輯譯／黃裕美

Majestic trees line the dusty road known as the Avenue of the Baobabs, their large trunks crowned with clawing branches that reach 20 metres high. These giants seem immortal but the trees -- national symbols of Madagascar -- are only alive thanks to a last-minute rescue operation that kept them from drowning.

宏偉的大樹在塵土飛揚、通稱「猴麵包樹大道」的馬路兩旁林立，壯闊的樹幹頂著20公尺高的枝椏覆蓋著道路。這些樹是馬達加斯加的國家象徵，看來似乎長生不死，其實全靠最後一刻搶救行動，才使它們得以存活下來，未被水淹沒。

“A sugar mill diverted water to the site, and the local people used this water to grow rice. The baobabs were in the middle of the rice fields and their trunks stood in water all year,” said Anselme Tilahimena, of the environmental organization Fanamby. Mired in the rice paddies, the trees rotted from the inside. Their trunks weakened, about two baobabs were blown down every year in cyclones.

環保組織「法南比」的提拉希米納說：「一家糖廠引水到當地，民眾利用這些水種稻。猴麵包樹聳立在稻田中央，樹幹終年泡在水中。」這些樹深陷在在稻田中，從內部開始腐爛耗弱，每年颶風來襲，大約會吹倒兩棵猴麵包樹。

The baobabs' fate began to brighten in 2007, when a 320-hectare area outside the west coast town of Morondava was declared a protected area, home to 313 baobabs which Fanamby cares for.

猴麵包樹的命運在2007年始見曙光，西海岸城鎮穆龍達瓦郊外320公頃地被宣布為保護區，這也是「法南比」環保組織所照護的313棵猴麵包樹的原鄉。

Since then, authorities stopped the dumping of water in the area. The rice paddies dried up, replaced by marshes covered with purple-pink hyacinths.

從此以後，有關當局就停止往當地傾注水。稻田因此乾涸，取而代之的是布滿粉紫色風信子的沼澤地。

Children paddle around happily while their mothers throw nets in the water to catch small fish. Around 250 people live in the area.

兒童快樂的在周遭玩水，他們的母親則往水裡拋網捕小魚。約有250人住在這個地區。

“Since 2007 we have developed alternative agricultural activities in dry farming, like peanuts or market gardens with green vegetables,” Tilahimena said.

提拉希米納說：「自2007年以來，我們已經開發出旱作農業活動作為替代，像種花生或種植供應市場的菜園綠色蔬菜。」

But farmers in this country long dogged by poverty find it difficult to change. Runoff from the sugar mill fertilized the land, which produced abundant rice harvests.

但在這個久為貧困所苦的國家，農民一時很難改變。糖廠排放的水使土壤肥沃，水稻豐收。

“It's important to protect the baobabs, but you don't earn as much with peanuts,” said 56-year-old farmer Vontana, known by one name, who used to plant rice around the base of the trees. "I am going to grow rice again if they build a canal."

「保護猴麵包樹固然重要，但改種花生賺不了那麼多錢。運河建好了，我還是要種稻。」單名叫翁塔納的56歲農民說，他曾在樹根周遭種稻。

Construction is under way on a seven-kilometer canal that will allow farmers to replant paddies without endangering the baobabs, by irrigating 187 hectares outside the protected zone.

當地正在興建一條7公里長的運河，可在保護區外灌溉187公頃農田，將開放農民重新耕種稻田又不會危及猴麵包樹。

Fanamby has also taught residents to make crafts, which they sell to the 6,000 tourists who travel every year to photograph the striking baobabs -- some hundreds of years old.

「法南比」環保組織還教在地住民製作手工藝品，賣給每年到當地旅行的6000名遊客，他們多半到此為引人注目的猴麵包樹拍照，有些樹已經好幾百歲。

The trees are a testament to dense tropical forests that once blanketed Madagascar, which has suffered severe deforestation, and subsequent desertification and depletion of water resources.

這些古木證明馬達加斯加一度被濃密的熱帶森林覆蓋，後來遭到嚴重濫伐，隨後並造成荒漠化和水資源枯竭。

A wood-and-raffia stall at the entrance to the park sells fresh drinks and miniature baobabs sculpted out of rosewood. The profits go to the sculptors and site management.

公園入口處一個木頭和酒椰棕櫚搭建的攤位，擺售新鮮飲料和紅木雕刻的微型猴麵包樹，所有利潤都歸雕塑家和場地管理員所有。

Father-of-three Mahotoeky Randrianirina works the counter several times a week, when he is not working in his maize and sweet potato fields. “I am good at sculpture now. Thanks to that, I earned a lot more and could build a house and buy goats with the money,” the smiling 28-year-old said. Randrianirina counts on tourism development to improve his family's lives, but the stall is the only building on the site.

28歲的藍德里亞尼里納是3個孩子的爸爸，當他沒在玉米和紅薯田工作時，每周會到攤位工作幾次。他微笑說：「我現在雕刻已經很上手了，也因此賺了不少錢，可以蓋一棟房子，並用這筆錢買山羊。」藍德里亞尼里納決定靠觀光業發展來改善家庭生計，但這個攤位是當地唯一的一個。

The Baobab Tree is also known as the tree of life, with good reason too. It is capable of providing shelter, clothing, food, and water for the animal as well as human inhabitants of the African Savannah regions. The cork-like bark or huge stem is fire resistant and is used for making cloth and rope. The leaves are used as condiments and medicines. The fruit, called "monkey bread", is rich in vitamin C and is eaten. The tree is capable of storing hundreds of litres of water, which is tapped in dry periods.

猴麵包樹通稱生命之樹，其來有自。它可提供動物及非洲大草原地區的居民住房、服飾、食品和水。類似軟木的樹皮或巨大的枝幹可以防火，並可用來製作布和繩子。葉子則可當調味品和藥品。名叫「猴麵包」的果實，富含維生素 C，可供食用。樹並可儲存數百公升水，乾旱期可汲取飲用。

Mature trees are frequently hollow, providing living space for numerous animals and humans alike. Trees are even used as bars, barns, wine and beer shops and more. Radio-carbon dating has measured that age of some Baobab trees at over 2,000 years old. For most of the year, the tree is leafless, and looks very much like it has its roots sticking up in the air.

成熟的樹木往往是空心的，提供無數動物和人類生活空間。樹木甚至可用來當酒吧、穀倉、酒店和啤酒吧不等。放射性碳年代測定測得有些猴麵包樹已逾2000歲。一年當中多半時候，樹光禿禿的，看起來很像它的根正往空中伸展。

In this photo, tourists take pictures of the sunset in the “Avenue of the Baobabs”.