Good morning. First I would like to think the organize
is for having compiled this wonderful symposium.
It's a shame that we cannot really discussed these issues in person,
but maybe we can provide some food for for thoughts,
we can discussed this late on.
I would like to to start with a presentation on madagasca.
And on the conservation problems within the country.
Madagasca is one of the global buye diversedly hotspots.
Global hotspots outdefined biscly as as as areas with
hype bye diversity and the huge threat on these on this
buye diversity and the maintenance of the spide diversity
The First Queston is then how did this by diversity come about.
And especially, video, we have so many speaces in
madicals car both and terms of plans and also impose of animals,
that only accurre on this island.
In order time is stand this we have to go
back of you years in time. And if you start about 200 million years ago,
but that time madicals car, that's this black circled area here,
was till connected to salth, salth America, Africa, Asia and Actica.
In from that time, you still of some remnants in madicals cuss and radatives,
from a salth America, this concerns de boas here.
And the Iguanas that accurred today in South America and in Madagaskar,
but not in Africa. Then about 140 million years ago,
my the gast cover separated from Africa,
but was dill attached to Australia and to and arctica,
and from that time,
we have still have a couple of animals in Madagaskar today,
one of them our this blind cave fish,
there about 5to 6 cm long,
and there are current in the south west of Madagaskar and in Australia.
So, there are still some this biojour-graphic relationship to this old convanaland connection.
Then about AT8 und 90 Millionen User go, Madagaskar was the
tatch from any of the big land masses as we know them today.
And state as a lated for for the west of the
time and till now. Then about 65 million years ago,
we had this huge impact when a meteorite hit the earth
and basically eliminated the dinosaurce.
You also had dinosaurce in Madagaskar with Silfine the Bones of these animals.
But after this event Madagaskar was basically void of nature larger
animals. And the Island had to be recolonized,
from mainland africa, this coloniization was obviously not easy
Because if today for jump into the sea in Afrika, you are like
ton't up easer in sort of rabia or in asia,
but not on matter gas can. So the Ocean carence
had to be favorable for coloniization and this was,
obviously only possible in very short, or relatively
short time periods. As a konsequence,
we had a coloniization of the major mamail and lindages as
we see them today of the lehmors of insective wars of rodens and of conniverse and each of this groups
was able to colonize matter gas care only ones
So it one single colonialization event for each of these major large a taxa.
And then once these animals arrived and matter cascar,
the oblicy founder,
an area, that was not inhabited by many animals,
but still provided of diverse away of different happiteds.
We have today, we have eastern wayinforced,
as he are long the east coast.
And then we have some drive forest formation aus Biniforest
formation on the vist coast and in
the south best
The animals than opensly adapted to these different forms of happited and today,
we have a variety of animals that eater eater adapted to the wayne forced,
so just these most lemous here, or
most lemous in this bine forest, then we have shifacts or populicals,
also from the rain forest and we have the same animals,
also in the drive forest, a part from this,
we have specializations on specific food Items at this,
these membu lemous, that feed as the names as exclusively on bembou.
And if there is no bembou available the come down to
the ground and you Gras, basically like Chaos.
It's a all the only primates, the lift permanently in
marshes and feed on reads and setches there.
So that's a a very special eductation.
Than serden if we have the probably best known, lemos,
the lemo cutter, that have become mainly terrest view.
And we have then also other animals that specialized on different
food items, searches fruits or also plant exodates
or or gum. So this are eductations to specific environmental
conditions and to use specific food items. But That's not,
this kind of be the whole story,
because these Food-Items and also the different environmental conditions where not
diversing of to really generate this huge diversity,
that we find today on for plans and for animals in this country.
So what we have is,
if you look at the this isbution of animals,
we have an number of general,
that are really replaced by different speaces within one which tation formation.
So if you just look at, let's say these animals here,
we have this continue spend of every green range and if
you walk through this rainforce, you don't see in a difference.
So through human, I it law all looks the same.
But you find different animals there. So in the east course,
you have these rather differently looking animals on the vest course,
it's on most the same,
there the animals are mainly different in terms of the head colors.
But still, there are remarkably different,
but the forest looks more less the same.
