Vol. 15 - Deutsches Primatenzentrum

Page 70 Lemur News Vol. 15, 2010
The fund’s reach is truly global,and its species interest is nondiscriminatory.
It is open to applications for funding support
from conservationists based in all parts of the world,and will
potentially support projects focused on any and all kinds of
plant and animal species, subject to the approval of an independent
evaluation committee.
Details on this important new source for species conservation
initiatives and research can be found at
www.mbzspeciesconservation.org
CI Primate Action Fund
The principal objective of Conservation International’s Primate
Action Fund is to contribute to global biodiversity
conservation by providing strategically targeted, catalytic
support for the conservation of endangered nonhuman
primates and their natural habitats.
Projects submitted to the foundation should have one or
more of the following characteristics:
A focus on critically endangered and endangered nonhuman
primates (and most especially those included in the
biennial listing of the World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates)
living in their natural habitats;
Location in areas of high overall biodiversity and under great
threat (e.g., "threatened hotspots", "megadiversity" countries)
- to ensure maximum multiplier effect for each project;
Direction and management by nationals from the tropical
countries,to help increase local capacity for implementing
biodiversity conservation;
The ability to strengthen international networks of fieldbased
primate specialists and enhance their capacity to be
successful conservationists; and
Projects that result in publication of information on endangered
primate species in a format that is useful both to
experts and the general public.
Applications for support are considered throughout the year
with no deadlines for submittal. Proposals should be sent by
electronic mail to:
Anthony B. Rylands, Primate Action Fund, Conservation International,
2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA
22202, USA, a.rylands@conservation.org
Recent Publications
Lemurs of Madagascar, 3rd edition, by Russell A. Mittermeier,
Edward E. Louis Jr., Matthew Richardson, Christoph
Schwitzer,Olivier Langrand,Anthony B.Rylands,Frank Hawkins,
Serge Rajaobelina, Jonah Ratsimbazafy, Rodin Rasoloarison,
Christian Roos, Peter M. Kappeler and James Mackinnon.Illustrated
by Stephen D.Nash.Conservation International,
Tropical Field Guide Series, Arlington, VA, 2010. 762
pp. ISBN: 978-1-934151-23-5. US$55.00.
In 2006,Madagascar was making significant progress towards
conservation by expanding the protection of its natural treasures.At
the same time,the second edition of Conservation
International’s Tropical Field Guide Series, Lemurs of Madagascar,had
just come off the press,a full twelve years after its
much-celebrated predecessor. A lot has changed in four
years. Political and economic instability has imperiled both
the Malagasy people and their unique wildlife. Conservation
has taken drastic steps backwards as the desperation of the
masses and greed of a few elites and international profiteers
has exacerbated the conflict between the domains of humans
and wildlife. CI has answered the call to action by releasing
a new third edition of its lemur field guide, dwarfing
previous editions in both size and its depth of research and
detail. With nearly 1,100 references to support it–up from
approximately 500 references in the second edition–the
third edition stands as more than just a complete compendium
of our knowledge about lemurs, but the perfect guide
for appreciating the history, diversity, uniqueness, and pure
beauty of our strepsirrhine cousins.
According to CI’s Jill Lucena,from early 2009,the 13 authors
and dozens of contributors have worked tirelessly on the
third edition,dedicating thousands of hours towards its production.
Authors Matthew
Richardson and Anthony B.
Rylands, as well as illustrator
Stephen D. Nash and
graphic designer Paula K.
Rylands,labored exclusively
on the project for nine
months. The end result is a
field guide that will leave
other academic fields envious!
This new volume is 247
pages longer than the previous
edition, with 767 pages
of carefully organized maps,
photos, and colorful illustrations,
in addition to all
the details lemur enthusiasts
and researchers have
come to expect from this
book.The content is so rich
that the book’s dimensions
have increased from 7.5" x
4.5" x 1" to slightly more than 9.25" x 6.25" x 1.25" just to accommodate
everything.And herein lies what may be the only
problem with this new edition. Reviews of the previous two
editions had lavished praise for not only the content and
scope, but also the portability of the books. Although it will
fit comfortably in a backpack, it will add more weight and
consume more space than its predecessors. But given the
content, that may be a small price to pay.
The layout of the book has not changed much since the last
edition. An enthralling chapter on Madagascar’s ancient geological
history has been added, providing tantalizing details
about the mysteries of Madagascar’s ancient past,while a few
familiar chapters and appendices have been reordered. Each
lemur family has now been assigned its own chapter.The section
entitled "How to Use This Field Guide" still walks new
readers through the layout of the book. The "Quick Visual
Reference" and colored tabs facilitate speedy navigation and
help to satiate an ecotourists’ spontaneous hunger for specific
information. The "Lemur Life-list" returns in a more
readable table format to help ecotourists record their first
sightings of the numerous lemur species. Even the maps of
the island have been revamped and are easier to read in this
larger format.
Introductory chapters discuss ancient geology,lemur origins,
the extinct subfossil (giant) lemurs, the history of lemur re-