Madagascar

The island of Madagascar has developed its own distinctive ecosystem, with extraordinary biodiversity, since its separation from the African continent about 160 million years ago. Around 95% of Madagascar reptiles, 89% of plant organisms and 92% of their mammals do not exist anywhere else on the planet.

Located off the east coast of Africa, Madagascar is the fifth largest island in the world, with about 600,000 square meters. The island hosts lush rainforest, tropical dry forests, plateaus and deserts. Its nearly 5,000 km of coastline and over 250 islands are home to some of the largest coral reefs and the longest mangroves in the western Indian Ocean.

An incredible variety of plants and animals have their home on the island. More than 11,000 species of endemic plants, including seven baobab species, share the island with a wide variety of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and other species. Between 1999 and 2010, 615 new species have been discovered in Madagascar, including 41 mammals and 61 reptiles. The amazing species and unique habitats of Madagascar are threatened by the globalization of markets and the growing needs of local people.

As samples of the endemic biodiversity of Madagascar we can find in the BioDomo species such as the ring-tailed lemur or plants such as the baobab or the majestic palm tree.