Archive | Organization
Zoomarine
Zoological Garden in Italy, and a member of the EAZA network
Lemurs in Zoomarine
Zoomarine has now lemurs in their zoological collection! Four lemurs catta has been recently included.
Lemurs conservation in Zoomarine
The Zoomarine has many educational events and activities that aim to raise awareness and make crowdfunding supporting conservation projects. Is on going the agreement with the University of Pisa in Italy, where professors work on in situ projects at the Berenty Reserve and ex-situ cognitive research on different species of Lemurs.
Zoomarine follows the guideline of EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) and the indication of the TAG group for the species and all national regulation regarding the health check of animals and under strict check for zoonosis. The park has 2 full-time veterinarians that always monitors the health and welfare of the species hosted and periodically make many Reports for the Direction and the National Ministry of Environment and Health.
Cougar Mountain Zoo
The Cougar Mountain Zoo is located in Issaquah, Washington, USA.
Lemurs at Cougar Mountain Zoo
Our current collection consists of two ring-tailed troops, black and white ruffed and red ruffs. We are looking to expand to four lemur species after the completion of our new World of Lemur exhibit. Our facility focuses on conservation through education and the role these species play as wildlife ambassadors.
Lemur conservation efforts at Cougar Mountain Zoo
The main objective at the Cougar Mountain Zoo is Conservation through Education.
The Zoo’s lemur collection serves as ambassadors for their wild kin during in-person/virtual lectures, demonstrations, and tours. Zoo personnel provides visitors daily with general information on lemur species, as well as ongoing national and global conservation. From there, visitors are able to support additional conservation groups based upon their interests.
The new World of Lemur facility in the final stages of completion will have the capabilities to aid in breeding conservation for lemurs, with the goal to contribute to maintaining the genetic diversity of a dwindling species. Following the debut of this new facility, Cougar Mountain Zoo will be looking into additional avenues in supporting lemur conservation, either through facilitation or participation.
Arol Ecolodge
To develop sustainable ecotourism in Antongil Bay in northeast Madagascar
What is the mission of Arol Ecolodge?
We intend to sustainably develop ecotourism in the Antongil Bay, Masoala, Makira, Nosy Mangabe.
We launched our Ecolodge concept on the western part of the Masoala Peninsula in 2001. The Statutes of AROL clearly establish the stated objective “to develop sustainably ecotourism in Antongil Bay”. Thus more than 4000 visitors shared our passion, the discovery of the exceptional terrestrial and marine biodiversity. We have been in charge of the school for about ten years. The village is supplied with hydroelectricity and running water via standpipes thanks to our contribution. Village associations gain direct benefits from ecotourism with our visitors.
Achievements and Projects
Northern bamboo lemur December 2019 Olivier Fournajoux
– 2017-2018, participation in hydro electrification for 1,500 inhabitants in Ambanizana
– 2014, installation of hydroelectric turbines and water pumps against a commitment to respect environmental law
– since 2011 primary school management
– 2009, production of a CD with the association of women to save the Varecia Rubra.
– 2007, the intervention of an agricultural technician to improve rice production
– since 2012 setting up of the village reserve. Over 2,500 visitors, one dollar each donated to the association.
Planting Bamboo for Northern bamboo lemurs, Hapalemur occidentalis
In the Arol Ecolodge surroundings, on the edge of Masoala forest, we own 1000m² that we intend to plant in green and yellow bamboo.
Five years ago we already plant bamboo in the lodge area which affords us to protect a pair of wild Bamboo lemurs. They came on their own from the nearby primary forest. They already mate and we have four of them coming at night very close from the cabin’s Lodge until now.
Our guests and our staff really enjoy to sight them from 5 pm to 5 am every night in the lodge area.
Classified as vulnerable in 2016 (Lemurs of Madagascar Strategy for Their Conservation), this Bamboo lemur species is probably endangered in Masoala right now. They are still the object of the most serious hunting and trapping by the surrounding communities.
Almost 100 bamboos have already been planted and are growing on our private land right now but it’s not enough.
