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New Hope for Madagascar’s Rare Birds
"There is hope. The rate of deforestation has slowed,"
- Frank Hawkins, an ornithologist and co-author of the main field guide on birds of Madagascar
Antananarivo, Madagascar - Hunting and the destruction of forests have put many of Madagascar's rare bird species on the endangered list, but the government's drive to protect habitat may turn the tide, a leading scientist said.
The pace of forest loss is slowing. "In the past five years it has been only about one or two percent," said Hawkins, attributing the reduction to the government's 2003 decision to triple its amount of protected areas and make ecotourism a priority.