Ravaged forest threatens Mayotte's biodiversity, economy and food security
In the wake of Cyclone Chido, the worst natural disaster to hit the Indian Ocean archipelago in 90 years, Mayotte's forests have been devastated – and with them the island's biodiversity, food security and local economy.
The cyclone destroyed homes and infrastructure, and the death toll is expected to reach the hundreds, if not thousands.
The impact on Mayotte's natural habitat too has been severe, with its tropical forests almost entirely destroyed – which will have serious economic consequences, as in Mayotte the majority of the population make their living farming in the forest. The island, which constitutes France's poorest department, has 15,000 farmers.
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'Risk of famine'
Between its large trees, families cultivate small plots and beneath the mango and coconut trees, banana trees grow, and below them, cassava.
These agro-forestry systems are known as the “gardens of Mayotte” and “occupy 90 percent of the island's useful agricultural area, supplying the island with fruit, vegetables, roots and tubers to meet 80 per cent of the population's needs,” according to the French agricultural research centre CIRAD.
Read more on RFI English
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