Archive | Government Policy

Madagasikara Voakajy

By Kim Reuter on May 28, 2015

Madagasikara Voakajy promotes conservation and sustainable use of Madagascar’s unique species, habitats and ecosystems, for the benefits of Malagasy people

Supporting lemur conservation since 2005 through research and targeted action

Madagasikara Voakajy schoolchildren at manakana Est

School children with the Madagasikara Voakajy lemur mascot!

Madagasikara Voakajy was established in 2005 to provide job opportunities for young Malagasy researchers. Over time, they have evolved to become an organization that provides opportunities for Malagasy biologists to become leaders in the conservation and ecological study of bats, chameleons and other vertebrates. Nowadays, they use evidence-based interventions and stakeholder engagement to target their conservation programs, which focus on a variety of species and their natural habitats. Currently, they have teams of experts who focus on baobabs, bats, reptiles, amphibians and lemurs.

What lemurs does Madagasikara Voakajy protect?

Currently, Madagasikara Voakajy directly impacts the following lemur species:

Common brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus)
Indri (Indri indri)
Diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema)

To help monitor these species, the organization is implementing a monitoring program using the occupancy modeling, a method that could be implemented easily with the local communities. In Alaotra-Mangoro Region, our interventions also benefit to at least seven other lemur species.

Hunting for lemurs in the Alaotra-Mangoro Region (where Madagasikara Voakajy does much of its work) is a real problem. Their research on this topic has found that lemur hunting may be widespread in this region and may be increasing. In addition, the traditional taboos that some groups in this region hold against hunting some lemur species (like the Indri) may be breaking down. Since 2015, the monitoring of threats and pressures was carried out until now. Only the ayes-ayes that remain taboos for the hunters.

In October 2015, they started using camera traps to monitor lemurs and other animal species in Mangabe protected
area (Moramanga district). This method provides valuable information on the presence / absence, behavior and habitat use of lemurs. Since December 2015, Madagasikara Voakajy is among the beneficiaries of the SOS’ Lemur Initiative. This project is entitled “Learning alternative livelihoods and agricultural techniques, for the love of lemurs” a.k.a “Youths for Lemurs-Lemurs for youths”.

How is Madagasikara Voakajy protecting habitat for lemur conservation?

Madagasikara Voakajy has worked to create several protected areas and natural resources use programs in Madagascar.

Currently, Madagasikara Voakajy is leading the management of seven protected areas in the Alaotra-Mangoro region.

They are supplementing this work with:

Environmental education in primary schools;
Supporting alternative income projects for women’s associations and youths (15-25 years old);
Encouraging the uptake of alternative farming methods for traditional crops; and
Creating and supporting community associations to manage natural resources.

In the past, they have worked with communities in a small number of key sites in the Anosy, Alaotra-Mangoro, and Menabe regions to support sustainable natural resource use and protect local habitats.

Partnering with local communities

Outreach

Given the high rates of lemur hunting in their target region, Madagasikara Voakajy undertakes awareness campaigns to raise awareness of the protected status of lemurs with both children and adults. For example, they have ‘Lenari’ – their indri mascot – who interacts with audience members at outreach events through playing, singing and dancing. ‘Lenari’ makes appearances at the organization’s events which include animal festivals, drawing competitions, song and poem competitions, field trips, and even the creation of school biodiversity clubs.

Now, the SOS project, “Youths for lemurs – Lemurs for youths”, brought together young people aged 15-25 from the villages around Mangabe to participate in the conservation of lemurs. Young people make song contests, interviews on lemur conservation. Finally, young people broadcast radio programs to raise awareness among people who do not know the importance and existence of lemurs.

Madagasikara Voakajy also undertakes outreach in schools. Their partnership with education authorities at the local level is especially helpful when schools that are located in communities that are within the boundaries of new protected areas.

Capacity building

Madagasikara Voakajy trains Malagasy scientists both at the university level and beyond.

Through their student training program, Madagasikara Voakajy continues to nurture the next generation of Malagasy scientists; they have supported dozens of Malagasy graduate students. They are also aiming to build the careers of promising Malagasy biologists through employment with their organization.

Conservation International

By Lynne Venart on February 12, 2015

Conservation International protects lemurs and Madagascar’s biodiversity by improving human wellbeing, capacity building, and on-the-ground programming.

Supporting lemur conservation at the international and national level since 1980.

