Hot Spot: Madagascar & The Indian Ocean Islands

Addie LaurenteSai Mandalapu

Pete DeeganSydney Gilbert

Why it’s a “Hot Spot”

• natural environment high biodiversity• contains large number of endangered species.

• Endangered Species (that live only here):– 8 plant families: – 5 primate families– 4 bird families– 50 + lemur species

Unique Biodiversity

• Of the 13,000 species of plants, 11,600 are endemic.• The islands contain 155 species of mammals, 144 of

them are endemic.• Of the 300 different bird species, 60% are endemic.• 384 reptile species are found on the islands and 367

of them are endemic to the area.• There are 230 species of amphibians and 229 are

endemic.• There are 164 species of fish and 97 are endemic.

Human Impacts• humans arrived on the islands 1,500-2,000 years ago so native

animals were naïve and easily killed by colonists• The islands' location made them important points on trade

routes and great for pirates• Imported agricultural techniques have destroyed the islands’

vegetation, and only 17 percent of Madagascar’s original vegetation remains

• Hunting and timber extraction, industrial and small-scale mining are growing threats, along with the quickly rising population

• Animals brought to the island such as rats, cats and mongooses have devastated native populations of birds and small reptiles.