In the question is, excuse me,
how can this come about how can we have this replacement
of one speaces by another speaces with then are seemily continuous
happened it
In order to interestances. So ist es mir. In
order than is standards, we have to again probably go
back in time and look for mechanisms that can possibly
lead to the Isolation of this ding populations and then this
populations can't diverge and can develop into something different.
And Is Ages might provides such a mechanism eyes ages and
our let it dudes, are so certainly associated with eyes.
In the propics, they become dry. And once the climate
gets stry, surdendly the mount of rainful, decreases,
but do still have inough rain or lot of lots of rain up high in the mountains.
And so the idea, was someone like this,
we have three major mountain,
mountains in metal guys case that it's one up north,
one in the center and one don't south.
And these mounts go almost up to about to 10500,
200, 5500, 3000 meters.
And they have major alreaders originating in this high mountains,
then these rivers drain and easer talks the west coast or talls the east coast.
And these areas probably will also will us state humant also
doing eyes ages, doing drive periods. But other areas,
at lower eltered dudes here, son like this here or here,
or in here, the god vibe,
because it did not get as much rain,
in they were cut off from the voterships of this major
reverse here. So and if you are then a speaces or population,
that get stuck in these areas here in between,
then you have to adapt to these new new conditions and
you have probably have to diverge from the original population.
So what we would expect is, we would expect to have
defined new speaces in these diese Pockets designt here up north,
it's final skill than don't south, but there's also pockets here and here.
And if you compare these postsulated centers of endemisms,
meaning the areas were we expect news beases, to have evolved.
These are depicted here on the right side,
if you compare those, with the present distribution of limos,
but also plans, birds, many rap tiles,
it works for most groups,
then we find that that these the present distribution pattern
off these animals coinside with these postsulate ded centers of endemism
Such as this speces here, or curse today in this
are here, this corresponse to this area.
This speces here corresponse to this area here,
and that's the actual distribution, up noth here, it's much final scaled.
On the east on the west, we have
an... The prophetical is rock see here,
that the curse in this, and in this area.
And then we have an air and speces here from here and from here.
So it coinsides pretty vale interesting is this animal here that propheticals cornators,
because this speces had it this seputed not has it distribution that's very difficult to understand,
because formly venew that this animal occourse here in this Area and here,
but not in between.
And this makes sense, if you post to late that originally this animal
or curd too out this wide area here. And then today,
we do not have forced there here in the center animal,
but the disributions are stricted to this costal areas here and here.
So this would this types of ascilation of climatic ascilations changing
between fuy, dry and web season
or not season so, but that periods longer, periods certainly.
Might have provided am mechanism that leads or the producers
this thing population that then can develop into something distinct.
And this might be one of the reasons, by we
have such a huged by diversity in Madagaskar. Now,
that's this how this by diversity could could have come about,
but the question now is,
how can this by diversity be maintained under the current threats two this two this plans and animals?
Because what we have today is as a show to before,
we have these very nice force and the east and in the west,
but if a fly over the country,
the center looks more less like this,
it's a hostyle area
Eine Plans Envas cannot live here there. People count live
there eather. And the reason for this is probably human population,
human impact that overuse the areas and then we have just a lot of erosion.
And the firth hell soil soil is simply flashed into the sea.
My the guyskuy has one of the highs population growth on earth,
we are almost up to 3% per year and the
majority of these people are living in the country.
But means,
that deeply must have must make a living from the country
They need what the country but users in the need for
the forest but users in this is why the simply have to use the land theref to turn forest into acry culture to make a living.
And this is just a major problem.
The is the the problem just a illustrate what these problems
look like we have on the one hand we have hunting,
hunting is a very reason phenomenon.
Especially a hunting leam with because leam was used to be fahrdi
or tabue, because they were considered to be the entsisters.
And so they were normally not eat but this tradition has
collepsed and norbia future tracks of forest of still existing forests that are basically hundred out.
So that's a major problem and that's simply because people do
not have anything else to eat.
Then forest is being degraded by Dracucle making in for wood
collection about the majority of majority of magers people and basically everybody in the country,
cooks, eat this wooth Dracull or this wood.
And the cerny leads to digradation of these forests.
Then people need accultural land that just here in the east coast.
So they plant in this case coffee,
Nanas or Rise in the simply have to clearland and they
have to clearland every couple of years, because it's roaded and waste the way.
And this basically to a some reminders of forest high up on a mountains.
