12 October 2009

Oh dear... Madagascar not worried about crayfish, for wrong reasons


Back in March, I wrote:

Sadly, an invasive crayfish species is currently a very small problem for researchers and others concerned with the island. The country is in turmoil politically.

Half a year hasn’t improved matters much. A new piece in New Scientist says political instability is continues to threaten Madagascar’s biological treasures.

Since a military coup forced the president to resign in March, conservationists and biologists have watched as loggers have stripped the country’s forests and killed its animals for bushmeat. ...

(A)t the very least, 120 rosewood and ebony trees, worth an estimated $480,000, are being taken out of Masoala, Madagascar's largest national park, each day. At least thirteen illegal traders, known locally as the “rosewood Mafia,” buy the wood and export it, mostly to China. Conservationists say the logging is destroying the island’s national parks and having knock-on effects on the forest's animals.

Emphasis added.

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