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Anthropology
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The spiny Ifotaka forest of southern Madagascar supports the Atandroy people in every way; wood and palnts for construction, handicrafts, fuel food and medicine, provides suitable areas for cultivvation and fodder for their livestock and also has deep spiritual significance. Cattle are the wealth and status of the Atandroy; staple crops are maize, sweet potato and cassava; and sisal is the main cash crop. But this formerly sustainable though harsh way of life now faces its greatest problem. As the local population grows, rapid expansion of slash and burn agriculture, sisal plantations and grazing areas threaten not only thearea of the spiny forest but also its ecological balance. The forest faces unsustainable pressure, and the future of the Atandroy community and the rich biodiversity of the forest is threatened unless a conservation plan, sympathetic to all stakeholders, is put in place and is properly maintained.
For further information on this investigation into the resource use of the people of the Ifotaka area or for a copy of the report please write to Barry Ferguson
| Index | Population | Diet | Habitat | Behaviour | Plants | Ethnobotany | Anthropology | Education | Medical Report | Acknowledgements | Gallery | Bibliography |
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