And this reminders fring and one, one measure to over conservation measure is to link
these eisolated forest fragments and that's something be a count to later on.
In Flat Areas to simply have full fledged distruction of the forest in then plantation of some
kind of crops, reasonably More Reason Phenomenon is largescaled mining operation,
that also used a lot of land and then also producers a
lot of ways. And this tries the forest,
but the drivers are serdenly different,
from mother show the first here like hunting and turning land in the ekel cultural land,
that's a simple need for the people to make a living to survive today,
the mining operation especially the large skill mining operation,
is drivened by the international needs,
mean that's spacely us who demand this minorals.
But not the markers people themselves
As a result, beskly all of the present lemous in
medicascare are vulnerable of our threatened, more or less,
but you have at the moment of our round 110,
120 different lemouspeas that are recordnized by the IOCN, the day.
And in the last assessment, two years, three years ago,
we had the matrority being easer class that as vulnerable and dangerot or credically endanged.
And there only two a three speaces of least concern and
two speaces that we do not have data on If a look at this,
and these are the excently most peaces and the diverses,
depicted here, a bit.
But just a couple 100 years go be still have many,
now, extinct, large a limit speace up to decise of a Grilla,
the black situate here, that's the present and largest learn or we have today, that's the indry.
And this indry is still small of than most of
these extinct leamers speaces that are are shown here.
This peace still accurred driven colognial times in their reports from French colognialists,
who report, carfs sized animals in the forest.
And they didn't know what the ware,
but these were probably some of these extinct leamers
Wie, just a illustrate the defore station
process that actually leads to the extinction of these anomals,
years are map of origin in investment made a gascar,
the grey area here that's the then these boundary that's used be
all forced in the 70s and the different colors represent defore station,
periods of different times.
What's interesting here is my sony the forest goals and today
this map shows that development till 2010,
2020 wie have lost bassly everything left of a straight
line that goes from here
Don't south. But what's interesting here is that obviously deforestation
is we inforced or is accelerated, doing political crisis.
So then I know, but we the looks of the land and people know,
well, there's no police is not operating.
And nobody a really cares about what's happening in the land,
doing these times, we have increased in deforestation.
So people than simply go out and clear what every
they can't, who have ecocultural land after words.
And this happened in the beginning of the 21st century.
And then it happen again in 2008, 2001. And as that for the last five years,
we based yet a continuous political crisis in Madeikaska,
with basically nothing that really resembles,
even reasonal governance in a very very core sense and this basically let to situation that basically this forests,
more less gone, by now.
Okay, now, but there are serdenly approaches and attempts to keep
this by a diversity conserve, for every be have.
And the first thing is to create protected areas,
these are basically No-Go-Areas, that tood be captain as well as possible.
And they should bring in some kind of money,
either through tourson, or by exchanging,
basically the maintenance of forest, through carbon funds, and carbon credits.
So that's an international financing mechanism. And on the other hand,
we there are attempts to produce now forest,
that surf the animals as well as the people.
And this type of ecoforest we approaches,
has become more fashionable over the last couple of years.
And might be apromising way of really come to better conservation,
effectiveness than we have the moment.
Just a illustrators bit, that's a and some out un
usual presentation of the protected area assystem.
So in pinson to have a lot of protected areas in
matteguasca they are shown here everything that's called is a
protected area and that spacely that's a lot of surface
The surfers development, between 1927 and basically today is schon here. And today,
this different colors represent different types of protected areas,
so type one to 4 basically protected areas is we know them,
type 5 and 6 of force or potated areas,
that's basically cultural landscape.
There people can use the forest, these are community,
that's community based managements or the community can disside,
what the take out of the forest,
but the still the forest should remain intect And today,
we have we have about 6 to 7 million hectors,
put in the some kind of conservation.
And actually it works very build, so the especially IOC
and categories one to 4 seeing to be reason we vel protected.
The 5 and 6 and do not work as well,
simply because people need the resources provided by these forests.
All come back to this in a second. The problem
is that we still to not have a propos financing mechanism for all of this.
So if a look at the Value,
that's attached to these different forms of land use,
then we normally we be have a land use great and going from force,
then the force is used for any kind of product,
it this leads to forest decultation,
but still be a forest.
And then eventually be of pastor or equicultural land. And our values,
the global Values, basically decrease from forest to equiculture.