For more than 25 years, Conservation International (CI) has been protecting nature for the benefit of human wellbeing. Thanks to the help of its 900 person staff, the organization now impacts communities in over 30 countries to help build a healthier, more prosperous, and more productive planet.

CI’s impact on lemur and environmental conservation in Madagascar is achieved through on-the-ground work and through research, publication, and grant-giving initiatives at the international level. CI has been working on a variety of programs in Madagascar since 1980 including biodiversity protection, environmental policy, and community programs. At the international level, CI’s Primate Action Fund—in partnership with the Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation—has contributed to global biodiversity conservation by providing strategically targeted, catalytic support for the conservation of endangered nonhuman primates and their natural habitats for over ten years. In addition, CI is well known for its role in publishing newsletters, journals, and books that aim to connect field researchers, conservationists, and captive-care professionals. Notably, CI was a key supporter and financier of the Lemur Action Plan; the document around which this website was built. Other CI publications include:

The Tropical Field Guide series, which includes Lemurs of Madagascar and various other pocket guides;
Primate Conservation, an open access scientific journal which publishes in-depth articles of interest to primate conservationists;
Dozens of articles, reports, and scientific manuscripts published by CI employees about their work in Madagascar and across sub-Saharan Africa more broadly.

In all of its work, some of CI’s largest impacts come from its ability to connect with the public about the need to conserve nature; most recently, the organization’s Nature is Speaking campaign resonated with tens of thousands of people across the globe. This amplification strategy helps communicate success stories to the public and to other organizations and helps motivate change not only in CI’s priority regions but across the world globally.

What lemur species does Conservation International protect?

Through the Primate Action Fund, CI has helped fund conservation programs for dozens of lemur species, including everything from basic research on the northern sportive lemur (which has less than 50 individuals left in the wild) to the impacts of cyclones on black-and-white-ruffed lemurs in eastern Malagasy rainforests. In addition, the organization’s work on the ground—such as in the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor, which is one of the largest vestiges of dense rainforest in the country—has impacted well over thirty species.

How is Conservation International protecting habitat for lemur conservation?

In addition to working on-the-ground in Madagascar, CI develops the tools needed by governments and NGOs around the world to combat habitat degradation. One example of this, is Firecast, which is a fully automated analysis and alert system that uses satellite image technology to provide real time updates about active fires and fire risks to users around the world. This technology has been used in Madagascar to analyze fire risk in the country’s national parks, and helps track where fires are most likely to occur and when.

Partnering with local communities

In Madagascar, CI works closely with local communities to increase its impact by providing financial and technical support, building capacity, and supporting strategies of development towards a green economy. Financial support is provided both by headquarters – through the Primate Action Fund and via other initiatives – and by programs managed by country-level staff.

For example, the Node Small Grants Program awarded small subsidies to local communities in order to provide economic incentives for conservation programming. This enabled communities to undertake environmental conservation activities while improving local livelihoods. This programs funded 316 micro-projects benefiting over 7700 households in six sites around Madagascar through 11 partner organizations.

As another example, CI’s Project Tokantrano Salama brought family planning services, access to drinking water, and sanitation services to areas in Madagascar with high biodiversity. Coupled with environmental education, this program aimed to decrease the impact on natural areas and to increase human wellbeing.

Finally, CI has worked—and continues to work—with local communities on a variety of eco-tourism projects. In the past, they helped build the capacity for communities to manage parcels of forest (100 to 2500 hectare) in eastern Madagascar. This project aimed to impact over 74,000 people in 23 towns along the Ankeniheny-Zahamena Corridor, a 384,000 ha forest that contains vast amounts of Madagascar’s biodiversity.

WWF Madagascar

By Kim Reuter on February 7, 2015

WWF Madagascar has been paving the way for lemur conservation in Madagascar for over half a century.

Supporting lemur conservation since 1964 with on-the-ground work in Madagascar

WWF Madagascar has been at the forefront of lemur conservation in Madagascar for over fifty years. Their first ever project involved setting up a small reserve dedicated to the protection and prosperity of the Aye-aye, leading to the creation of the Nosy Mangabe special reserve. Since then, lemurs have remained some the organization’s priority species at their project sites across the island.

What lemur species does WWF Madagascar protect?

An Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis).

