Madagascar's fish species are some of the most threatened on the planet. Habitat loss -- especially the conversion of native vegetation to rice paddies -- combined with erosion resulting from deforestation and the introduction of exotic species (especially Tilapia, Snakeheads, Mosquito fish) have devastated endemic species. Several of Madagascar's unique species are no longer recorded in the wild.
Malagasy Crayfish: According to Bradt 2001, six species of crayfish have been described in Madagascar, all of which are endemic. What makes this occurrence particularly interesting is crayfish are not present in Africa or India -- meaning Malagasy crayfish may have much older origins. Today crayfish are a vital source of protein to many in Madagascar.
Almost all pictures on this site were taken with a Konica Minolta
Recent articles
Madagascar fires mapped with Google Earth in real-time Every year as much as one-third of Madagascar, one of the planet's most biodiverse islands, goes up in flames. Now a new tool gives scientists the ability to monitor and track Madagascar's fires in real-time through the Internet.
UNESCO lists rainforest parks of Madagascar as Heritage sites (7/2/2007) UNESCO has listed six rainforest parks in Madagascar as World Heritage sites. The announcement comes as the Indian Ocean island nation has moved aggressively to protect its biologically-rich forests from further degradation.
Conservation is saving lemurs and helping people in Madagascar (5/7/2007) Madagascar, an island nation that lies off the coast of southeastern Africa, has long been famous for its unique and diverse species of wildlife, especially lemurs--primates found nowhere else on the planet. In recent years, the island country has also become world-renowned for conservation efforts that are succeeding in spite of extraordinary pressures from a poor population that relies heavily on forest burning for basic subsistence. A large part of this success is due to the early efforts of Patricia Wright, a primatologist who has been working in the country for more than 20 years. Wright led the effort to launch the country's leading protected area and helped Madagascar become a leading global example of conservation despite its economic adversity.
