Madagascar and climate change
As one of the poorest countries in the world, with a population growth rate of 2.6% per year (World Bank, 2020), Madagascar faces a number of socio-economic and development challenges.
Food insecurity and malnutrition rates have reached alarming levels since 2011, with around 35% of the rural population affected by severe food insecurity and 48% considered vulnerable (UNICEF). In 2019, 75% of the population will be living below the poverty line of $1.90 a day.
Home to around 5% of the world's biodiversity, Madagascar is also known for the richness of its natural capital. This rich biodiversity is found in several ecological regions, characterised by a variety of ecosystems: terrestrial (forests, agricultural fields and grassy areas), aquatic (wetlands, continental waters), marine and coastal. These different types of ecosystem are home to a specific and varied complex of flora and fauna.
Madagascar experiences variable climatic conditions due to insufficient or irregular rainfall, and is frequently subject to extreme weather events (cyclones, droughts, floods, etc.) causing significant damage. Between 1961 and 2017, cyclones caused the deaths of 1,193 people, destroyed 0.6 million homes and directly and indirectly affected 4 million people. Floods, another climatic disaster, affected more than 300,000 people during this period.
