Environment

The deforestation of tropical rainforests in Madagascar has increased by 50% since the 1950s and each year as much as a third of the country burns, and 1% of its remaining forests are leveled (Butler, 2014). This has led to a progressively smaller ecosystem for the Antanosy Day Gecko. They used to roam around the entire South Eastern coastal forest but the gecko's habitat has become fragmented, leaving only two remaining locations in Madagascar in the Anosy region (Smithsonian, 2021). In the Anosy region, the Nahampoana Reserve barely covers any of the Day geckos' habitat. This leaves them exposed to tourists and loggers because of the dense population of humans around the coast where the Day geckos dwell. The two lasting habitat locations are better known as Ambatotsirongorongo and Saint Luce. The total land that the Day geckos are believed to inhabit today is 16 square kilometers (6.2 square miles), (Wikipedia, n.d.).

There are many conservation parks and reserves that contain most of the endangered species in Madagascar and some of the Antanosy Day Gecko’s habitat lies in those protected areas however, that does not deter illegal logging. The land is put under pressure by the government and the locals because of the forest’s resources which are being used for personal use. A possible mining plan would increase Madagascar’s economic flow, but in doing so it would destroy the habitat of many species including our newly discovered, critically endangered Antanosy Day Gecko. The deforestation and mining from this project could also decrease biodiversity by 20% in the area, (Wikipedia, n.d.). 

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Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world and most people’s livelihoods depend on natural resources. Forests that once blanketed the eastern third of the island, have been degraded to a point where the biome is changing from tropical forest to scrubland. The Malagasy people are cutting the southern forests then burning it for charcoal production that they rely on (Butler, 2014). Madagascar’s main environmental problems aren’t just ​​deforestation and habitat destruction, they also include agricultural fires, erosion and soil degradation, overexploitation of living resources including hunting and over-collection of species from the wild, and the introduction of alien species (Butler, 2014).

With the degradation of Malagasy land, the Phelsuma antanosy and other geckos in their genus have been moving into more urban areas of Madagascar. Some species of Geckos have been found to not only sustain life but thrive in new, urban environments. The results indicate that the geckos are likely attracted to agricultural areas and human settlements due to increased food, egg-laying sites, and increased perch locations. This produces new hope for these species to both assimilate to new conditions and potentially new areas like Florida in the United States. While this is great news for most of the geckos in Madagascar, it isn't great for all. These observations were on the Northern side of the island and did not include the Phelsuma antanosy since they do not live in that region (Humphrey & Ward, 2018).