Over the years, WWF Madagascar has been key to the protection of many different lemur species. Nowadays – and alongside ongoing projects to protect numerous lemur species – WWF’s strategy (Fiscal years 2012 to 2016) identifies the Silky simpona (Propithecus candidus) as one of their flagship species for the Northern Forest Landscape, the largest remaining stand of humid forest in Madagascar. In 2011, WWF – in collaboration with Dr. Erik Patel (now at the Duke Lemur Center), and international expert on the Silky simpona – conducted a vulnerability analysis on this species; the first of its kind.

This groundbreaking research – which helps conservationists understand more about the different threats facing a species – was expanded in 2012 in collaboration with the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and again in 2014 with the help of GERP. This research now helps scientists and organizations better plan their conservation programs.

WWF Madagascar is currently performing fieldwork to collect vulnerability data and information on species viability. This project began in December 2014 and will be followed by updates of the Vulnerability Analysis (VA) until the end of 2017. The aim is to understand the factors that render the Silky simpona vulnerable in order to start implementing adapted management measures that will help the species to face future climate and non-climate pressures.

How is WWF Madagascar protecting habitat for lemur conservation?

Verreaux’s Sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi).

WWF has been, and continues to be involved in, the establishment and management of many protected areas across Madagascar, which serve to conserve and protect threatened habitats for many lemur species as well as a wide variety of other flora and fauna. In addition, WWF Madagascar carries out a range of actions in Madagascar aimed at protecting habitat. For example, in the Northern Forest Landscape, WWF trains and equips local communities to perform forest patrols. One of the functions of the patrols is to collect information on species locations and populations. Both the presence of the patrols and the data they collect are being used to combat poaching of lemurs and other animal species.

WWF are currently working on habitat protection issues across Madagascar in many sites, including: Marojejy, Kirindy Mitea, Tsimanampesotoe, Amoron’i Onilahy, Ankodida, Corridor Marojejy Tsaratanana, Anjanaharibe Sud, Nord Ifotaka, and Ranobe PK 32.

Influencing environmental policy to help lemurs

WWF Madagascar, and WWF as a whole, are able to raise awareness of the threats facing lemurs at the national and international level. An example of the positive impacts of their work include WWF’s debt-for-nature concept, which pioneered the idea that a nation’s debt could be bought in exchange for in-country conservation programming. WWF has used this program to generate over $50 million (USD) of funding in Madagascar for conservation from 1989 to 2008. In addition, WWF Madagascar was a key facilitator in the First International Conference on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in Madagascar; this meeting was the foundation of the National Environmental Action Plan that was later implemented in Madagascar in the 1980s.

Partnering with local communities

WWF puts local communities at the center of their conservation projects. Local communities that live closest to valuable, fragile lemur habitats are pivotal to the success of lemur conservation because they are the ones interacting with, living in and depending on the forests and species on a daily basis.

WWF Madagascar’s team working in Andapa.

WWF manages a wide array of social development programming; in the past, the organization has developing eco-tourism projects, designed public health programs, and even worked with the Malagasy government to create eco-labels for Malagasy shrimp which are traded on the international market through the shrimp aquaculture industry.

Local conservation management

In the Northern Forest Landscape, a green belt composed of 39 community-based managed areas is currently being established around the newly created protected area of COMATSA (245,000 ha). Each area managed by local communities first undergoes a zoning process and then local management plans are developed. As the Silky simpona is a flagship species for the entire area, activities related to its conservation and resilience building will be developed for the protected areas as well as for all the community-managed areas where the species is present.

Environmental education

Since 1987, WWF Madagascar has been growing its environmental education program, in collaboration with the Malagasy Ministry of Education. The program now has 515 student clubs across 46 districts in Madagascar and impacts over 50,000 students in the country. In addition, the program also prints the Vintsy Magazine – an environmentally focused publication – which has been in print for 64 issues.

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (American Friends of Durrell)

By Kim Reuter on February 1, 2015

The American Friends of Durrell fund habitat protection and capacity building programs in Madagascar.

Supporting lemur conservation by supporting the work of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT)

Lee Durrell releasing ploughshare tortoises in 2011.

American Friends of Durrell promotes and supports the work of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT), a British wildlife charity established in 1963 by author and conservationist, Gerald Durrell. DWCT’s mission is to save species from extinction.

In Madagascar, the DWCT has been undertaking conservation actions for species and habitats since 1983. It has pioneered efforts for breeding and release-to-the wild of critically endangered species, for protecting vulnerable habitats and for enabling and empowering local communities to manage their natural environments sustainably. DWCT’s Madagascar Program employs approximately 30 people, mostly Malagasy nationals, and operates at eight sites. Lemurs are flagship species for two of the sites where the DWCT works: the Alaotran gentle lemur at Lac Alaotra and the black and white ruffed lemur at Manombo.

