Sediment carried by rivers draining deforested areas in Madagascar is smothering local coral reefs, increas-
ing the incidence of disease and suppressing growth,
report two new studies published in the journals Bio- geosciences and Marine Pollution Bulletin.
The first study, co-authored by the Wildlife Conservation Soci- ety, looked specifically at coral communities in An- tongil Bay, located in northeastern Madagascar, while the second included data from Western Madagascar. Results from the studies suggest that changes in land use - primarily the removal of forests - and Madagas-
car's increased population density affects near-shore reef ecosystems.
These results reinforce the dire need to combine efforts on terrestrial and marine conservation in unison to sustain Madagas- car's biodiversity. Read more: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0905-‐deforestation-‐coral-‐reefs.html