Unfortunately, Lemurs are trapped by migrants until the beginning of the Covid 19 crises, and they are really endangered more than ever before.
Support Arol Ecolodge’s Conservation Initiatives
You can donate at Arol Ecolodge’s Paypal account (ecolodgechezarol@gmail.com). Every donation and expense will be clearly recorded.
ExplorerHome Madagascar
Our mission is to infuse curiosity and interest about STEM fields to the public, inspire people to explore, discover and learn about how science is integral in all aspects of life, and make positive impacts for Madagascar.
What is the purpose of ExplorerHome?
ExplorerHome is dedicated to promote science communication and making science accessible to both the public and scientists. It aims to inspire, nourish curiosity and interest in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, as well as increasing STEM literacy among the public at large in Madagascar.
ExplorerHome invites the public to explore the wonders of the world through the eyes of scientists.
ExplorerHome target children (5 to 15 years old) and their families. ExplorerHome’s field-based and online programs give a platform to STEM fields, scientists and offer science outreach, education, and entertainment at its best!
Field Programs
ExplorerHome has two field-based programs, Sciencing Out and Bioblitz.
Sciencing out
“SciOut” program proposes to bridge connections between scientists and non-specialists to articulate that STEM matters. This includes efforts to help students learn but also gives them opportunities to experience science alongside professional scientists and appreciate science while guiding their future action and decision-making towards global issues such as the loss of biodiversity and climate change. “SciOut” program raised the profile of diverse scientific disciplines including Primatology.
With the scientific knowledge shared by scientists leading each topic, students had the opportunity to experience real science: familiarizing with field methods, data collection etc. Each cohort of the “SciOut” program involves 10 high school students and 3 scientific disciplines. The team spend an average of 10 days in the field.
- When : April and August
- Total budget for one cohort : $7000
In 2019, ExplorerHome ran 2 cohorts for “SciOut”, with fundings from the National Geographic Society, impacting 21 high school students from 12 public and private schools from Antananarivo and surrounding, 6 scientists from 5 scientific disciplines, 2 educators, 1 storyteller, and 5 facilitators participating in the program.
Learn more about Sciencing Out
- ExplorerHome Builds Enthusiasm for STEM Fields in Madagascar (Lemur Conservation Network)
- An International Collaboration to Promote STEAM Experiences (American Alliance of Museums)
Bioblitz
This program brings groups of students (elementary school, secondary school, high school) for a day of outdoor exploration in a place where they can access wildlife (park, protected area, etc) using the iNaturalist app and beneficiating from scientists’ guidance. The aims of this activity are to 1) inspire curiosity for each participant about the nature around them, 2) offer the opportunity to participants to practice observation skills necessary for critical thinking involved in the scientific process, 3) use and familiarize themselves with an educative app like iNaturalist and Seek. Each trip for “Bioblitz” involve 25 students, 3 scientists, 5 facilitators.
- When?: one per month
- The total budget for each trip (in Antananarivo): $500
- The total budget for each trip (outside Antananarivo): $2000
In 2019, ExplorerHome ran one Bioblitz in the NAP of Maromizaha, with fundings from the National Geographic Society, involving 48 students, 3 scientists, and 5 facilitators.
Learn more about BioBlitz
Online Programs
As focusing on science communication, education, and outreach, ExplorerHome is very active online.
The NGO developed 5 main programs all centered on three main components: STEM fields, Scientists, and non-scientists. These programs provide a platform for scientists to share their works and incorporate adapted science communication tools to make information more accessible to the public in the form of video. ExplorerHome staff edit and share short storytelling videos to convey messages. Its social media platform: Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channel are used to broadcast these short educative and informative videos featuring the 5 programs:
“Ask a Scientist”
It features a scientific topic and one host (a scientist) to talk about one STEM-related field topic for two weeks. Questions from the public will be answered during a short series of interviews. Interviews are in Malagasy with English subtitles. Here’s an example of
“Ask a Scientist” featuring Primatology.
