Madagascar: Bellwether of Our Fragile Planet

Kristin Slaybaugh, Youth Minister at St. James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, who taught English in Madagascar, an island nation off the southwest coast of Africa, experienced a varied culture and many vibrant churches in a generally poor country. The wealth from significant resources such as vanilla and minerals has not been shared with the general populace.  Eco-tourism focuses on the remarkable variety of species found nowhere else on earth, such as the lemur. The challenges of poverty, expanding population, and corruption threaten this diversity.

Illegal slash and burn practice in the region west of Manantenina.

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