Already in prehistoric times the Takhtajania plant was a favourite food of the dinosaurs. Since then, this 120 million year old plant - probably the oldest in the world - has become a protected species in Madagascar. At the EXPO the Takhtajania emblem of the Madagascar pavilion, inside the Africa Hall, symbolises the island's fauna and flora, which go back thousands of years.

Since Madagascar was separated from the African mainland approximately 100 million years ago, rare plants and wildlife, dating back to prehistoric times and already extinct elsewhere, have continued to exist here. They can be spotted on a tour of the pavilion leading through the various regions of the island. In 1991, in order to ensure that this impressive variety of species of plant and wildlife continue to exist, Madagascar introduced a national programme to protect the environment and its nature. Examples of this are exhibited at the pavilion.