The American Friends of Durrell currently contribute to two of DWCT’s projects: (1) the Alison Jolly Madagascar Scholarship; and (2) the Madagascar Program Management and Coordination fund, which essentially covers the core costs of DWCT’s work in Madagascar. In the future, the American Friends of Durrell will likely increase their funding of the organization’s programs, especially as it relates to lemur conservation.

What lemurs does the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust protect?

Alaotran gentle lemurs.

Lemurs are flagship species for two of the sites where the DWCT works: the Alaotran gentle lemur at Lac Alaotra (east Madagascar) and the black and white ruffed lemur at Manombo (southeast Madagascar).

How is the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust protecting habitat for lemur conservation?

Thanks to the help of the American Friends of Durrell, the DWCT in Madagascar has been able to achieve several landmark moments in lemur conservation. Notable successes include the establishment of a Ramsar Site for Lac Alaotra (east Madagascar) and a National Park at Baly Bay (west Madagascar).

Black-and-white ruffed lemur.

Partnering with local communities

DWCT pioneered its approach to partnering with local communities in the early 1990s on the project to save the ploughshare tortoise of Madagascar. It was inspired and led by the late Lala Jean Rakotoniaina, who became DWCT’s Community Conservation Coordinator and a Disney Conservation Hero. Now all of DWCT’s work in Madagascar – and elsewhere in the world – is modeled on this approach, with local communities participating in management actions and ultimately taking on decisions concerning their natural resources. The empowerment of local communities helps increase the sustainability of programming, and therefore the viability of species and target habitats.

Capacity building

The American Friends of Durrell fund the Alison Jolly Madagascar Scholarship. This scholarship allows a student to attend the post-graduate diploma course offered by DWCT at their Durrell Conservation Academy in Mauritius. The Durrell Conservation Academy has trained nearly 4,000 people from 139 countries in biodiversity conservation.

Association Tantelygasy

By Kim Reuter on January 28, 2015

Association Tantelygasy uses innovative development and reforestation programs to protect lemur habitat and help conserve lemurs in central Madagascar.

Supporting lemur conservation through habitat protection, reforestation, and local community programming

Association Tantelygasy supports the protection and reforestation of the natural forest in the central Madagascar highlands near Ambositra. A relatively young organization, Association Tantelygasy is developing ways for the local community to create income, which decreases pressure on the nearby forests. Their innovative programming includes eco-tourism, beekeeping, and promoting the development of local handicrafts. They also raise awareness among local Malagasy about the importance of these forests and the need to protect them.

How does Association Tantelygasy protect lemur habitat?

One of Association Tantelygasy’s larger objectives is to work with local communities to ensure the ongoing health of the forest. Their reforestation efforts just launched in 2014, planting over 1,300 trees in just six months! Moving forward, the Association plans to continue their reforestation work through tree planting and creating tree nurseries.

Partnering with local communities

Association Tantelygasy works in partnership with village leaders and with local village associations to build capacity in the community and ensure the sustainability of the organization’s programming. In addition, Association Tantelygasy conducts a wide range of pro-environment programs in Ambositra to incentivize communities to protect remaining the forest and gain income from non-forest sources.

Eco-tourism in the Ankazomivady forest

Association Tantelygasy has been developing eco-tourism at their project site since 2012 and launched their latest program in 2014. They aim to attract at least 6,000 visitors per year to the area. In the first six months of this eco-tourism program, they built its foundation, attracted 45 visitors, and planted 1,300 trees!

Moving forward, Association Tantelygasy seeks funds to continue building up the community’s ability to accommodate and manage a tourist economy. This will include:

Training guides who can collaborate with tourism agencies and responsibly guide tourists through the protected forest;
Creating and maintaining official trails through the forest to minimize human impacts on the local fauna and flora;
Constructing a reception area at the entrance to the park;
Constructing an area for security guards to stay overnight at the entrance of the park (which is somewhat distant from the local village);
Conducting a comprehensive survey of the flora and fauna in the forests, with the help of specialists who will also study how local communities use local plants in their traditional healing practices.

