Saving Species in Madagascar

Madagascar is an ecological masterpiece that has been brewing for 160 million years. Sitting between the continents of Asia and Africa the people’s heritage is a combination of both. Madagascar has become a symbol of the struggle that exists between the best way to save endangered species and the struggle of local people who depend upon the land to survive. The center of this story is the Ranomafana National Park with the main character being a American Patricia Wright. The park was created, with USAID money, to protect the various species of lemur that live in the area. The conflict arises due to the fact that after many years of being controlled by a socialist dictator Madagascar is one of the poorest in the world. The locals view the parks as an empty promises the have benefited the rich while leaving the poor even worse off including the spread of disease that is killing as much as 10% of the population of some villages..

Stille uses the crayfish to show the catch-22 nature of the Madagascar experiment. The forest has been closed to logging and other economic uses so the locals need to find income from another source. The locals began harvesting the crayfish which the ecotourists enjoy eating. The result has been the endangerment of crayfish. As a local villager Nobert Butovao says, “For us, the park means death.”

The thought that came to mind as I was reading was Kipling’s poem,” The White Man’s Burden.” It is the self appointed “burden” of Americans to know what is best for these people even if it kills them.