Time is running out for Madagascar – evolution’s last, and greatest, laboratory
by Robin McKie from Environment | The Guardian on (#2PCFP)
Kew scientists warn that unique plants on Madagascar are at risk of extinction
It is a unique evolutionary hotspot home to thousands of plants found nowhere else on Earth. However, Madagascar's special trees, palms and orchids - which provide habitats and food for dozens of species of rare lemur and other animals - are now facing catastrophic destruction caused by land clearances, climate change and spreading agriculture, scientists will warn this week.
Thousands of plant species could be lost to humanity in the near future according to a report, The State of the World's Plants, by scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and due to be published on Thursday.
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