Priceless ecosystems threatened by a rare earth mining project in northwest Madagascar – Ampasindava Peninsula

摘要

Madagascar is one of the richest biodiversity hotspots onthe planet. The diverse tropical and subtropical climates ofthe island, its topography and geological history have produced a unique level of species diversity and endemism.The Ampasindava Peninsula, located in the Diana region ofnorth-western Madagascar, about 40 km south of Ambanjacity along the coast of the Mozambique Channel, sheltershighly original ecosystems. The climatic parameters of thepeninsula are more similar to those of the humid and subhumid areas of the east coast of the island than to thoseof the rest of the west coast, where much drier conditionsprevail. Thus, isolated and distinctive sub humid and humidforests and mangroves have developed. Consequently, botanical and zoological endemism is high on the peninsula,including among mammals, such as the little-studied Lepilemur mittermeieri, classifed as Endangered (IUCN, 2016).The density of marine mammals in the waters surrounding the peninsula is also very high and some very rare species, such as Balaenoptera omurai, have been recorded fromthe area. The forest cover on the Ampasindava Peninsula ishighly fragmented and the remaining forest patches are under varying levels of anthropic pressure and disturbance.The largest forest fragments of the peninsula are locatedon two mountains: Andranomatavy and Ambohimirahavavy,both covered with primary forest.