“One word a day”
This program is dedicated to kids aged 8-12 years old and explains scientific words in a very simple way. Videos are in French. Here is an example of “One Word a Day” featuring Primatology”
“Science facts”
Scientific papers are turned into short explained videos free of jargon, for the general public to better understand. Videos’ voice over are in Malagasy, contents are in French. Here is an example of Science facts featuring “Wood Sciences”.
“Happy place”
A call for participation is sent out to scientists according to a specified topic. Scientists are free to talk about their research, the species they are working on, fun field anecdote, etc. Video submission is received and will be edited by the ExplorerHome team.
Videos are in the scientist’s mother tongue with subtitles either in English or Malagasy. Here is an example of “Happy place” featuring Primatology
“SCiTia program”
Unlike the other ExplorerHome programs, SCiTia encourages the public to share and contribute to scientific data (such as vernacular name and species record).
- The Totem&SCiTia program allows Malagasy scouts to share the vernacular name of their totem, and scientists are sharing the scientific information about those totems. Both are gaining knowledge and exchanging information through the program.
- Voninala&SCiTia program is ExplorerHome’s program focusing on teaching and encouraging the use of iNaturalist for the public at large, this to encourage exploration and documentation of the nature surrounding us and beginning in our garden. Learn more here.
Implementation of online programs: All year long
Total budget: $750/month
Total budget: $750/month
Funding
ExplorerHome collaborates with local organizations (For examples: NGO Sadabe for the “SciOut” program in Mahatsinjo forest, GERP Madagascar for the “SciOut” program in the Maromizaha’s NAP, private school “La Printanière” for the 2019 Bioblitz, etc).
ExplorerHome was able to run its field-based program with one-year funding from National Geographic Society. The online program is funded by a private donor as well as personal funds. We are constantly applying for grants to support our programs.
Support ExplorerHome
- Website: https://explorerhomemada.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerHomeMadagascar/
- Donate via Bank Transfer via the following account details:
Name: Andrianavalona Harimalala TsioryAccount number: 00008050010500135353514IBAN: MG4600008050010500135353514BIC: BFAVMGMG
Photography Inspiring Children in Conservation
The act of creating an image with photography or sketching rewires us to be truly present and see details and beauty on a deeper level of appreciation.
~Kathy West, PICC Director
Supporting lemur conservation through visual arts
PICC 2020 students from Ambodiforaha, Masoala,
Madagascar. Photo by Pascal Elison
Photography Inspiring Children in Conservation (PICC) is based on the concept of engaging with the natural world through visual arts. The program goal is to inspire Malagasy students to become lemur conservation leaders within their communities by providing them with knowledge of lemur ecology, as well as local conservation issues and solutions. Malagasy students gain skills in photography, illustration, and storytelling, providing an effective foundation upon which they may seek conservation-oriented careers. PICC was designed with a goal of building local capacity for sustainable conservation through educating and empowering both students and the broader community, including local teachers and elders.
Building sustainable conservation
PICC 2020 Ambodiforaha students watching a red ruffed lemur. Photo by Pascal Elison.
Over a two-week period, Malagasy students use customized coloring and activity books, worksheets, field journals, and DSLR cameras to document their local forests and develop scientifically accurate stories and illustrations. They are encouraged to develop unique lemur conservation ideas, making contributions to their communities using their new skills. A village-wide gathering at the completion of the project celebrates the students’ works and recognizes participants as “Forest Ambassadors”. Equipment remains onsite, accessible to the students and teachers for sustained learning, career development, and conservation work. About 3,000 tourists visit Masoala National Park (NP) per year. One of our goals is to give Malagasy students the opportunity to develop the skills needed to have future careers in ecotourism and conservation, improving their own lives while also protecting lemurs and their habitats.
It is important to foster the development of skills for conservation job opportunities – research has shown that Malagasy people who are involved in ecotourism, and earn their income from sharing wildlife experiences with visitors, will not hunt lemurs and will discourage others from doing so (Borgerson C, et al. 2016. Who hunts lemurs and why they hunt them. Biological Conservation 197:124–130).
