The World Wildlife Fund has
released a colorful report revealing the incredible diversity of life still found on the island nation of Madagascar. Scientific work to inventory and study Madagascar's wildlife has been intense as habitat destruction takes an increasing toll on wild residents of the world's fourth largest island, about the size of France. 615 new species discoveries were made within the last decade. The island has four distinct regions of international biological importance: rain forests along the eastern coast, central highlands with volcanic mountains, coves along the northwest coast with broad plains inland, and a tropical dry desert in the southwest. With such an array of a distinct habitats and ancient history of evolutionary isolation, immense biological diversity is to be expected. The island is home to 250,000 species, more than 70% of which are endemic or exclusively native. All 50 known species of lemur (Latin for 'night spirits') are found only on Madagascar including the incredibly small Madame Berthe's mouse lemur, only lately discovered in 2000
[photo]. WWF has been active on the island for 47 years working with local communities to protect the island's treasure trove of wildlife. Despite years of conservation efforts, Madagascar has lost 90% of its original forest cover leading to increased erosion and sedimentation of coastal reefs.
