Stunning Drone Footage Is Helping Save Madagascar's Precious Forests

In a groundbreaking study published in the journal Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's Plants, People, Planet Jenny Williams reviewed the Ambohimahamasina humid forest. Williams, a senior spatial analyst at RBG Kew, has spent the past nine years flying drones over Madagascar to better understand the extent of the deforestation. She and colleagues from the Kew Madagascar Conservation Centre (KMCC), studied how the needs of local communities drive illegal logging and slash-and-burn agriculture. The study, based on 19 ultra-high-definition drone surveys conducted by Williams, has produced detailed data and 3D base maps. These have led to the creation of an effective alert system to help scientists, government agencies, and local communities develop forest management policies. Madagascar is renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity, which has evolved over 80 million years in near-total isolation. Over 80% of its plants and 90% of its animals are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else on Earth. Sadly, it is also one of the world's poorest countries, and the pressures of poverty and the need to support livelihoods are threatening its unique biodiversity. The Ambohimahamasina forest is part of the Ambositra-Vondrozo Forest Corridor Natural Resource Reserve (COFAV), one of Madagascar's last remaining intact forests. Williams' work means there is hope for the forest yet. As researching the forest has enabled education and projects designed to help new generations live sustainably.