No to the “Eucalyptus War” in Madagascar!

A dispute has erupted in Madagascar between naturalists and the Water and Forests Service, on the subject of reforestation with eucalyptus. The matter specifically concerns the 3,000 hectares of plantations established since 1908 at Périnet, in a highly degraded forest invaded by bamboos, to supply fuelwood for railway engines. Yet this aversion for eucalyptus trees seems unwarranted given the convincing results of the trial plantations at Anamalazaotra, but also outside Madagascar, in Brazil, Kenya, Morocco and Ethiopia for example. Madagascar's capital, Tananarive, and its surroundings are now wooded thanks to the eucalyptus plantations (E. robusta, E. maculata) and their vigorous stump shoots that provide the local population with wood for cooking and construction. Eucalyptus plantations could also halt the erosion which is becoming widespread in Madagascar, particularly on the barren lavaka-scarred slopes of the Lake Alaotra basin. Madagascar's tree species are slow-growing, and eucalyptus has no equal for wood production. The use of eucalyptus can only be rejected for the purely sentimental reason that the species does not belong to the indigenous forest. Furthermore, in Madagascar's eastern forests, the climate is humid enough for an under-storey to develop and thus prevent erosion. Finally, it is to be deplored that naturalist societies should wish to challenge the one colonial service that is directly acting against for¬est destruction by listing certain areas for protection, fighting wildfires, protecting useful species and carrying out rehabilitation work. Attempting to discredit the forests service is ultimately harmful to the conservation of Madagascar's forests. Abstract adapted by the editorial team.