Eco-Tourism
 Madagascar endemic Flora
Madagascar is legendary for its profusion of wildlife and flora, 80% of which is found nowhere else on earth. -10 families and 260 genera of plants are endemic to Madagascar. Only Australia (with 13) has more endemic species of plants. -165 of Madagascar's 170 palms are not found anywhere else. For comparison, mainland Africa has less than 60 species of palm -Of the 8 species of baobab found in the world, six are endemic to Madagascar -An entire family of plants, the Didiereaceae is unique to Madagascar. Didiereaceae plants are found in the arid southwest and closely resemble some forms of cacti. Unlike catci though, they produce small deciduous leaves which are protected by meanacing thorns and spines that grow directly out of the plant's many branches. -95% of the species found in the Spiny desert exist only in this habitat unique to Madagascar. -Madagascar has nearly 1000 known species of orchids, of which 85% are endemic. -Anti-cancer drugs (vincristine, vinblastine) derived from the Madagascar rosy periwinkle generated over a billion dollars in revenue for Eli Lilly & Co. Madagascar endemic Wildlife
Madagascar - an isolated island about twice the size of Arizona - has some of the highest biodiversity on the planet. Of roughly 200,000 known species found on Madagascar, about 150,000 are endemic-meaning they exist nowhere else. Unique to the island are more than 50 types of lemurs, 99 percent of its frog species, and 36 genera of birds. Madgascar houses 100 percent of the world's lemurs, half of its chameleon species, 6 percent of its frogs, and none of its toads Isolated from the continents 160 million years ago, Madagascar followed a unique evolutionary path into enormous tortoises, elephant birds, and lemurs. Lemurs were the highest primate form on the island until the Malagasy people, of Afro-Polynesian ancestry, arrived a mere 2000 years ago. |
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Madagascar Consulate General in South Africa