Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
dry forests on the islands. As noted earlier, the majority of the dry forests of Mada-
gascar have been destroyed already. Very little forest area remains (estimates range
from 4,500 to 8,000 mi
2
[12,000-20,000 km
2
]), most in small fragments. The major
threat to these dry deciduous forests is clearing and fragmentation. Expanding rural
populations have increased the pressure on the remaining forested lands. Clearing
the forest has endangered many of the lemur species. Several areas of dry forest are
under protection in the Ankarafantsika National Park and the Tsingy de Bemaraha
World Heritage site, while others are exploited.
Little of what is left of the seasonal forests of Africa is protected or set aside as
reserves. Fortunately, much of the Zambezian dry evergreen and miombo forests
remain largely undisturbed due to the absence of surface water and low human oc-
cupancy. An area of this forest is under protection in the West Liuwa National
Park in Zambia near the border of Angola, although hunting is still a threat to wild-
life in this area. Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Mozambique, and the DRC have
established reserves and national parks to protect small sections of seasonal forests
and their inhabitants.
While much needed attention is placed on protecting African rainforests, little
has been placed on protecting the seasonal forests. International environmental
organizations abroad, as well as those in country, are now working to bring some
protection to the last remnants of the seasonal forests in the African region.
Asian-Pacific Tropical Seasonal Forests
The Asian-Pacific expression of the Tropical Seasonal Forest Biome is also called
the Indo-Malayan or Australasia Dry Forests and the Indo-Asian Monsoonal For-
ests. These forests are located in tropical latitudes, north and south of the tropical
rainforest throughout India, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and the islands of the Pa-
cific. Seasonal forests are found in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh,
Laos, and Myanmar, and along the Decca Plateau in India and into Sri Lanka.
Seasonal forests also occur on many of the islands of Indonesia including the Indo-
nesian archipelago on both sides of Wallace's Line (see Figure 5.18). The islands
of New Caledonia and Fiji have remnants of these tropical seasonal forests. The
Asian-Pacific region is divided into two subregions: West and East Malesia. Walla-
ce's Line (see Chapter 3) marks the boundary between the two subregions and the
border of the Sunda and Sahul shelves.
Origins of the Asian-Pacific Rainforest
Africa, Europe, and Asia including West Malesia, share many taxa due to the
long-term connections between the continents. The southeastern section of the
region known as East Malesia is reflective of the separation of the larger Gond-
wanan landmass that left Australia isolated for millions of years. Australia and the
