Throughout the Western world, Madagascar is perhaps best known as a hot spot for wildlife, home to lemurs, chameleons, and other animals — a reputation popularized by movies like Madagascar and shows like Planet Earth. And it’s true that the country has an impressive array of creatures and plants that you can’t find anywhere else. Lemurs literally only exist on this island, as do almost half of the world’s chameleon species and most of its iconic baobab trees, stout species that are mostly trunk.

But although Madagascar is one of a kind, it’s not exactly the wildlife haven you might imagine. At least not anymore.

The island has lost around half — or possibly far more — of its original forests and as much as half of the live coral off its coasts. Today, nearly all lemur species are threatened with extinction. So are half of the country’s chameleons and several species of tenrec, adorable hedgehog-like creatures that live only in Madagascar. Reef-dependent fisheries in some regions, meanwhile, are on the verge of collapsing.

These declines are rooted in scarcity. Madagascar is one of the poorest and most malnourished countries on the planet. Last year, 80 percent of the island nation lived in extreme........

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