Development of a local handicraft association

Association Tantelygasy is working with local women’s associations to develop a local handicraft trade, including embroideries and baskets made of local products. While the local women’s associations obtain most of the financing needed for the handicrafts, Association Tantelygasy will be promoting their sales abroad and raising the larger funds needed to advance these community associations.

Farming and beekeeping

As Associaation Tantelygasy progresses, it aims to implement farming and beekeeping programs to alleviate the need for local communities to rely on the forest for income and food. They are currently raising funds to create model gardens where they will teach sustainable agriculture to local communities and provide the community with free and low-cost seeds and gardening equipment. In addition, Association Tantelygasy has its sights set on beekeeping, which can help both the environment—through pollination—as well as the community.

Centre ValBio & the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments

By Kim Reuter on January 28, 2015

ICTE and Centre ValBio focus the world’s attention on Madagascar’s lemur crisis through targeted research, conservation, and capacity building.

Supporting lemur conservation by promoting world-class research, encouraging environmental conservation, and building local capacity

The Centre ValBio – a cutting-edge research station in Madagascar.

The Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments (ICTE) was established by Dr. Patricia Wright in 1991 to encourage and promote scientific research, training and conservation in the tropics. ICTE – together with Stony Brook University – maintain a state-of-the-art research station, Centre ValBio, adjacent to Ranomafana National Park in eastern Madagascar. This research station hosts hundreds of researchers, students, and eco-tourists each year; it is truly the only facility of its kind in the country.

Centre ValBio (CVB) – founded in 2003 – helps both indigenous people and the international community better understand the value of conservation in Madagascar and around the world.

CVB’s mission has three main objectives:

To promote world-class research in one of the world’s most biologically diverse and unique ecosystems;
To encourage environmental conservation by developing ecologically sustainable economic development programs with local villages; and
To provide the local villagers with the knowledge and tools to improve their quality of life through projects focused on sanitation, diet, and education, and ultimately reduce poverty in the area.

What lemur species do ICTE and the Centre Valbio protect?

Wildlife in the Ranomafana National Park.

The work of ICTE/Centre Valbio places particular emphasis on the region surrounding the Ranomafana National Park, in eastern Madagascar. This park is host to several lemur species, including:

Aye aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
Brown mouse lemur (Microcebus rufus)
Eastern wooly lemur (Avahi laniger)
Golden bamboo lemur (Hapalemur aureus)
Greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus)
Milne-Edwards’ sifaka (Propithecus edwardsi)

It is important to note that long-term research programs are a big priority to ICTE, who trains scientists at all levels through field-based courses, collaborations, and academic exchanges. More than 400 scientific publications have directly resulted from work conducted in partnership with the Centre ValBio. In addition, the organization also conducts biodiversity research and ecological assessments of tropical ecosystems, and coordinates and catalogs the work of over 800 natural and social scientists!

Recent successes at CVB include the translocation of three Prolemur simus from a forest fragment to the national park, as well as the discovery of a thriving group in a nearby region!

Influencing environmental policy to help lemurs

The Ranomafana National Park – which protects 41,500 hectares of rainforest – was created with the help of Dr. Patricia Wright, the founder of ICTE and CVB. Since the creation of this park, the organization has continued to help bring attention to the plight of lemurs and biodiversity in Madagascar at the regional, national, and international level.

Partnering with local communities

Centre ValBio’s conservation programs have also included reforestation and education initiatives.

One of the central missions of ICTE/CVB has been collaboration and partnerships with the local Malagasy community. CVB employs over 80 local Malagasy as guides and staff for the research station, and has opened up opportunities for work in the park and surrounding areas. In addition to providing sustainable employment, CVB organizes multiple outreach programs in the fields of education, the arts, sustainable agriculture, and reforestation.

Conservation outreach

Centre ValBio leads outreach and public awareness programs that highlight the unique biodiversity of Madagascar; most of this works is achieved through 15 conservation clubs spread across 22 villages that contain almost 500 members. They also use audiovisual and hands-on demonstrations to teach about biodiversity and reforestation in 19 local schools. Most recently, Centre ValBio and ICTE support a range of education initiatives in the Ranomafana region through the PLAY project.

Centre ValBio donates food to local community thanks to the help of an emergency fund.

Reforestation program

The Centre ValBio undertakes educational outreach aimed at teaching the value of trees, not just for animals, but for clean water and erosion control as well. Their reforestation initiatives have also targeted schools through their “from schools to the communities programs”, which has worked with 22 villages and 15 clubs on reforestation initiatives.

