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Special Lemur Conservation Symposium
Continued
ral forest-bordering communities. Lemur research and conservation projects are also sup-
ported, and results of several projects will be reviewed which have recently been under-
taken by graduate and undergraduate Duke University students.
The Lemur Crisis: Navigating The Complexities of Conservation in Madagascar
Marni LaFleur
1
, Lisa Gould
2
, Erik Patel
3
, and Jen Tinsman
4
1
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
2
University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
3
Duke Lemur Center, Durham, NC, USA
4
American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
Madagascar’s primates are extraordinarily diverse and deeply imperiled. Without imme-
diate and successful intervention, the IUCN SSC estimates that up to 94% of lemur species
are at least threatened with extinction. This sobering prediction is despite decades of con-
tinuous research and significant conservation efforts by a growing number of primatolo-
gists. How can we, as primate specialists, mitigate the complex drivers of deforestation
and species loss in Madagascar? This symposium will address the immense challenges
faced by conservationists throughout Madagascar, with the aim of identifying best prac-
tices for rapid and sustainable change. We bring together primatologists with active con-
servation projects in Madagascar, who are bridging the gaps between research, conserva-
tion, education, and development. We intend to open and continue dialogue on navigating
the cultural, political, and economic frameworks within Madagascar, and address how
these factors influence the conservation agendas of primatologists.
Bryophyte and Climate Change Research at Marojejy
By Dr. Erik Patel and Charlie Welch
Climate change has become another serious threat to Madagascar's biodiversity with
available evidence suggesting that rainfall and temperature have recently deviated. Tem-
perature and precipitation are predicted to increase throughout the island, though the
south is expected to become drier (Hannah et al., 2008; Tadross et al., 2008). Lemur
health and distribution will likely be negatively impacted by such climatic changes with
likely increases in parasitism and reduced survival of offspring (Barrett et al., 2013;
Dunham et al., 2011). Malagasy reptiles and amphibians have already experienced upslope
displacements (when a population moves up to higher elevations to cooler habitats) and
several are predicted to go extinct due to warming (Raxworthy et al., 2008).
Flora are also impacted by climate change. In December of last year SAVA Conservation
assisted PhD student Lova Marline, of the University of Cape Town, with her bryophyte
(mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) research in Marojejy National Park. She works with
Professors Terry Hedderson and Claudine Ah-Peng, and is investigating the "Factors affect-
ing diversity and distribution of bryophytes in Madagascar under a changing environment".
Lova’s research on bryophytes is a continuation of the BRYLAT project, which is examining
Lova Marline’s
“...work will provide
some of the first
climate data from
Marojejy in recent
years and examine
four major
questions.”