Deforestation is a major problem for many different places around the world and the island of Madagascar is no exception. Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world and lies in the Indian Ocean, as a part of Southern Africa, just east of Mozambique (CIA). It is one of the poorest countries in the world and its landmass is only about 224,533 square miles; which is just a little less than twice the size of the state of Arizona (Wild). Poaching of trees, plants, and wildlife have always been a concern on the island but I want to discuss how and why they have recently begun to increase drastically and how Native American beliefs would and could, possibly, help the situation, so that the island of Madagascar does not self destruct anymore than it already has. Some of the deforestation is due to natural disasters and farmers who are trying to survive on the island. Farmers have to cut down small areas of the rainforest every five to ten years to grow their crops for food and trade. But the farmers are not the ones causing the life altering deforestation on this island; Poachers are.
Since the island’s founding in 1960, poachers have been coming to the island to steal cash crops, kill the native animals, and cut down the different types of trees and plants that have been growing there for hundreds and thousands of years. Plants like the Madagascan rosy periwinkle, which is best known for an effective treatment for childhood leukemia, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, are rapidly becoming scarce. Trees, like the giant rosewood trees that are being illegally cut down and exporting them to other countries. The rosewood trees are being used to make furniture, musical instruments, such as guitars, and their oils...
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