page_title: Deforestation in Madagascar
section_title: Timber
hierarchical_section_title: Deforestation in Madagascar / Causes / Timber
caption_attribution_description: English: Rosewood being removed illegally from Marojejy National Park, Madagascar
context_page_description: Deforestation in Madagascar is an ongoing environmental issue. Deforestation creates agricultural or pastoral land but can also result in desertification, water resource degradation, biodiversity erosion and habitat loss, and soil loss.
  It has been noticed that Madagascar has lost 80 or 90% of its 'original' or 'pre-human' forest cover, but this claim is difficult to prove and is not supported by evidence. What is certain is that the arrival of humans on Madagascar some 2000+ years ago began a process of fire, cultivation, logging and grazing that has reduced forest cover. Industrial forest exploitation during the Merina monarchy and French colonialism contributed to forest loss. Evidence from air photography and remote sensing suggest that by c. 2000, around 40% to 50% of the forest cover present in 1950 was lost. Current hotspots for deforestation include dry forests in the southwest being converted for maize cultivation and rain forests in the northeast exploited for tropical hardwoods.
context_section_description: The Masoala Peninsula, in Madagascar’s east, consists of valuable hardwood timber.  Mostly ebony and rosewood, rainforests are degraded in order to satisfy a high demand within the international market.
caption: Illegal export of rosewood from Marojejy National Park
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