Indigenous vegetation cover of much of southwestern Madagascar comprises
short dense forest or deciduous thicket that is degraded in many areas owing to
expansion of the local people, from the coast eastward. The study area is characterized by Xeric Thicket, wooded grasslands and established fallow lands with
scattered Baobab trees. As a result of continued human activities (primarily
grazing by domestic livestock, burning, and removal of wood for fuel and charcoal
production) plant communities are usually maintained in a sub-climax condition.
Extensive areas, believed to have once been covered by thicket and forest communities, now support grassland, wooded grassland, and scrub thicket or forest.
Wild plants and animals are important resources for the daily survival of villagers:
besides the use of woody plants, as described above, plants are also utilized as
food, medicine, and for spiritual purposes (some examples in Table 13.1), and
wild animals (such as the ring-tailed lemur and mice and other rodents) are hunted
and consumed.
13.2.1.1 Rehabilitation Strategy
The first stage in planning for restoration following mining was to formulate a
sound strategic framework (Richards et al. 1993) that could be used to:
1. Establish management vision and objectives for sustainable land-use after mine
closure
2. Establish the type of rehabilitation that would be required or desired by IAPs
3. Formulate a management vision that guides:
(a) Mining methods to minimize damage to adjacent areas
(b) Rehabilitation work in active post-mining areas
(c) Rehabilitation work in rehabilitation areas
Fig. 13.3 Deciduous spiny
thicket vegetation of the
southwestern regions of
Madagascar, north of Toliara
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203
short dense forest or deciduous thicket that is degraded in many areas owing to
expansion of the local people, from the coast eastward. The study area is characterized by Xeric Thicket, wooded grasslands and established fallow lands with
scattered Baobab trees. As a result of continued human activities (primarily
grazing by domestic livestock, burning, and removal of wood for fuel and charcoal
production) plant communities are usually maintained in a sub-climax condition.
Extensive areas, believed to have once been covered by thicket and forest communities, now support grassland, wooded grassland, and scrub thicket or forest.
Wild plants and animals are important resources for the daily survival of villagers:
besides the use of woody plants, as described above, plants are also utilized as
food, medicine, and for spiritual purposes (some examples in Table 13.1), and
wild animals (such as the ring-tailed lemur and mice and other rodents) are hunted
and consumed.
13.2.1.1 Rehabilitation Strategy
The first stage in planning for restoration following mining was to formulate a
sound strategic framework (Richards et al. 1993) that could be used to:
1. Establish management vision and objectives for sustainable land-use after mine
closure
2. Establish the type of rehabilitation that would be required or desired by IAPs
3. Formulate a management vision that guides:
(a) Mining methods to minimize damage to adjacent areas
(b) Rehabilitation work in active post-mining areas
(c) Rehabilitation work in rehabilitation areas
Fig. 13.3 Deciduous spiny
thicket vegetation of the
southwestern regions of
Madagascar, north of Toliara
13 Restoration of Dune Ecosystems Following Mining in Madagascar and Namibia
203