A newly discovered tropical rainforest in Madagascar is drawing global scientific attention. Patricia Wright, a distinguished service professor in the Department of Anthropology and founder of Centre ValBio, discovered the 14-square-kilometer rainforest named Ivohiboro in 2019. This forest is now the focus of a documentary titled "Ivohiboro: The Lost Forest," which premiered on October 3 in Paris and was broadcast worldwide on October 7.
Located on the Ivohibe massif in southeast Madagascar, Ivohiboro is an oasis at 1,500 meters above sea level within one of the island's most challenging terrains. Wright leads an international team on a month-long expedition to explore its biodiversity and uncover secrets of this ancient ecosystem.
The rainforest serves as a sanctuary amid arid surroundings, hosting diverse life forms including insects, rare birds, and ring-tailed lemurs. Its preservation offers significant opportunities for scientific research.
Wright's team comprises over thirty researchers from various countries aiming to study new species and understand how this forest endures such harsh conditions. "To discover a rainforest in the middle of that arid, burned landscape stretching as far as the eye could see, was shocking, exhilarating, like a mirage in a desert," said Wright. She added that finding such a thriving ecosystem gives hope for conservation efforts across Madagascar.
Among those joining Wright are scientists Mai Fahmy and Edmund W. Basham who contribute their expertise to understanding this unique environment and protecting similar ecosystems from climate change threats.