Taxonomic Studies of Diospyros (Ebenaceae) from the Malagasy Region. VIII. New Species from the Littoral Forests of Eastern Madagascar

Eleven new species of Diospyros L. (Ebenaceae) (D. falyi G. E. Schatz & Lowry, D. fasimainty G. E. Schatz & Lowry, D. littoralis Capuron ex G. E. Schatz & Lowry, D. mandenensis H. N. Rakouth, G. E. Schatz & Lowry, D. orbicularis G. E. Schatz & Lowry, D. pseudolanceolata G. E. Schatz & Lowry, D. rabehevitrae G. E. Schatz & Lowry, D. ramisonii G. E. Schatz & Lowry, D. ratovosonii H. N. Rakouth, G. E. Schatz & Lowry, D. retusa H. N. Rakouth, G. E. Schatz & Lowry, and D. tampolensis H. N. Rakouth, Lowry & G. E. Schatz), which are present in the littoral forests along the east coast of Madagascar, are described, along with notes on their distribution and vernacular names, and their conservation status according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Given the diminished area of the Malagasy littoral forest ecosystem, and continuing threats from exploitation for firewood and charcoal production, forest clearing for agriculture, and mining, nine of the 11 new species are assessed as threatened: one Critically Endangered (D. tampolensis), three Endangered (D. falyi, D. rabehevitrae, and D. retusa), and five Vulnerable (D. fasimainty, D. orbicularis, D. pseudolanceolata, D. ramisonii, and D. ratovosonii), whereas two species are assessed as Near Threatened (D. littoralis and D. mandenensis).

Ethnobotanical Survey in Tampolo Forest (Fenoarivo Atsinanana, Northeastern Madagascar)

Background: Madagascar shelters over 14,000 plant species, of which 90% are endemic. Some of the plants are very important for the socio-cultural and economic potential. Tampolo forest, located in the northeastern part of Madagascar, is one of the remnant littoral forests hinged on by the adjacent local communities for their daily livelihood. However, it has considerably shrunk due to anthropogenic activities forming forest patches. Thus, documenting the useful plants in and around the forest is important for understanding the ethnobotany in this area. Methods: In this study we (1) collected and identified useful plants utilized by local communities. Voucher specimens were collected following the information given by interviewees, (2) recorded the collection activities and the consumption methods through semi-structured interviews of the local inhabitants, and (3) performed a phytochemical screening to identify the active compounds and the potential healing metabolites of the medicinal plants. Results: A total of 65 people between 25 and 75 years old were interviewed. Surveys recorded 123 species used as timber, food, or medicine. Among them, 92 were forest species and 31 were ruderal species. Medicinal plants were mostly used to cure stomach ailments (71%), fever (33.3%), and fatigue (25%) with leaves (68%) being the most used plant part. Phytochemical analyses of 20 endemic medicinal species showed the presence of compounds that could be responsible for the therapeutic effects of the plants. Conclusions: Tampolo forest proves to be an important littoral forest highly utilized by the adjacent local communities due to the presence of a high number of useful plants which are mostly endemic to the region. Hence, our investigation assessed the importance of these species in the locality and this can be used for further study on ecology, conservation, and valorization of these species.

Towards a Revision of the Genus Vitex (Lamiaceae) in Madagascar. II: Three New Species from the Littoral Forests

The genus Vitex L. (Lamiaceae, Viticoideae) comprises 45 native species in Madagascar, all but one of which are endemic to the country. Several new species are still to be described, and we propose here three new species from the littoral forests: V. mcphersonii Callm. & Phillipson, V. rabenantoandroi Callm. & Phillipson, and V. zigzag Callm. & Phillipson. These three distinctive new species grow in the threatened littoral forests of the east coast of Madagascar. The risk of extinction to these species was assessed following the IUCN Red List Criteria, revealing that V. mcphersonii should be assessed as “Vulnerable,” V. rabenantoandroi as “Near Threatened,” and V. zigzag as “Critically Endangered.” Each new species is provided with a discussion of its morphological affinities and a line drawing.

Ethnobotanical survey in Tampolo forest (Fenoarivo Atsinanana, Madagascar)

Background Madagascar shelters over 14,000 plant species out of which 90% are endemic to the region. Some of the plants are very important for the socio-cultural and economic potential. Tampolo forest is one of the remnant littoral forests hinged on by the adjacent local communities for their daily livelihood. However, it has considerably shrunk due to anthropogenic activities forming forest patches. Thus, documenting the useful plants in and around the forest is important for understanding the ethnobotany in this area. Methods In this study, we 1) collected and identified useful plants utilized by local communities. Voucher specimens were collected following the information given by interviewees. 2) recorded the collection activities and the consumption methods through semi-structured interviews of the local inhabitants. 3) did a phytochemical screening to identify the active compounds and the potential healing metabolites of the medicinal plants. Results A total of 65 people between 25 to 75 years old were interviewed. Surveys recorded 123 species used as timber, food or medicine. Among them, 92 were forest species and 31 were ruderal species. Medicinal plants were mostly used to cure diarrhea, stomachache, and fever with leaves being the most used plant part. Phytochemical analyses of 20 endemic medicinal species showed the presence of compounds that could be responsible for the therapeutic effects of the plants. Conclusions Tampolo forest proves to be an important littoral forest highly utilized by the adjacent local communities due to the presence of high number of useful plants which are mostly endemic to the region. Hence, our investigation assessed the importance of these species in the locality and this can be used for further study on ecology, conservation and valorization of these species.

First record of a Nicobar treeshrew nest in a fallen palm tree

The Nicobar treeshrew Tupaia nicobarica (Zelebor 1869) is an endemic species found in the Great & Little Nicobar Islands in the Andaman Sea, India. A unique nest site of an adult male of Nicobar treeshrew was directly recorded which was found in a fallen dead palm tree at the littoral forests of Galathea National Park, Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve.

Analysis of the Habitat Fragmentation of Ecosystems in Belize Using Landscape Metrics

Landscape metrics have been of game changing importance in the analysis of ecosystems’ composition and landscape cohesion. With the increasing urban and agricultural expansion, the natural flora and fauna of many highly diverse areas have been degraded. Fragmentation of ecosystems and habitats have stressed the biodiversity of Belize. To understand the dynamics of this change, a study was conducted using three moderately separate years of ecosystem landscape data. The metrics used for the analysis were area-weighted mean shape index (AWMSI), mean shape index (MSI), edge density (ED), mean patch size (MPS), number of patches (NUMP), and class area (CA). These metrics were produced for the years 2001, 2011, and 2017. The classes of agricultural use, lowland savannas, mangroves and littoral forests, urban, and wetlands were the subjects for analysis. Using the GIS extension Patch Analyst, parametric runs were performed. From these results, a one-way ANOVA test of the NUMP, Tukey HSD test, and Scheffé Multiple Comparison test were performed. The results indicate that there has been significant habitat fragmentation, especially from the years 2001 to 2011. Agricultural areas increased by 19.37% in just 10 years, with the NUMP of some habitats increasing by 284%. The results also show fluctuation in ED and a decrease in overall MPS, all indicating high fragmentation. These changes have been mostly induced due to the expansion of agricultural activities and urbanization, especially in the northern parts of Belize. It is imperative that additional policies be implemented to deter the effects of habitat fragmentation upon the existing ecosystems of Belize and elsewhere.