Basic HTML Version
SAVA Conservation an Active Participant in the Prosimian Congress
P A G E 1 0
V O L . 2 , N O . 3
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 3
Below are abstracts from a presentation by Nicholas School graduate Jennifer Moore and poster by Rachel
Kramer and Erik Patel, which was presented by Erik.
Lemur Population Surveys and Remote Sensing in Marojejy National Park
Jennifer Moore
1
and Erik R. Patel
2
1
(formerly) Master's Student at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University
2
Duke Lemur Center, SAVA Conservation, Post-Doctoral Project Director
Marojejy National Park is among the most biologically diverse protected areas in Madagascar. This unique moun-
tainous park is home to eleven lemur species including the critically endangered silky sifaka (
Propithecus candidus
).
Between May 24 and August 3 2012, diurnal and nocturnal line-transect surveys were conducted in two regions
(remote north-west and central-east tourist region) to assess lemur population abundance, habitat structure and dis-
turbance. Canopy-height, canopy-visibility, and understory-visibility were assessed at 50 meter intervals along each
transect. Additionally, remote sensing of high resolution Geo-Eye satellite imagery was conducted using ENVI and Ar-
cGIS. Each of the five transects received 24 diurnal and 4 nocturnal replicates yielding a total survey effort of 254.1 km.
P. candidus
,
E. albifrons
,
E. rubriventer
,
H. occidentalis
and
L. seali
were found in both regions.
C. major
was only found
in the central-east.
A. laniger
were only found in the north-west.
D. madagascariensis
and
A. trichotis
were possibly
identified in the north-west. Encounter rates and density were calculated for all species. Approximately 5 new silky
sifaka groups (20 individuals) were found. Anthropogenic disturbance was clearly higher in the north-west and in-
cluded selective logging, old rosewood logs, lemur/carnivore traps, bush-huts, and extraction of wild tubers (“ovyala”).
Remote sensing revealed that the amount of secondary forest within the park is higher in the north-west region as
well. These results highlight the areas of the park requiring more protection, while providing some of the first lemur
encounter rates and densities from this national park.
Socio-economic Impacts of Disproportionate Investment in Communities Bordering Marojejy NP
Rachel A. Kramer
1,2
and Erik R. Patel
3
1
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
2
Current Affiliation: World Wildlife Fund US
3
Duke Lemur Center, SAVA Conservation, Post-Doctoral Project Director
Equity in the investment of conservation-sector finances across target community groups is essential to achieving
balanced conservation outcomes. This study examines differences in socio-economic conditions and natural resource
use across communities inside and outside of the tourist zone of Marojejy National Park. Between June and August
2011, anonymous structured oral interviews were conducted in Tsimihety dialect Malagasy in 400 households in four
communities adjacent to Marojejy NP. Two eastern study communities (Mandena and Manantenina) are part of the
tourist zone, which has been the focus of considerable development activities and is frequented by foreign researchers
and tourists, while two western study communities (Antsahaberaoka and Ambalanaomby) lie on a remote side of the
Park. Mann-Whitney U Tests revealed that communities near the tourist zone reported significantly higher educational
level, household assets, paddy rice, and vanilla production compared with remote western communities. Eastern com-
munities reported higher coffee production and significantly higher hill rice production using tavy shifting cultivation. A
binary logistic regression was performed to assess the ability of observed socio-economic variables to predict commu-
nity membership. The overall model was significant (Chi-Squared(14) = 347.85, p < .001), and had a good fit (Pseudo-
R2 = .588). The overall percentage of correct classifications was 89.3%. The strongest predictors of community mem-
bership were vanilla yield, value of home materials, coffee yield, and hill rice yield. Results suggest that, for the long
term, conservation of Marojejy NP will require a more equitable distribution of finances as to-date investment has
benefitted only a minority of forest-bordering residents.