajo presion." International Forestry Review 17, no. 3 (2015): S127+. Academic OneFile (accessed April 23, 2018).

[5] "Resources and infrastructure: Natural resources and the environment." Economist Intelligence Unit: Country Profile: Madagascar, July 1, 2006. Academic OneFile (accessed April 23, 2018). 





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