Parc Ivoloina
Infant bamboo lemurs (Hapalemur griseus) are often orphaned when Malagasy farmers clear land to plant rice. Parc Ivoloina staff hand-feed them until they are old enough to eat bamboo. Click image for larger version.
Parc Ivoloina is situated about 7 miles north of the city of Tamatave, on the east coast of Madagascar. The Parc has many attractions with a small zoo featuring Malagasy species, several free-ranging lemur groups, many wild birds and a beautiful Environmental Education Center. The land is protected as a forestry station and is also the site of agroforestry, tree nursery and reforestation activities to help teach local villagers about alternatives to destructive slash-and-burn rice cultivation.
Parc Ivoloina is now recognized as the region's most important environmental education resource and spark-plug for biodiversity conservation. Multi-faceted education programs include special environmental classes for primary schoolchildren, teacher training workshops, adult outreach activities and training of Malagasy graduate students.
The Parc is open daily from 9 AM - 5 PM. Over 10,000 people visit annually, and 70% are Malagasy nationals. The new MFG Program Coordinator Dr. Karen Freeman and the Parc's Malagasy staff are continuing to develop the Parc's ecotourism potential to help support conservation programs into the future.