Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity: Threats and opportunities

Madagascar's unique biota is heavily affected by human activity and is under intense threat. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on the conservation status of Madagascar's terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity by presenting data and analyses on documented and predicted species-level conservation statuses, the most prevalent and relevant threats, ex situ collections and programs, and the coverage and comprehensiveness of protected areas. The existing terrestrial protected area network in Madagascar covers 10.4% of its land area and includes at least part of the range of the majority of described native species of vertebrates with known distributions (97.1% of freshwater fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals combined) and plants (67.7%). The overall figures are higher for threatened species (97.7% of threatened vertebrates and 79.6% of threatened plants occurring within at least one protected area). International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments and Bayesian neural network analyses for plants identify overexploitation of biological resources and unsustainable agriculture as themost prominent threats to biodiversity. We highlight five opportunities for action at multiple levels to ensure that conservation and ecological restoration objectives, programs, and activities take account of complex underlying and interacting factors and produce tangible benefits for the biodiversity and people of Madagascar

Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity: Evolution, distribution, and use

Madagascar's biota is hyperdiverse and includes exceptional levels of endemicity. We review the current state of knowledge on Madagascar's past and current terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity by compiling and presenting comprehensive data on species diversity, endemism, and rates of species description and human uses, in addition to presenting an updated and simplified map of vegetation types. We report a substantial increase of records and species new to science in recent years; however, the diversity and evolution of many groups remain practically unknown (e.g., fungi and most invertebrates). Digitization efforts are increasing the resolution of species richness patterns and we highlight the crucial role of field- and collections-based research for advancing biodiversity knowledge and identifying gaps in our understanding, particularly as species richness corresponds closely to collection effort. Phylogenetic diversity patterns mirror that of species richness and endemism in most of the analyzed groups. We highlight humid forests as centers of diversity and endemism because of their role as refugia and centers of recent and rapid radiations. However, the distinct endemism of other areas, such as the grassland-woodland mosaic of the Central Highlands and the spiny forest of the southwest, is also biologically important despite lower species richness. The documented uses of Malagasy biodiversity are manifold, with much potential for the uncovering of new useful traits for food, medicine, and climate mitigation. The data presented here showcase Madagascar as a unique living laboratory for our understanding of evolution and the complex interactions between people and nature. The gathering and analysis of biodiversity data must continue and accelerate if we are to fully understand and safeguard this unique subset of Earth's biodiversity

Fiches techniques plantes de couvertures : légumineuses pérennes. Stylosanthes guianensis.

Ouvrage de vulgarisation In : Manuel pratique du semis direct à Madagascar. Vol. 3. Chapitre 3. § 2.1. Cirad, 2008

Stockage de carbone dans les sols sous systèmes de culture en semis direct sous couvert végétal (SCV) dans différents contextes pédoclimatiques à Madagascar

International audienceStocker du carbone dans le sol permet d'améliorer les propriétés physico-chimiques du sol mais aussi d'atténuer les effets de gaz à effet de serre. Une étude des stocks de carbone dans le sol sous différents systèmes en semis direct selon différents contextes pédoclimatiques a été menée à Madagascar dans 4 régions : le Sud-Est (Manakara, 3 types de sol, climat tropical humide), le Centre Nord-Est (Ambatondrazaka, 3 types de sol, climat tropical de moyenne altitude), le Sud (Tuléar, 2 types de sol, climat semi-aride) et sur les Hautes Terres (Antsirabe, 1 type de sol, climat tropical d'altitude). Les traitements étudiés comportent des systèmes en semis direct en couverture végétale (SCV) avec des modalités différentes de fertilisation suivant les dispositifs (sans fertilisation, fumier seul, fertilisation minérale seule, fumier + fertilisation minérale). Ils sont comparés à des systèmes de labour conventionnel ou à des jachères. D'une manière générale, les sols étudiés couvrent une gamme de texture allant des sols sableux aux sols très argileux (teneur en argile + limons fins variant de 13 à 78 mg.100g-1 argileux (> 40 Mg C.ha-1 sol) et faibles pour les sols sableux (< 24 Mg C.ha-1 sol). Les stocks de C du sol pour l'horizon équivalent à 0-20 cm sont élevés pour les sols sol). Les stocks de C sont corrélés positivement avec : (i) le climat, notamment la pluviométrie (R = 0,47, n = 10, p = 0,028), (ii) la texture (R = 0,53, n = 26, p = 0,005) et (iii) la teneur en agrégats stables du sol (R = 0,81, n = 26, p = 0,0001). La fertilisation n'influe que très faiblement les niveaux de stocks de C du sol. Les systèmes en semis direct influent positivement sur les teneurs en C à 0-5 et 5-10 cm par rapport au labour conventionnel mais on observe peu d'effet en termes de stockage de C dans l'horizon équivalent à 0-20 cm. Toutes situations confondues, les taux de stockage mesurés varient de 0 à 1,8 MgC.ha-1 .an--1

Data from: Palaeo-precipitation is a major determinant of palm species richness patterns across Madagascar: a tropical biodiversity hotspot

The distribution of rainforest in many regions across the Earth was strongly affected by Pleistocene ice ages. However, the extent to which these dynamics are still important for modern-day biodiversity patterns within tropical biodiversity hotspots has not been assessed. We employ a comprehensive dataset of Madagascan palms (Arecaceae) and climate reconstructions from the last glacial maximum (LGM; 21 000 years ago) to assess the relative role of modern environment and LGM climate in explaining geographical species richness patterns in this major tropical biodiversity hotspot. We found that palaeoclimate exerted a strong influence on palm species richness patterns, with richness peaking in areas with higher LGM precipitation relative to present-day even after controlling for modern environment, in particular in northeastern Madagascar, consistent with the persistence of tropical rainforest during the LGM primarily in this region. Our results provide evidence that diversity patterns in the World's most biodiverse regions may be shaped by long-term climate history as well as contemporary environment

La mise en place de systèmes de culture en semis direct.

Manuel SCV Madagascar Volume II Chapitre 3. CIRAD-GSDM, Antananarivo