So this is, what's the new buzzword of ecosystem services,
and egocystem functions, this is, what we one,
we one forest to on the bind CO2 and for a clamatic reasons.
And so that's these our values, but Dieser Value that
are not village of value to the people on the ground.
For the people on the ground, the values are just
the opposite. Forest, yes, the need forest,
to some extent for firewood for a mad discinnal plans
. But it's the forest, it's self, doesn't not
have the Value of a rise peddy of a rise field.
So the Value of the same land,
lands cable land use is completely is opposite from the local perspective,
thenities from the international perspective.
And if we from the international perspective want to think that
our values are better then the ones Value by the people.
Then we have to make sure that there are somehow compensated
for the loss of income by generated by channeling,
money from our values, two these to the people and to keep then this type of land use.
And this does not work. And if it go back,
just to illustrate this with this of the land service,
that see one hector of land normally produce about the 100 Euro of income per year for itch person.
So if you put 6 Millionen Hectors of Land into conservations
or that people can not use it in principle.
You must somehow compensate for 600 Millionen Euro that's income that the people do not have,
but actually would need and would really like to have.
And this does not work,
because first tours and can not produced this and if so
seary the money generate by tours and does not go to the local people.
And of things like carbonshares, carbonfunds or the web approach.
But use is money that could go to the country,
but the normit go straight in a bank accounts in Dubai
or infrance or in in Switch so land,
but also it does not arrive at the people.
And this is why we have these problems.
Another initiative could be or option could be how to come
to a better solution for this,
is we could produce a lance cape that's of value for people and for animals at the native plans like.
And that's an issue that's relevant at the moment,
because we are in the decade of ecosystem restauration.
And this this african forest landscape restauration initiative,
basically based on the Bonn initiative
Different countries, promise to restore land and this basically
should lead to this green build a cross Africa.
And Madeikaska, promised to refore ist about 4 million hactors of land.
This refore stations are a bit problematic, because the perception
of what's a used for we forestation is very different.
And most decision makers in this countries,
there just take anything that screen and in for for Africa
for many airs in the suthern hamist few,
it's based it's pine.
Pine does not a cure in on the suthern hamist few
naturally or you colypts
These areny then will produce something green, that maybe of value for the CO2-Balance.
But certain, it's not of conservation Value. And so
that we have veen doing over the last couple of fears,
we compiled plans that can be used by people that arping
used for people that provides some income to the people.
But the same plans should also be of value to animals.
And we found pride a number of Also oft dieses Plans,
that's just the picture of three areas and in the three areas,
we have more than 104 different plans pieces,
that arping used by animals and people are like.
An example is here that's the mengue tree and a shif acciting in the mengue tree,
mengos are searnally of value than can be used for food production to make jam.
And also to cell this mengos and once mengos are rive the ribe,
there are right and huge quantities,
so that's not a problem that some of them are also eaten,
by these and normals.
And there are are also grasses and erbs that could
be used to restore the fellowland, of seen it,
before so to bring it back into some
kind of repert of productive land. So there are options,
were we could is step to some kind of echo forced y,
as said of value to people and animals a like.
And this option is also a illustrated here in the environmental component of a mining company,
mining companies are probably the most notice notible entities,
at least in mathecasca once it comes to restauration.
And it's It's quite amazing, but they can do,
because first to have the means,
they also have to do it, for image reasons.
And they do to do a very good drop actually in terms
vonces comes to restauration, techneaks. And this is illustrated here,
here, be try to connect, to isolated forced fragments by some
kind of forced mentations. And they try it here,
exotics peaces in this case, these are casia,
and here this are all native endemics peaces,
both are for yours old and they are growing on the pourists all,
they can possibly maging that's just pure cent.
And these threes are up to 10 me to side,
they are about But too me to say,
but the crow velle and that's that's the thing for years.
And so within, let's say, 10,
20 years or can really come put do something that looks
like a forest that is a forest and it that's passive by the forest.
And these corridors here are now being used by animals,
do move between this forest remnants.
So this approach can work and it can combine,
useful plans for people and useful plans for animals. And with this approach,
we hope that we find ways by combination,
by combining different aspects,
so that we find ways to keep this animals a bit longers,
so that we can also silver watch them not only in suice,
but also in the wild.
Thank you