Annual biomass increment of Xerophytic thickets and sustainability of woody charcoal production in southwestern Madagascar

Randriamalala, Josoa R.; Ramananantoandro, Tahiana; Radosy, Heriniaina O.; Randriambanona, Herizo; Hervé, Dominique

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2017.05.049

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…All of the WC supplying the town of Toliara, the main city in southwestern Madagascar, comes from the XTs and the dense dry forests of southwestern Madagascar [11,14,53]. Approximately 43,000 t of WC are consumed annually by the town of Toliara [54], which is equivalent to an annual wood loss of over 340,000 t based on a carbonization yield of 0.125 [55].…”

Section: Wood Charcoal Production a Major Source Of Xt Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This biomass scarcity has led to the exploitation of tamarind trees for charcoal wood, despite their important cultural value [59]. Wood charcoal production is not a sustainable activity and would lead to the extinction of hardwood species suitable for making WC at current production sites in less than half a century [11]. Although there are numerous WC species in the XT (a partial list is given in Appendix A) [10,11], their extinction as a result of overexploitation of mature individuals may indeed occur.…”

Section: Wood Charcoal Production a Major Source Of Xt Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Spiny thickets or xerophytic thickets (XTs) are a type of natural shrubby vegetation dominated by Didiereaceae and Euphorbiaceae [1] that occupies the littoral part of the southwest and the far south of Madagascar (Figure 1). Xerophytic thickets are a type of vegetation with a high endemism rate [2] and provide a multifunctional space and such goods and services as arable land [3,4], food and medicinal plants [5,6], goat rangeland [7][8][9], and timber and fuelwood (wood charcoal and firewood [6,10,11]). Similar to dry forests, XTs are currently undergoing significant deforestation (annual forest loss > 1%; [3,4]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar to dry forests, XTs are currently undergoing significant deforestation (annual forest loss > 1%; [3,4]). Slash-andburn agriculture (SBA) is the main cause of this deforestation [3,12], while wood charcoal (WC) production and to a lesser extent goat browsing are the main causes of XT degradation [11,13,14]. A search for sustainable alternatives to these unsustainable practices is necessary to stem this XT degradation/deforestation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Goat Breeding: A Possible Sustainable Way to Manage Xerophytic Thickets in Southwestern Madagascar

Randriamalala

Hervé

2022

Land

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Spiny thickets or xerophytic thickets (XTs) are a type of shrubby vegetation found in the far south and southwest of Madagascar, the driest parts of the island. This type of vegetation, which is rich in endemic animal and plant species, is endangered. Extensive local goat breeding (Capra hircus, for meat and milk production) based on XT browsing is an important source of household income. The aim of this paper is to analyse the possibility of using improved goat breeding as an alternative to wood charcoal (WC) production and slash-and-burn agriculture (SBA), which are unsustainable activities. The literature on (i) the impacts of SBA, WC production, and goat browsing on the XT ecosystem and (ii) the income provided by these three activities is reviewed to determine the sustainability level of improved goat husbandry. SBA and WC production reduced XT biomass and XT cover area, while goat browsing alone, at a stocking rate of one head per hectare, did not affect XT leaf biomass production and shrub regeneration. Furthermore, batch breeding and flushing techniques provided the highest annual income, mainly from the sale of surplus animal products. This improved goat husbandry may be a sustainable alternative to WC production. However, increasing the current stocking rate is necessary to surpass the combined income of WC production and SBA. An estimation of the XT carrying capacity would offer a basis to assess whether this ecosystem would support a higher stocking rate.

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Section: Wood Charcoal Production a Major Source Of Xt Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Wood Charcoal Production a Major Source Of Xt Degradationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Goat Breeding: A Possible Sustainable Way to Manage Xerophytic Thickets in Southwestern Madagascar

Randriamalala

Hervé

2022

Land

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“…Les caprins sont également des animaux prolifiques car une femelle peut donner naissance jusqu'à trois individus par portée (Amoah et al, 1996 ;Kusina et al, 2001) et deux à trois portées en deux ans. De plus, l'élevage caprin peut également être considéré comme une activité alternative à la fabrication de charbon de bois qui est la principale source de dégradation des fourrés xérophiles du Sud-Ouest malgache (Randriamalala et al, 2016 ;2017). En effet, les deux activités (élevage et fabrication de charbon) exploitent les fourrés xérophiles qui servent de pâturage aux caprins et de sources de bois à carboniser.…”

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Supplémentation alimentaire pour synchroniser les chaleurs et améliorer les performances de reproduction des caprins à Madagascar

Andrianarisoa

Randriamalala

Randrianariveloseheno

et al. 2020

Rev. Elev. Med. Vet. Pays Trop.

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Les zones littorales du Sud-Ouest malgache sont les plus arides de l’île. L’élevage de petits ruminants y est la principale source de revenus pour les populations locales. Or, leur reproduction, surtout celle des caprins, y est entravée par des conditions défavorables zootechniques (génétique et conduite d’élevage) et agroclimatiques (faible disponibilité fourragère pendant la longue saison sèche). Des méthodes d’amélioration des performances de la reproduction de l’élevage caprin existent : l’insémination artificielle, les traitements hormonaux, l’effet mâle et la supplémentation alimentaire ou flushing. Le flushing est une méthode simple à mettre oeuvre et n’implique pas de modification importante des pratiques pastorales ; il est le plus adapté aux conditions de ce site semi-aride. Deux lots d’animaux déparasités ont été utilisés durant 45 jours en juillet-août (saison sèche) : un lot de 207 femelles avec un aliment énergétique (flushing), du manioc sec, à raison de 500 g/jour, et un lot témoin de 184 chèvres. Des paramètres de reproduction ont été enregistrés : taux de fertilité, taux de fécondité, taux de prolificité et taux de survie à l’âge de 30 jours. Des améliorations significatives de la fertilité (81 % vs 28 %) et de la fécondité (69 % vs 25 %) des femelles traitées ont été observées. La prolificité du lot traité (120 %) a été légèrement supérieure à celle du lot témoin (115 %), sans différence significative. Trente jours après la naissance, le taux de survie des chevreaux du lot traité a été significativement plus élevé (67 % vs 25 % pour le lot témoin). La méthode du flushing a amélioré les paramètres de reproduction des caprins autochtones ainsi que la productivité numérique et économique de l’élevage caprin en zone semi-aride du Sud-Ouest malgache.

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Endangered Spiny Thicket in Madagascar

Randriamalala

Hervé

Radosy

et al. 2022

Imperiled: The Encyclopedia of Conservation

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Annual biomass increment of Xerophytic thickets and sustainability of woody charcoal production in southwestern Madagascar

Cited by 10 publications

References 43 publications

Goat Breeding: A Possible Sustainable Way to Manage Xerophytic Thickets in Southwestern Madagascar

Goat Breeding: A Possible Sustainable Way to Manage Xerophytic Thickets in Southwestern Madagascar

Supplémentation alimentaire pour synchroniser les chaleurs et améliorer les performances de reproduction des caprins à Madagascar

Endangered Spiny Thicket in Madagascar

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