Madagascar spiny forests
The Madagascar spiny forests (also known as the Madagascar spiny thickets) is an ecoregion in the southwest of Madagascar. The vegetation type is found on poor substrates with low, erratic winter rainfall. The ecoregion contains an outstanding proportion of endemic plant species and is listed as one of the 200 most important ecological regions in the world; one of the Global 200. Flora. This is the area with the highest level of plant endemism in Madagascar, with 48% of the genera and 95% of the species endemic. Many constituent plants show extreme adaptations to drought. Spiny plants  of the endemic subfamily Didiereoideae form a conspicuous component, especially towards the east. They are woody but distantly related to the cacti. The remaining component of the forests is dominated by members of the plant families Burseraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Anacardiaceae and Fabaceae, all of which have representatives elsewhere. Fauna. Notable inhabitants of the spiny thickets include the spider tortoise ("Pyxis arachnoides") and the radiated tortoise ("Astrochelys radiata"), the gecko "Ebenavia maintimainty", several lemurs including Verreaux's sifaka, Grandidier's mongoose, and eight endemic birds. Conservation. Existing reserves protect a maximum of 3% of the remaining vegetation, including Tsimanampetsotsa National Park, Berenty  Reserve, and Beza Mahafaly Reserve. Andohahela National Park offers limited protection through its 'parcel 3' section. Elsewhere the spiny forest habitat is under pressure from human exploitation. The main impacting activities are burning for conversion to grazing land, harvesting for charcoal and firewood, and logging for construction. The Arboretum d'Antsokay is a botanical garden near Toliara dedicated to preserving the flora of the spiny forest.