Some scientists estimate that at the current rate of destruction, almost all of Madagascar's forests could be lost within 25 years. As recently as ten years ago, precious topsoil run off, perhaps as great as one hundred tons an acre each year, could be seen from space, a distinctive red in the surrounding ocean. Conservationists are searching for ways to help Madagascar's people better sustain their island's treasures. Ecotourism and sustainable farming offer some hope but neither alleviates Madagascar's most pressing problem of a rapidly multiplying population. The rosy periwinkle's situation is not unique to this species.
Humans often turn to wild species to find solutions to medical and agricultural problems.
Meanwhile, expanding human activity precipitates extinctions around the globe. Forests are being destroyed at unrecoverable rates. Precisely how such loss will affect human society over time is uncertain, but that it will alter the Earth's fine balance is clear. The Forest Link Forest ecosystems are critical to human life, providing species and resources upon which we depend. As the rosy periwinkle illustrates, nature yields important medical products.