Multilingual PICC materials produced as a result of this project – a book and poster of student works, documentary film, and website – will be distributed locally, nationally and internationally, and will be available open-source online. The book of student works will be printed and made available free to the students so that they can sell the book to tourists and use resulting funds to support their own conservation efforts as well as share knowledge with other students and communities.
How does PICC work
Coloring and Activity Books
Coloring and Activity BooksUsing a coloring and activity book designed for the project, the students learn about lemur species in their area and gain an understanding of the uniqueness of lemurs in the world, as well as the importance of protecting lemur habitat. Through discussions, reading, and activities in their coloring and activity books, students learn about lemur biology, behavior, habitat needs, conservation issues, and the value of lemurs to tourism and a healthy ecosystem. Students who have already participated in the program have been thrilled to combine new skills in the arts and sciences, and have been excited to share their artwork with their families and communities, expanding outreach effects.
Field photography and sketching
The students are taken in small groups into wildlife habitat to spend hours observing and photographing populations of local lemurs (DSLR Canon cameras, 70-300mm zoom lenses). Participating teachers and elders also join the students in the field. Students are taught to look carefully at their surroundings, to notice the animals and details of the ecosystems that they might normally encounter, and learn from the knowledge and viewpoints of elders. The students also experience being immersed in lemur habitat and gain an appreciation for the behavior and ecological needs of various lemur species. They gain experience in creating detailed notes and sketches to accompany their photographs, as well as recording their observations in a small, personal notebook. These notes and stories are scanned, printed, and displayed with the photographs, allowing the experience to be shared by classmates, families, and community members. Students have the opportunity to choose their best photographs onsite, which will be printed, laminated, and made into a display. The images are also posted on the PICC webpage.
The PICC website and teaching resources will be permanently accessible to program participants through the internet-connected iPad, giving students and teachers the ability to access the PICC website and web links to relevant research and conservation resources for species in Madagascar. A camera, printer, and laminator will also remain in the students’ village to provide the opportunity to upload new work to the PICC website. They can also become active citizen scientists by using iPad apps such as iNaturalist, lemursportal.org, and other conservation applications. Teachers and paid local PICC team members will be available to assist the students.
See the PICC Curriculum webpage for more details.
Building capacity by partnering with local communities
Pascal Elison teaching PICC 2020 students from
Ambodiforaha, Masoala, Madagascar
Recognizing that this national park belongs to local communities and the Malagasy people, we aim to help children understand how to identify and maintain healthy ecosystems, as well as to understand the cultural, environmental and economic benefits of protecting lemur habitat.
In addition to focusing on children, the PICC program includes participation of teachers and elder leaders with traditional ecological knowledge, making the likelihood of program success much higher. This empowers the older community members who have extensive knowledge of native plants and animals and are related to many of the children in the program. Unlike teachers, these elders are seen as local leaders with ancestral ties to the land. This project acknowledges the importance of the Malagasy people’s place in their landscape. We are interested in learning from them, and in returning knowledge to the community through the workshops, books and posters of student writing, illustrations, and photographs. Participating teachers are expanding their knowledge base in order to educate other students and teachers in nearby villages.
Finally, we are fortunate to have a talented Malagasy PICC team member leading efforts in the Masoala area. Pascal Elison grew up in the northeastern forests of Madagascar and is an experienced and knowledgeable eco-guide with creative ideas and skilled leadership abilities. He has an enthusiasm for sharing the forest biodiversity with visitors and has discovered that he also has a passion for educating and inspiring the children (see here for a description of the 2020 program).
Which lemurs does PICC Madagascar protect?
PICC’s long-term goal is to be active in many conservation-critical areas of Madagascar during future, post-pandemic sessions. Currently working within coronavirus pandemic restrictions, we began our program in June 2020 with the students in the village of Ambodiforaha in northeast Madagascar, adjacent to the stunningly beautiful Masoala National Park, an area rich in biodiversity. This National Park and UNESCO World Heritage site protects as much as 40% of Madagascar’s mammalian diversity. On the Masoala peninsula, 9 out of 10 species of lemurs present are vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered, with the only remaining populations of some species found in this protected habitat.
