Madagascar Lowland Forests - Flora

Flora

The lowland forests are characterized by dense evergreen forests, with a canopy exceeding 30 meters. Typical canopy species include Dalbergia, Diospyros, Ocotea, Symphonia, and Tambourissa; emergents of Canarium, Albizia, and Brochoneura acuminata rise above the canopy. The lowland forests have a rich diversity of Pandanus, bamboo, and epiphytic orchid species.

Madagascar's lowland rainforests have been preserved generally better than the high central plateau, presumably due to historically less population density and longer distance to the capital city via marginal highway. There has been widespread slash-and-burn activity in the lowland rainforests, reducing certain forest habitat and applying pressure to some endangered species. Slash-and-burn is a method sometimes used by shifting cultivators to create short term yields from marginal soils. When practiced repeatedly, or without intervening fallow periods, the nutrient-poor soils may be exhausted or eroded to an unproductive state. These habitat loss impacts are especially significant because of the inherent biodiversity and high endemism of these rainforests. An interesting feature of these rainforests is the presence of Pachypodium habitats, often associated with xeric islands created by locally efficient drainage.