Conservation
Madagascar. Click image for larger version.
Madagascar is one of the world's most endangered biodiversity hotspots. The island is home to over 70 different kinds of lemurs which are found nowhere else in the world, making it the single highest priority for the conservation of primates. Approximately 90% of Madagascar's other mammals, its reptiles, amphibians and its plants are also endemic- found only in Madagascar. Sadly, this remarkable diversity of animal and plant life is in critical danger. Man arrived on Madagascar only 2,000 years ago, and today only about 17% of the original vegetation remains. Human pressures continue to threaten the island's many unique ecosystems- the rainforests, the dry forests, the spiny desert, fresh water wetlands and the marine ecosystem. The human impact is compounded by the desperate poverty of Madagascar's 17 million inhabitants, who rely on slash-and-burn agriculture, unsustainable forest product use and hunting for their very survival, all of which destroy animal habitats or the animals themselves. Solutions for these two critical problems in Madagascar- threats to biodiversity and human poverty- must be considered together if they are to succeed.
The Duke Lemur Center has had an active conservation program for 20 years, both at the DLC and in Madagascar. In Madagascar, the DLC partners with the Madagascar Fauna Group (MFG) at Parc Ivoloina, a regional environmental education and training center on Madagascar's east coast. Parc Ivoloina has a small zoo and teaches Malagasy people about reforestation, better agriculture techniques and ecotourism as alternatives to destructive land use practices. Also with the MFG, the DLC carried out the first re-introduction of captive lemurs back to the wild at Betampona Reserve. This project has evolved into an important program of conservation research on many different plants and animals, helping to protect the Reserve at the same time.
At the DLC, scientific research and captive breeding programs also support conservation efforts, increasing our knowledge about lemur biology, reproduction, social behavior, veterinary medicine, diets and breeding management. The DLC is also a major resource for undergraduate and graduate student education. Many students do field research in Madagascar and often go on to work as primatologists or as conservation professionals.
View animation of deforestation in Madagascar (requires Flash)