New research prompts urgent call from scientists to protect Madagascar’s unique biodiversity, before it’s too late.

News published: 8 December 2022

In two new papers recently published in Science, researchers from the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and partners from over 50 other global organisations, including BGCI, have undertaken a major review of Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity. Key points:

• Experts reviewed current state of biodiversity in Madagascar and shed light on island’s future
• 50 organisations worldwide collaborated on twin papers published in Science
• Only a third of all Malagasy plant species have had their conservation status formally assessed, despite their clear importance and uniqueness
• Studies highlight urgent need for collaborative science-based conservation that integrates needs of local communities

Bringing together the most up-to-date resources and using cutting-edge techniques to predict conservation status, the team evaluated the threats facing terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity and looked at future opportunities for conservation and restoration.

Read the papers

Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity: Threats and opportunities.

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

A biodiversity hotspot

Madagascar is one of the world’s foremost biodiversity hotspots, with unique flora and fauna, the majority of which evolved in isolation on the island and occur nowhere else. These papers highlight that there is still much to learn, particularly for groups such as fungi and invertebrates, where current scientific species descriptions represent a small fraction of the full diversity present. Despite the rate at which scientists are describing new species accelerating in recent years, there is much work to do to describe the full range of Malagasy species and to understand their past, present and likely future.

Understanding the origins, evolution, current distribution, and uses of Madagascar’s extraordinary biodiversity is crucial to highlighting its global importance and guiding urgent conservation efforts. It is estimated that there are 11,516 described species of native Malagasy vascular plants, of which a staggering 82% are endemic. Among the 1,314 species of native terrestrial and freshwater vertebrates, the figure is even higher, with 90% endemism overall.

This unique diversity is in grave danger. The research team compiled available IUCN risk of extinction assessment data on plants and vertebrates, and used machine learning to predict the extinction risks for plant species lacking assessments. While only a third of all Malagasy plant species (just under half of native species) have been formally assessed, researchers found that Madagascar is home to a disproportionately high number of Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered species and that the number of threatened ferns and their relatives may have been underestimated.

The analysis showed that overexploitation, such as direct hunting and harvesting of species, and unsustainable agricultural practices affect 62.1% and 56.8% of vertebrate species, respectively, and each affects nearly 90% of all plant species. The research team concluded the current knowledge on Madagascar’s biodiversity and its decline indicates an urgent need for action.

“Ensuring the survival of Madagascar’s exceptional biological diversity depends on achieving sustainable economic development so that the twin goals of nature conservation and equitable improvement of livelihoods are integrated into an approach that empowers local people to manage their landscape and resources in a holistic way,” said Gunter Fischer, Senior Vice President of Science and Conservation at the Missouri Botanical Garden. “Instead of continuing to degrade the island’s environment, which is compromising the future of Madagascar’s citizens, its natural capital can be increased by promoting ecological restoration and sustainable agricultural practices using approaches that we have developed over the last decade at a dozen community-based conservation sites.”

Currently, protected areas cover 10.4% of Madagascar and are relatively well-placed to encompass the island nation’s biodiversity. The research team found that the network provides good coverage of the major habitats, particularly mangroves, spiny forest, humid forest, and tapia woodland, but that sub-humid forest and grassland-woodland mosaic have very limited areas under protection (5.7% and 1.8% respectively).

Nevertheless, 79.6% of threatened plant species and 97.7% of threatened vertebrate species occur within at least one protected area. Complementary to this, ex situ collections, such as seed banks and breeding and reintroduction programs, hold 18% of vertebrate species and 23% of plant species. Maintaining and improving the quality of protection in parks and reserves, along with effective ex situ conservation and integrated community-based programs, will be the key to success. 

Dr Malin Rivers, Head of Conservation Prioritisation, BGCI:

“The unique biodiversity of Madagascar also require unique approach to conservation and restoration efforts. Protecting the richness of Malagasy biodiversity is important not only for the people of Madagascar but for us all globally.”

The challenge is to find a balance between local use of biodiversity and conserving the integrity of protected areas and the ecosystems they contain. The majority of Madagascar’s over 28 million human inhabitants live outside of protected areas but often very close to them. These communities face challenges connected to widespread poverty, which itself is related to degradation of natural capital in the landscape, limited access to formal education and health, care, and regulatory issues including land tenure.

Call for action

The papers propose five opportunities for action to further conservation in a just and equitable way:

• Investment in conservation and restoration must be based on evidence and effectiveness, rather than simplistic area-based metrics, and must be tailored to meet future challenges through inclusive solutions.
• Expanded biodiversity monitoring, including increased dataset production and availability, is key to safeguarding Madagascar’s most valuable natural assets.
• Improving the effectiveness of existing protected areas, for example through community engagement, training, and income opportunities, is more important than creating new ones.
• Conservation and restoration should not focus solely on the protected areas network but should also include the surrounding landscapes and communities.
• Conservation actions must address the root causes of biodiversity loss, including poverty and food insecurity.

To find out more about Madagascar’s trees check out our two publications:

Red List of the Dry Forest Trees of Madagascar (2020)

The Red List of Trees of Madagascar (2021)