Health and hygiene

CVB works to improve the local communities’ nutritional conditions through education, implementation of infrastructure, and follow-up on improved sanitary practices. For example, CVB provides seeds and training for vegetable gardens to improve nutritional conditions in impoverished rural communities.

Aspinall Foundation

By Kim Reuter on January 23, 2015

The Aspinall Foundation’s long-term, community-based programs protect wildlife and wild habitats in Madagascar, ensuring that communities can conserve their forests and local lemur populations for many years to come.

Supporting lemur conservation through local partners to conserve endangered species and their habitats

Aspinall Foundation working with local community associations.

In Madagascar, the Aspinall Foundation implements effective, targeted conservation programs to protect a small number of high priority lemur species, including greater bamboo lemurs, black-and-white ruffed lemurs and indri. They partner with local communities to address the conservation of both the species themselves and their habitat. The Aspinall Foundation has worked in both the eastern rainforests and the western dry forests of Madagascar.

What lemur species does the Aspinall Foundation protect?

The Aspinall Foundation’s work has been key to saving several Critically Endangered species from extinction. Using effective, targeted conservation actions on a small number of high priority lemur species, the programs implemented by The Aspinall Foundation have helped save the following species:

An Indri (Indri indri), copyright Tony King Aspinall Foundation

Black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata)
Crowned sifaka (Propithecus coronatus)
Diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema)
Mongoose lemur (Eulemur mongoz)
Greater bamboo lemurs (Prolemur simus)
Indri (Indri indri)

Greater Bamboo Lemurs (Prolemur simus)

Since 2008, the Aspinall Foundation has been working in eastern Madagascar to save greater bamboo lemurs, one of the rarest primates in the world. Thanks to their work, they have been able to discover new populations of this species, implement community-based conservation projects at ten new sites, and create the first-ever, community-managed site designed specifically to protect greater bamboo lemurs. At this community-managed site, they monitor over 30 lemur groups and 500 individuals on a weekly basis, which have helped remove greater bamboo lemurs from the 25-most-endangered primates list!

Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia variegata)

Since 2013, the Aspinall Foundation has been working in eastern Madagascar with conservation programming targeted at saving black-and-white ruffed lemurs. Thanks to their efforts, three new populations of the species have been discovered! Two populations of black-and-white ruffed lemurs are now protected and monitored annually.

The Aspinall Foundation plans to continue working to protect this species throughout its range and to develop conservation programs that help ensure its long-term survival.

How does the Aspinall Foundation protect lemur habitat?

One of the reforestation projects managed by The Aspinall Foundation.

Habitat protection is key to the foundation’s work, and is integrated into many of their programs through their innovative partnerships with local community organizations.

Partnering with local communities

The Aspinall Foundation’s support is always a long-term commitment to the community. All of Aspinall’s projects are community-based and support the local community associations that conserve the local forest habitats that have been identified as priority sites for their target lemur species. Their work builds the capacity of these communities so that they can conserve their forests and local lemur populations for many years to come.

The Aspinall Foundation partners with local communities at every project site.

They partnered with six local community associations and one private land-owner in eastern Madagascar to save the greater bamboo lemur.
Since 2010, they supported three local community associations in eastern Madagascar (Andriantantely) and hired over 15 rangers to monitor and protect lemurs and their habitats.
In Andriantantely, their work is supported by a community-based management agreement that sets the foundation for local communities to manage their forests and conservation programs in a sustainable way.

Lemur notebook distribution by Lucien Randrianarimanana.

Influencing environmental policy to help lemurs

Additionally, the data collected by the Aspinall Foundation helps guide environmental policy. Thanks to their work, black-and-white ruffed lemurs are now recognized as a priority species by Malagasy authorities. The information they’ve collected has clarified how endangered their target species are, which is important because a lack of data prohibits an accurate estimate of population sizes and threats against the species.

Bristol Zoological Society

By Kim Reuter on January 20, 2015

Bristol Zoological Society saves wildlife through action, policy, and collaboration.

Supporting lemur conservation by supporting research, environmental policy, and nonprofits working in Madagascar

Bristol Zoological Society saves wildlife through conservation action and engaging people with the natural world. The zoological society currently focuses its efforts on the Sahamalaza peninsula of northwestern Madagascar. We are working together with other European zoos to protect the last remaining populations of two critically endangered lemur species, the blue-eyed black lemur (Eulemur flavifrons) and the Sahamalaza sportive lemur (Lepilemur sahamalazensis).

