Save the Madagascar Rain Forest
- van: Ryan Wilson
- ontvanger: Marc Ravalomanana, President, Government of Madagascar
This petition is to get the attention of the Madagascar government so that they can understand that their rain forest is being depleted at an alarming rate. It is estimated that at the current level of deforestation, the Madagascar rain Forest will be depleted in twenty years.
The Madagascar Rain Forest must be preserved. Home to many endemic species of animals, plants, and insects, the Madagascar Rain Forest is quickly being depleted on a daily basis. Since the 1960s, 70% of the rain forest has vanished due to overpopulation, deforestation, and erosion in the name of progress and agriculture. Because of this, 17 species of lemur, a type of prosimian primate, have gone extinct. Of the 10,000 plant species 8,000 are endemic and many are slowly disappearing due to crop-farming of cotton and tobacco, Madagascar's two cheif crops. Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, has a current population of app.17 million; estimated to double by 2025. By then, there will be no rain forest on the island if current activities are not halted. The Amazon Rain Forest is not the sole natural resource in the world. We must protect the island of Madagascar now. We must ensure animals such as the lemur retain their natural habitat. With much to still be explored, we must make sure we preserve the endemic botanical and entymological species for perhaps they hold yet-to-be discovered medical cures. Please, sign this petition and preserve the island of Madagascar. Thank You.
