Madagascar Creates Millions of Acres of New Protected Areas

The government of Madagascar has established 15 new conservation areas encompassing a total of 2.65 million acres (about a million hectares) on the East African island famed for its unique wildlife.

An estimated 80 percent of the island nation's plants and animals are found nowhere else on Earth.

"Madagascar is just a gold mine of biodiversity." - Russell Mittermeier, Conservation International president