E A R T H F R O M A B O V E - P h o t oCultivation on a Volcano Slope near Ankisabe, Antananarivo Region MADAGASCAR The first inhabitants of Madagascar may have come from Africa and Indonesia, and landed on the island in successive migratory waves only 2,000 years ago. Slash-and-burn traditional farming, called 'tavy', has had devastating effects on the natural environment. In addition, because of an important and rapid population increase, as well as the introduction of new cultures requiring larger farming areas, Madagascar has been subject to a frantic and anarchic deforestation: around 1,500 km2 of forest is destroyed every year.