France Pledges $20 mil. To Protect Madagascar Biodiversity

In what's being referred to a "debt-for-nature swap", France contributed $20 million to protect Madagascar's unique biodiversity. This according to a report at ScienceDaily.

Madagascar is in the midst of raising $50 million to triple its protected lands. But that's difficult in a country where 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

The isolated island-nation is home to a very unique ecosystem. Ninety-eight percent of the countries mammals, 92 percent of the reptiles and 80 percent of the plants can not be found anyplace else on Earth.

The French money comes at a critical time. A recent report, also at ScienceDaily, shows global warming is forcing reptiles to migrate to higher elevations. If the trend continues, some of these species will begin dying off around mid-century.


(Image of baobab trees, which only grown in Madagascar, by Bernard Gagnon)