18. Like other countries, Madagascar faces many threats to its biodiversity. Invasivespecies, such as the Asian common toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), threaten todevastate ecosystems that have not evolved protections against them.7Illegal hunting andlogging are driving many species closer to extinction. The demand is often from foreignmarkets, including for tortoises sought as pets and rosewood trees used for furniture.Domestic demand also plays a role: many wild animals, including tortoises and manyspecies of lemurs, are hunted for food.8 There are also growing domestic as well as foreign
18. Like other countries, Madagascar faces many threats to its biodiversity. Invasive species, such as the Asian common toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), threaten to devastate ecosystems that have not evolved protections against them.7 Illegal hunting and logging are driving many species closer to extinction. The demand is often from foreign markets, including for tortoises sought as pets and rosewood trees used for furniture. Domestic demand also plays a role: many wild animals, including tortoises and many species of lemurs, are hunted for food.8 There are also growing domestic as well as foreign markets for lemurs as pets.9