Madagascar and the adjacent Indian Ocean islands of Reunion, Mauritius and the Seychelles are a remmant of the ancient Gondwanaland supercontinent, and although close to Africa, exhibit radically different animal and plant life, with no less than 8 endemic plant families, 4 endemic bird families and 5 endemic primate families. Deforestation and introduced species are two of the principal threats to the fauna and flora of this hotspot. The Indian Ocean islands lost many of their endemic bird species since humans colonised in the sixteenth century.

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