SLOTH LEMUR'S SONG

Sub-titled 'Madagascar from the Deep Past to the Uncertain Present', this is a moving account of Madagascar is told by a researcher who has spent over 50 years investigating the mysteries of this remarkable island. A place of change, a biodiversity hotspot, and the fourth largest island on the planet, Madagascar has been home to a spectacular parade of animals from giant flightless birds and giant tortoises on the ground, to agile lemurs leaping through the treetops. Some species live on and many have vanished forever. Spanning everything from botany to geology to climatology and the binding of the Malagasy people and their relationship to the landscape, Madagascar's forests have expanded and contracted in response to shifting climates and the impact of human activities during the last thousand years or so. Today it is a microcosm of global trends - what happens there in the decades ahead could provide helpful insights into the battle to turn the tide of the environmental crisis now sweeping the world. Alison Richard takes us on a journey through space and time, from Madagascar's ancient origins as a landlocked region of Gondwana and its emergence as an island, to the modern-day developments that make the survival of its plants and animals increasingly uncertain. She weaves together scientific evidence with her own experiences and captures the magic as well as the tensions that swirl around this island nation. The text is peppered with interesting photographs, a table of major national actions concerning the environment since 1970, plus 31 beautiful colour plates including the stunning blue Babakoto singing and the almost human shape of the Baobab tree standing sentinel. 342pp.