Madagascar: An Island Apart
Separated from mainland Africa by 350km of sea and 160 million years in time, Madagascar is a parallel world, unlike any other. The island's long geographical isolation has effectively turned it into a living laboratory of evolution.
The vast majority of its species have evolved in splendid isolation, following paths far removed from blueprints elsewhere. Most of them are endemic – in other words, they live nowhere else on earth. 
The mammals illustrate this perfectly as every single one of the island’s native terrestrial mammals is endemic (not including bats that can fly). Most famous are the lemurs, Madagascar’s unique primates, of which there are over 90 described species and perhaps more awaiting discovery.
Sadly, Madagascar also epitomises human and enviornmental conflict. Since the arrival of man roughly 2,000 years ago, our species has ravaged the island’s forests. Today less then 15% remains, and half of what has gone has disappeared in the last 50 years.
Nick has been visiting the island since 1991 and has travelled to most of its regions, national parks and reserves to document the wildlife and interactions of the people with their environment.
Three of the animal groups for which the island is most famous, Lemurs, Chameleons and Frogs each have stand-alone portfolios. There is also a selection of Wildlife Highlights, that includes the other faunal and floral groups for which the island is renowned (birds, reptiles, baobabs etc). A separate portfolio is devoted to Cultural Highlights that encompasses people and environmental images.