PICC supports conservation of the following threatened lemur species in the Masoala NP and forest:
- Red ruffed lemur (Varecia rubra) (Critically Endangered)
- White-fronted brown lemur (Eulemur albifrons) (Endangered)
- Scott’s sportive lemur (Lepilemur scottorum) (Endangered)
- Moore’s woolly lemur (Avahi mooreorum) (Endangered)
- Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) (Endangered)
- Hairy-eared dwarf lemur (Allocebus trichotis) (Vulnerable)
- Masoala fork-marked lemur (Phaner furcifer) (Vulnerable)
- Seal’s sportive lemur (Lepilemur seali) (Vulnerable)
- Northern bamboo lemur (Hapalemur occidentalis) (Vulnerable)
Thank you for joining us in our conservation efforts
The fundraising goal for our onsite 2021 PICC program is $18,000 USD, which will allow us to complete all aspects of the project. This includes Malagasy staff salaries, equipment purchases, internet connection (1-year+), student materials (coloring books, notebooks, pencils, canvas sacks), PICC staff logistic support (no salary), and publication costs for the post-project book and poster of student works. 100% of your donations will go towards this project.
PICC is partially supported by a grant from the American Society of Primatologists Conservation Committee and through private donations. Our team members are donating their time and skills to advance lemur conservation through this project. In-kind services and contributions are welcome!
Donations can be made through PayPal. Please contact us for other options, including mailed checks. To see how you can help, please visit our Support Us page or contact us directly.
Photography Inspiring Children in Conservation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible.
Ary Saina
Ary Saina is a group of Malagasy Conservation Biologists committed to promote scientific research and knowledge for the conservation of Madagascar’s unique but imperiled biodiversity.
How does Ary Saina work with lemur conservation?
Ary Saina leads and participates in several projects related to lemur conservation in Madagascar. Most of its members conduct research on lemur biology and ecology aiming for their conservation in their natural sites.
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- Ranomafana National Park by Onja Razafindratsima
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- Ihofa forest by Nancia Raoelinjanakolona
Ary Saina Study Sites by Angelo Andrianiaina
Current projects are conducted in two rainforest sites: (1) in the eastern fragmented forest of Ihofa with a focus on an assemblage of different species lemurs, including the critically threatened Indri indri and Varecia variegata; and (2) in the southeastern forest of Ranomafana National Park with a focus on both large-bodied diurnal lemurs like Eulemur rubriventer and small-bodied nocturnal lemurs like Microcebus rufus.
We also share verified scientific information and facts on our Facebook page in the Malagasy language and use easy-to-understand terminology (https://www.facebook.com/arysaina.mada), to educate the Malagasy public on the uniqueness of Madagascar’s biodiversity. We also use the platform to provide targeted outreach related to biodiversity conservation during any conservation-related celebration, such as the World Lemur Day celebration or Earth Hour.
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- Indri indri by Finaritra Randimbiarison
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- Microcebus rufus by Vero Ramananjato
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- V.arecia variegata by Onja Razafindratsima
At Ary Saina, we believe that education is one of the most important keys to an effective conservation action plan. Therefore, we organize diverse educational and outreach activities in our field sites. We have, for instance, involved primary and secondary pupils in their field activities such as the identification of lemurs and birds and germination experiments.
How to support Ary Saina?
Volunteer! We often have volunteers assist in fieldwork activities … stay tuned for upcoming opportunities here.
Impact Madagascar
IMPACT Madagascar, a Malagasy NGO, was born from the idea that it is not possible to protect the environment without also considering the people who depend on its resources on a daily basis. Since its foundation in 2013, IMPACT Madagascar has been working with local communities to alleviate poverty and provide achievable and sustainable environmental protection through a variety of projects focusing on community health and development, biodiversity conservation, and environmental outreach.
How does Impact Madagascar work for lemur conservation?
Because of the inherent connectedness between poverty and biodiversity use and the mutually self-reinforcing nature of these links, addressing rural poverty and environmental degradation requires a holistic multidisciplinary approach in order to achieve successful sustained results.
