December 10, 2013 — Dr. Erik Patel, SAVA Conservation director in Madagascar, submitted this report on a new comprehensive strategy for lemur conservation:
A new publicly available ‘Lemur Conservation Action Plan’ has recently been released by The Primate Specialist Group of the IUCN-SSC (International Union for the Conservation of Nature – Species Survival Commission). This very well written 197 page document, entitled Lemurs of Madagascar: A Strategy for their Conservation 2013-2016 was developed during the July 2012 Lemur Red-Listing and Conservation Planning Workshop in Antananarivo, Madagascar (which I participated in) and may be downloaded here.
The Action Plan provides the latest official IUCN Red-list categories for each lemur species, and serves as an outstanding reference for the current state of lemur conservation with a variety of conservation topics discussed thoroughly.
In addition to reviewing Madagascar’s tremendous biodiversity (“…the world’s single highest priority biodiversity hotspot” p. 5), the current total number of lemur species (at 103, though debated) and the shockingly high percentage (94%) of lemurs which are “threatened” with a high a risk of extinction in the wild, the Action Plan also supports three main strategies to save lemurs in the wild:
| “The first of these is working closely with local communities. Madagascar has a strong tradition of community based guide associations and other local groups working to achieve conservation in the areas surrounding key protected areas.” p. 9 |
| “The second key element is closely associated with the first, and focuses on the development of lemur ecotourism. Lemurs are already Madagascar’s number one tourist attraction, and the number of sites to visit can be increased tenfold over the next five years, and probably a hundredfold over the next decade if adequate funding is available.” p. 9 |
| “The third key element is maintaining a long-term research presence in important sites and creating new research projects on species and in areas not yet benefitting from such a presence. It has been proven time and time again that one of the best possible deterrents to poaching and habitat encroachment is a strong research presence in the form of a field station and a permanent presence of field workers, both international and local.” p. 10 |
Additionally, eight key objectives and specific actions are discussed in detail:
1) Stop habitat loss and degradation.
2) Increase suitable lemur habitat and habitat connectivity.
3) Stop illegal commercial timber exploitation of natural forests.
4) Ensure that local population’s use of forests is sustainable.
5) Stop lemur hunting.
6) Promote community-based sustainable development and capacity building around priority lemur sites.
7) Fill knowledge-gaps in population ecology and biodiversity of lemurs, and increase training of Malagasy scientists.
8) Increase environmental awareness nationally and internationally.
Most importantly, the Action Plan offers specific actions for 30 high priority lemur sites (including the Marojejy/Anjanaharibe-Sud Protected Areas in the SAVA region where DLC works), with examples of successful achievements and nominal 3-year budgets for which funding is needed.
Students, conservationists, and researchers alike will benefit from a careful reading of this thorough conservation report!
For more on Duke SAVA Conservation in Northeastern Madagascar, please visit Duke Magazine, Winter 2013. To see where DLC works, view the interactive Google Earth map or view a Pinterest photo tour.
Dr. Erik R. Patel is the Post-Doctoral Project director for Duke Lemur Center’s SAVA Conservation Project. He has been working in northeastern Madagascar for 12 years.
