Mantadia National Park, Andasibe Madagascar

We began hiking into the forest at 8 AM. First following the wide cut-stone trails then soon enough we were scrambling up and down slippery ridges chasing birds in flight. There aren’t breezes in dense tropical rainforests, the stillness was only interrupted by our footsteps. After five hours I saw red berries thrown on the ground with abandon, I looked up to a black and white ruffed lemur peering down at me. In the next hour we found several other types of lemurs then it was time to head out.

We quickly ate our bagged lunches at the carpark, sitting on the hard packed dirt road. Luc seemed disappointed that we couldn’t swim in a nearby waterfall. The mid-day sun was intense, a dip would have been nice there just wasn’t enough time.

I sat back, reclining on a rock as the two men chatted in Malagasy. Butterflies fluttered around our heads before disappearing into the forest. This place is different I thought. The mood of the forest was tangible, this is what a primary forest means.

Prioritize Primary Forests

Protecting earth’s remaining old growth forests is a global concern from North America to Africa to all the other continents on earth. An old growth forest is also referred to as a primary forest, or as an intact forested ecosystem that has not been degraded by logging, agriculture, or other human development. Each forest has its story, the primary forests of Madagascar host plant and animal species that haven’t evolved anywhere else.

 Forests can be replanted but the biodiversity of the old growth forests cannot be replaced. The authors of “Primary Forests are Irreplaceable for Sustaining Tropical Biodiversity“ (2011) discuss the importance of regenerating ecosystems that have been cleared of primary forests. Growing a forest back is a decades long project, involving landscape-scale regeneration. Today’s tree nurseries are necessary for the next generations.

Current environmental policies and plans recognize the importance of regenerating degraded areas. Separate policies should prioritize the protection of old growth forests before precious ecosystems slip away. “…when it comes to maintaining tropical biodiversity, there is no substitute for primary forests” (Gibson et al., 2011). Protecting our surviving primary forests is distinctly different than reforesting efforts. Honoring old growth forests is the best chance for securing a biodiverse future. We need them.

Reference

Gibson, L., Lee, T.M., Koh, L.P., Brook, B.W., Gardner, T.A., Barlow, J., Peres, C.A., Bradshaw, C.J.A., Laurance, W.F., Lovejoy, T.E., Sodhi, N.S. (October 20, 2011). Primary forests are irreplaceable for sustaining tropical biodiversity. Nature. 478. 378-383.

Call of the Indri Indri recorded January 2023

The kind folks at Wild Madagascar organized my trip to the Andasibe region. They were patient, efficient, and a pleasure to work with.