Described as a crown jewel among earth's ecosystems, this 1,000-mi long (1,610-km) island-continent is a microcosm of Third World ecological problems. It abounds with unique species which are being threatened by the exploding human population. Many scientists consider Madagascar the world's foremost conservation priority. Since 1984 united efforts have sought to slow the island's deterioration, hopefully providing a model for treating other problem areas.

Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island, with a rain forest climate in the east, deciduous forest in the west, and thorn scrub in the south. Its Malagasy people are descended from African and Indonesian seafarers who arrived about 1,500 years ago. Most farm the land using ecologically devastating slash and burn agriculture which has turned Madagascar into the most severely eroded land on earth. It has been described as an island with the shape, color, and fertility of a brick; second growth forest does not...