Our goal is to protect and conserve Madagascar’s unique biodiversity while improving the lives of its people. We implement permanent change through collaboration with local people, creating a foundation on which we can build a better world. Our integrative approach to biodiversity conservation and development is reflected in our range of projects, from ecological conservation to training and education, from recycling to construction.
Working with local people, we develop strategies that promote conservation within the parameters of daily life. Adding a sense of sustainability is crucial in order to help people living in harmony with nature for their life and for future generations.
Where do you work?
We focus our work on five project sites, in five different locations: Ankirihitra (region Boeny), Madiromirafy (region Betsiboka), Mahajeby (region Bongolava), Dabolava (region Menabe), and Vohitrarivo (region V7V). Each of these rural sites is unique in their biodiversity and communities, but across these locations, our projects hold similar objectives. These include reforestation and ecological restoration, lemur and habitat monitoring, environmental outreach and practical environmental education, community development, community health, and community conservation.
IMPACT Madagascar’s Activities
Our activities focused on forest restoration include large-scale community reforestation events. During these events, community members come together and plant native forest and fast-growing tree species in the area. The saplings that are planted are produced by the communities themselves in tree nurseries on site. This reforestation continues to be successful and improve each year. In 2019, we produced and planted approximately 241,000 seedlings for future use.
Lemur and Habitat Monitoring
Our lemur and habitat monitoring includes periodic inventories of diurnal and nocturnal lemur populations located at our project sites. These focus mostly on the critically endangered mongoose lemur and crowned sifaka (though the surveys are inclusive of all lemurs in the area).
For example, the Sifaka Conservation program aims to save the fragmented forests across the four locations (along the central highlands and northwestern areas), in order to protect crowned sifaka populations and the remaining rare dry and gallery forests. Additionally, our team identifies and monitors the pressures and the threats that menace these lemur populations as well as their habitats. With this identification at each site, we can develop better strategies to combat these harmful actions and to prevent future destruction.
Conservation Education
Our conservation education projects constitute an important strategy to address threats to biodiversity and to ensure community participation and the sustainability of conservation actions. This environmental outreach includes awareness campaigns at both school and household levels. These include practical activities such as healthy living, water purification, waste management, and how to recycle various types of waste. Additionally, information sessions take place through multimedia presentations and focus on the fundamental roles of the forest, the causes of destruction and their impact on human life, biodiversity and conservation, environmental laws, the food web, wildlife, and its ecological role, and ecosystem services.
An important tool applied in our practical conservation education is the Pan African Conservation Education (PACE) resources; we are also the PACE representative for Madagascar.
Community Development
Community DevelopmentAdditionally, to help improve the living conditions of the local population in conservation areas, we have many community development projects that aim to promote income-generating activities within these communities.
We work with the local people in order to increase their farming yield and agricultural production by monitoring and providing practical training in the use of modern farming techniques and improved breeding programs, as well as promoting other alternative sources of income. In addition, we also encourage the production and sale of local produce to boost income within communities. As well as providing a more secure and sustainable future, this approach also helps by reducing the damage which current practices cause to biodiversity and forests.
Establishment and Support of VOIs
Last but not least, community conservation is a particularly important focus within all our projects at IMPACT Madagascar. At each of our conservation sites, we have established local management committees, called VOIs. These committees help to manage the forests and patrols are run by local people to monitor threats such as illegal logging and poaching, while simultaneously engaging local people in the protection of their forests.
Community Health
Additionally, we work to provide community health initiatives to these rural communities and offer them resources and care they do not otherwise have access to. These activities vary across sites and include medical missions in collaboration with health organizations to provide treatment and medical care, sexual and reproductive health education, and raising awareness about the importance of hygiene and water purification.
Support Impact Madagascar
IMPACT Madagascar’s US branch manages donations. They are collected through their secure SquareSpace website at: http://impactmadagascar.org/support-us
All of our programs and project sites involve lemur conservation, so donations will always go towards lemur and environmental projects. Our programs dedicated specifically to lemurs are the Sifaka Conservation program and the bamboo lemur project in Vohitrarivo.
