Madagascar had the privilege of hosting the 56th Annual Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation from July 30th to August 3rd in 2019. Fanamby was honored to be a silver sponsor of the event.

With 100% of native mammals, 99% of frogs, 98% of reptiles, and 80% of flowering plants found nowhere else on Earth, Madagascar is known to be highly ranked as one of the biodiversity hotspots.

Unfortunately, this natural treasure is seriously threatened by different factors. Anthropogenic pressures, linked with the extreme poverty of rural communities, are considerable: slash-and-burn agriculture, seasonal burning of forests to create cattle pasture, hunting, over-exploitation of natural resources, and the breakdown of law due to recurrent political crises. This has dramatic consequences on the environment and rapidly sparks the reduction of natural habitats and the plants and animals they contain.

Many different governmental and non-governmental organizations are striving to find effective solutions that can lead to tangible positive results. In addition, a petition to urge sustained commitment from the national government for the biodiversity conservation was signed. Without urgent action, it will soon be too late to save some of Madagascar’s most iconic habitats and species. By making progress in the five areas we highlight, the new President’s term could instead result in a turning point for Madagascar’s biodiversity.

“Not only is Madagascar incredibly important for primates, it is also one of the world’s highest priority biodiversity hotspots. It has already lost more than 90% of its original natural vegetation, and it has the highest levels of endemism at the species, genus, and family levels of any hotspot on Earth, conserving not just unique species but entire evolutionary lineages” (Mittermeier et al. 2010).