Climate change and deforestation may eliminate Madagascar's rainforest habitat: Study

The combined effects of climate change and deforestation could decimate Madagascar's eastern rainforest habitat by 2070, impacting thousands of plants, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians endemic to the island nation, according to a study.

The research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, also found that protected areas will help to mitigate this devastation while environmentalists work towards long-term solutions for ending runaway greenhouse gas emissions.

Madagascar -- a biodiversity hotspot where 80 to 90 per cent of animal and plant species are exclusive to the area -- has been devasted by decades of deforestation and over-harvesting, according to the researchers from the City University of New York (CUNY) in the US.

The activities have destroyed much of the land cover that provides habitat for a variety of unique animals, including currently endangered varieties of lemurs, they said.

The researchers noted that two species of ruffed lemurs, in particular, are now critically endangered.

These animals play a central role in dispersing the seeds of a number of plant species that provide food and shelter for other animals across the rainforest.

"Because of their essential role as seed dispersers and their sensitivity to habitat degradation, ruffed lemurs serve as a critical indicator of the health of Madagascar's entire eastern rainforest," said Andrea Baden, a professor at CUNY.

"When we projected the impact of deforestation and climate change, we found that deforestation alone and climate change alone could reduce ruffed lemur habitat by over 50 per cent.

"Even more alarming, these two factors together are projected to essentially decimate suitable rainforest habitat by the end of the century," Baden said.

The researchers suggest that the speed and intensity of destruction to Madagascar's eastern rainforest will be greatly determined by whether the country institutes strict protections against deforestation or a relaxed set of policies.

Protecting forested areas that provide shelter to ruffed lemurs and serve as corridor links to their strongholds is particularly important to survival, the researchers said.

This is due to their role as a keystone species that enables the survival of a large number of animal and plant species in one of the world's most biodiverse regions, they said.

"The results from our study will be useful to nonprofit organisations, park management, and the broader conservation community," Baden said.

"Our results indicate potential conservation opportunities for ruffed lemurs and any of the rainforest-dwellers that rely on forest cover and connectivity. Protected areas are vital to species persistence," he said.