Madagascar Faces Escalating Tree Cover Loss and Fire Incidents

Madagascar Faces Escalating Tree Cover Loss and Fire Incidents

Madagascar, known for its unique biodiversity and extensive forests, is experiencing a significant decline in tree cover, exacerbated by various factors including shifting agriculture, forestry, and wildfires. Over the past two decades, the island nation has seen a net loss of 1,027,956 hectares of tree cover, which represents a 5.89% decrease from its original tree cover extent of 17,141,085 hectares.

Shifting agriculture remains the predominant driver of this loss, contributing to the overwhelming majority of deforestation. This practice alone has resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest each year, with a peak in 2017 when Madagascar lost over 490,000 hectares due to this activity. Forestry activities and wildfires, although significantly less impactful than agriculture, have also played a role in the reduction of tree cover.