As you take a look into the background of Madagascar you can see how the landscape provided for a exotic lifestyle that provided rich crops, soil, and animals but you also see how the island ranges from a vast amount of land forms that make this Island unique.
This map shows the how center of Madagascar climate is subhumid making conditions perfect for crops and livestock.
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Madagascar is a tropical island located in the Indian ocean and known for its coast as seen by this image.
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This map shows the 18 different groups
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1-5. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2015, from http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/14/article-1220151-06CDF2DA000005DC-253_964x592_popup.jpg
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Biodiversity and the people of Madagascar
The land of many ethnicity or the 20 different groups of Malagasy call home to the unique Island of Madagascar. Rich in culture diversity and bio diversity what is there not to say about this exotic island as every corner of the island has a twist or turn of something different than the North, South, East, or West. The environment is as relative to the people that live there because each section depends on their surroundings for survival and the rare species, plants and etc. vary by section. Agriculture, hunting, and use of natural resources has always been a way of life on Madagascar as the people are very indigenous and tribal. Thus speaking the Island has always flourished with its exotic features that became the perfect home when the first settlers arrived, and the traditions of this island have not changed much since that day. However over time Madagascar has seen a depletion to its environment due to an increase of the population causing a threat to its natural environment as they proceed with their normal way of life since the beginning.
Moreover, as you may know many of the species, plants, animals and environments are only found on the Island of Madagascar making it very rare, but considering it’s isolated from all other landforms it faces environmental destruction. Deforestation, fires, exploiting living resources, erosion, and soil degradation. These are a few of the problems caused by the Malagasy people because this is their only option of survival in a country that is still developing to this day. So considering that the Malagasy people are very traditional with the environment and how they interact with it, they have not swayed away from their roots and continue to culturally act as their ancestors did which is something they highly praised in their culture. Throughout the Island the Malagasy people give the highest praise to elders, ancestors and the dead as this is a form of respect that comes from many eons ago. Therefore, as they have not intended to change the customs of their ancestors the Malagasy people will continue to grow and destroy this beautiful island. Following the negative on the environment of Madagascar caused by the people, the island does have a beneficiary side from tourism. The island makes bank off of the people who visit every year as Madagascar is a goldmine when it comes to tourism. The exotic island has much to see and even much more to do but how long that will exist is a question of the unknown. The worldbank.org shows that Madagascar has averaged over 200, 000 tourist from 2011-2013 underlying how important tourism is to this country. So as the people who live on Madagascar destroy the environment due to their practices, customs, and beliefs, the attraction the island draws of tourist a year helps put money back into the country. Clearly, the way of living in Madagascar is a negative for the island, but with its rich agriculture, environment, and wildlife the island is still able to attract people yearly. Works Cited International tourism, number of arrivals. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2015, from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ST.INT.ARVL The people of Madagascar. (n.d.). Retrieved November 18, 2015, from http://www.wildmadagascar.org/overview/the_people.html |