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Slash and Burn Agriculture, Morondava, Madagascar

Recently planted corn (Zea mais) on burned Malagasy Western Dry Forest, not far from the world-famous "Avenue des Baobabs". Many of the baobab trees on the pictures are heavily damaged, the outer base of their trunks being carbonised. It is unclear if they can recover.

 

I was told by Malagasy co-travellers that burning has become more widespread since early 2009, as a result of raising poverty, due to increasing world market prices for rice.

 

Articles featuring the picture:

www.eoearth.org/article/Slash_and_burn

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Uploaded on March 26, 2010
Taken on January 19, 2010