What lemur species does the Bristol Zoological Society protect?

The Bristol Zoological Society undertakes efforts to study and conserve the following species:

Blue-eyed black lemur (Eulemur flavifrons)
Sahamalaza sportive lemur (Lepilemur sahamalazensis)
Sambirano mouse lemur (Microcebus sambiranensis)
Northern giant mouse lemur (Mirza zaza)

Influencing environmental policy to help lemurs

The Bristol Zoological Society aims to raise awareness of the threats facing lemurs at the regional, national, and international level. For example, the zoological society worked with the government to create the Sahamalza Iles Radama National Park. In addition, the BZS Director of Conservation, Dr. Christoph Schwitzer, is the editor of Lemur News, and online and publicly available newsletter that connects the research and conservation community. In addition, the BZS has led the publication of several highly-visible articles, which effectively called attention to the plight of lemurs in Madagascar.

Some of these publications include:

Schwitzer et al. (2014) Protecting lemurs – response. Science. 344: 358
Schwitzer et al. (2014) Averting lemur extinctions amid Madagascar’s political crisis. Science. 343: 842-843

Partnering with local communities

The Bristol Zoological Society actively engages with the public and scientific community, sharing knowledge, eliciting support, and guiding behavior change. They apply specialist skills to investigate conservation problems and to guide and support local communities in tackling their environmental issues.

Specifically, the BZS aims to improve the conservation status of their target lemur species both through direct research and by supporting local NGOs in the region. As one of the core partners in the AEECL (Association Europeenne pour l’Etude et la Conservation des Lemuriens), the BZS helps to improve the education of the local communities neighboring lemur forest fragments by helping to employ 60 teachers in 37 villages and providing conservation education teaching materials.

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Archive | Government Policy

Supporting lemur conservation since 2005 through research and targeted action

What lemurs does Madagasikara Voakajy protect?

How is Madagasikara Voakajy protecting habitat for lemur conservation?

Partnering with local communities

Outreach

Capacity building

Conservation International protects lemurs and Madagascar’s biodiversity by improving human wellbeing, capacity building, and on-the-ground programming.

Supporting lemur conservation at the international and national level since 1980.

What lemur species does Conservation International protect?

How is Conservation International protecting habitat for lemur conservation?

Partnering with local communities

WWF Madagascar has been paving the way for lemur conservation in Madagascar for over half a century.

Supporting lemur conservation since 1964 with on-the-ground work in Madagascar

What lemur species does WWF Madagascar protect?

How is WWF Madagascar protecting habitat for lemur conservation?

Influencing environmental policy to help lemurs

Partnering with local communities

Local conservation management

Environmental education

The American Friends of Durrell fund habitat protection and capacity building programs in Madagascar.

Supporting lemur conservation by supporting the work of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (DWCT)

What lemurs does the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust protect?

How is the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust protecting habitat for lemur conservation?

Partnering with local communities

Capacity building

Supporting lemur conservation through habitat protection, reforestation, and local community programming

How does Association Tantelygasy protect lemur habitat?

Partnering with local communities

Eco-tourism in the Ankazomivady forest

Development of a local handicraft association

Farming and beekeeping

Supporting lemur conservation by promoting world-class research, encouraging environmental conservation, and building local capacity

What lemur species do ICTE and the Centre Valbio protect?

Influencing environmental policy to help lemurs

Partnering with local communities

Conservation outreach

Reforestation program

Health and hygiene

The Aspinall Foundation’s long-term, community-based programs protect wildlife and wild habitats in Madagascar, ensuring that communities can conserve their forests and local lemur populations for many years to come.

Supporting lemur conservation through local partners to conserve endangered species and their habitats

What lemur species does the Aspinall Foundation protect?

Greater Bamboo Lemurs (Prolemur simus)

Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia variegata)

How does the Aspinall Foundation protect lemur habitat?

Partnering with local communities

The Aspinall Foundation partners with local communities at every project site.

Influencing environmental policy to help lemurs

Bristol Zoological Society saves wildlife through action, policy, and collaboration.

Supporting lemur conservation by supporting research, environmental policy, and nonprofits working in Madagascar

What lemur species does the Bristol Zoological Society protect?

Influencing environmental policy to help lemurs

Partnering with local communities

Our Partners and Sponsors