Word: madagascar
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...need the right eyes to see in the rain forests of Madagascar's Andasibe-Mantadia National Park--and being a suburban boy who now lives in Brooklyn, I don't have them. So I borrowed Marie Razafindrasolo's. She was my guide on a recent trip to Andasibe, where she pointed out a Parson's chameleon lying motionless on a branch and a panda-like indri dangling shyly from the top of a tree. Later Razafindrasolo took our group on a night walk through the fringes of the forest. She showed us golden Mantella frogs and leaf-tailed geckos...
...places on earth can match Madagascar as an ecotourism destination. Some 70% of Madagascar's animals are found only in this island nation, which is roughly the size of Texas. But Madagascar hasn't always been great at showcasing its biological richness--driving anywhere in this remote country will test your shocks and your spine--and its tourism industry remains small. That's beginning to change, though, as the government is in the middle of tripling the size of its national-park system, and local-guide networks are springing up around the country. These moves are coming at the right...
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, 100 sq. mi. (about 260 sq km) of protected forest in a nation that is now more than 90% deforested, is one of Madagascar's main draws. Local guides like Razafindrasolo lead walking tours through the old-growth forest, where energetic sifaka lemurs can be seen in the mornings dancing through the trees. This is one of the main reasons to go all the way to Madagascar--to see endangered species that exist nowhere else. The other reason is that your presence--or, more specifically, your wallet's presence--can help save the last remaining habitats...
Before I traveled to Madagascar, I was doubtful about the value of ecotourism. My trip from New York City alone created more than 11 tons of greenhouse gases and cost around $3,000. But the right kind of travel--in which sensitive areas are minimally affected and local people earn a fair wage--benefits the environment and the economy. That's my experience in Madagascar, where the government gives 50% of the revenue from parks--including entrance fees--to neighboring communities. Most important, the industry engenders a reverence for nature among visitors and locals alike. As Russell Mittermeier, president...
...some degree of warming is inevitable, so conservationists have to prepare. That means creating not just reserves, but safe nature corridors that would allow wildlife to migrate in the face of rising temperatures. Another method is to try to connect existing reserves through reforestation - a technique already underway in Madagascar, where the government is looking to vastly increase the total amount of protected land. What's certain is that we need to act. If we don't, says Schweiger, "Climate change could undermine the conservation work of whole generations...