Madagascar's Lemurs

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THE EXPEDITION 1. PROJECT OVERVIEW “I learned about the country and people of Madagascar – of the resiliency and strength of an incredibly hardscrabble lifestyle, of the value of a drop of pure water, or a simpler, less complicated life that made a bowl of rice a wonderful meal and the smile of others, especially the children, a grand experience.” ~ Sharon Pittman, 2005 Earthwatch Volunteer The lemur species found within Ranomafana National Park (RNP) in Madagascar’s southeastern rainforest represent an ancient primate lineage – an isolated group that persisted in Madagascar while the rest of the world changed around them. They exhibit behavioral patterns and respond to their environment in ways that are different from monkeys and apes, their more modern primate relatives, and are extremely scientifically interesting. Because they are restricted geographically to this area, they are also a high conservation priority. Of the 13 lemur species found within RNP, six are listed as “Endangered” or “Critically Endangered” by the IUCN. Each year more and more of this unique forest habitat is cleared for agriculture. To better understand these amazing creatures and develop management plans to ensure their future survival, the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments (ICTE) facilitates the research of scientists and students from Madagascar and around the world. As an Earthwatch volunteer, you will assist Principal Investigator (PI) Dr. Patricia C. Wright with her long-term study of the behavior, ecology, and demography of the Milne-Edwards’ sifaka, one of the lemur species found within RNP. This research began in 1986, before RNP was even legally recognized. It is the first long-term study of a Malagasy rainforest primate species and is the longest running continuous project of its kind. Behavioral observations have been conducted on more than 76 individual lemurs from four groups over a 20-year time span. Forty-six individuals have been captured, marked with identification collars, and released. Individual groups range from three to nine individuals, and these individuals are followed during all 12 months of the year. A great deal of data has been collected on the behavior and ecology of this species. The sifaka study also helps to increase the overall understanding of the park for two important reasons. First, as the largest primate within the park, the sifaka is at particularly high risk for local extinction in light of habitat disturbance and therefore serves as a good indicator species for the overall primate community at RNP. Second, as these sifaka are generalists – eating leaves, fruits, and seeds – variations in the quality of the forest in different areas of the park will be indicated by differences in their diet. Since 1996, Earthwatch volunteers have participated in research that has suggested that the overall population size of this endangered species may be declining. This is disturbing information because all groups that are studied live entirely within RNP and should be protected from human disturbance (aside from tourists and scientists). Predation by the fossa, the largest carnivore in the park, appears to play an important role in population size, and it is possible that the disturbance of the park’s borders has increased fossa density within RNP. The selective logging which occurred in the late 1980s may also be having an effect. Studies of habitat disturbance have shown that there is often a lag-time between the actual disturbance and the response of the animal and plant communities to this disturbance. Finally, in 2004 genetic 2
analyses showed that the Milne-Edwards’ sifaka is not a subspecies of the diademed sifaka as previously believed, but rather a separate species. This new classification, combined with new surveys within and outside the park, has caused the project to revise its numbers to estimate that there are less than 30,000 Milne-Edwards’ sifaka left in the world. To help increase understanding of these demographic changes, this project continues to collect and analyze data on sifaka behavior and forest ecology. This new genetic data as well as analysis of accumulated data has revealed trends and patterns that now shape the project’s ongoing research on the Milne-Edwards’ sifaka. One new study in which Earthwatch volunteers can participate is the research on aging in lemurs. <strong>Lemurs</strong> are known to have very long lifespans for their body size – up to 32 years in captivity for some species. At RNP alone, it is estimated that sifaka may survive in the wild for up to 27 years. In this study, project staff are documenting how aging lemurs perform in the rainforest. Juvenile, prime adult and older lemurs are being compared to determine differences in diet choices, travel heights and activity patterns on lifespan. As different lemur species display different biologies and life-history patterns, it is expected that aging proceeds differently within different species. Therefore, several lemur species are part of this study. Study subjects range from the smallest lemur species within the park, the mouse lemur, to the largest species, the Milne Edwards’ sifaka. Note: See Madagascar’s <strong>Lemurs</strong>: The Research in the appendix of this briefing for information on the research objectives, methods, and results of this project. 2. RESEARCH AREA Ranomafana National Park (RNP) was inaugurated in 1991 and encompasses 43,000 square hectares of rainforest in southeast Madagascar. The park is approximately 90 miles/145 kilometers west of the Indian Ocean and 16 miles/25 kilometers east of Fianarantsoa, Madagascar’s second largest city. RNP ranges in altitude from approximately 600 to 1,500 meters and the habitat changes with altitude from lowland to montane rainforest. The climate of the region is variable, with rainfall ranging between 2,500 and 4,000 millimeters a year and temperatures ranging from 37 to 86 ° F/3 to 30 ° C. The forest within RNP contains more tree trunks per hectare than found in Gabon, Africa, or in most plots in the South American forests, and the tree canopy ranges from 20 to 25 meters in height. Earthwatch teams will conduct research throughout RNP’s Talatakely Trail System, which is located in disturbed primary forest and traversed by swift flowing streams. The trails run along ridges, through valleys, and along hillsides, affording easy views of all parts of the forest from the ground to the canopy. RNP’s research station is known as the Centre ValBio, which is short for the Centre International de Formation pour la Valorisation de la Biodiversité (International Training Centre for the Study of Biodiversity). The Centre ValBio is co-managed by a consortium of institutions including the ICTE at Stony Brook University, ANGAP (the Malagasy National Parks Service), and the Universities of Antananarivo and Fianarantsoa. Inaugurated in June 2003, this facility is located at the edge of the Namarona River and overlooks the park. It consists of a state of the art kitchen, hot showers, a large dining hall, administrative and research office space, an outdoor classroom, and a laboratory/classroom. Volunteers will eat meals, attend lectures, and enjoy breaks from the research at this beautiful facility. The station is a 10-minute walk from the main RNP entrance at Ambodiamontana. Here there are vehicle parking facilities, a visitor center, and a villagemanaged campground with campsites, toilets, a snack bar, and picnic tables. 3
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Page 5 and 6: Institute for the Conservation of T
Page 7: GENERAL INFORMATION PRINCIPAL INVES
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Page 13 and 14: 5. TEAM ITINERARY Generally data co
Page 15 and 16: 8. FOOD Food will be prepared by th
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Page 21 and 22: Potential Hazards Hazard Type Trans
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Page 25 and 26: 13. RECOMMENDED READING Please read
Page 27 and 28: 15. HELPFUL RESOURCES Project Infor
Page 29 and 30: APPENDIX MADAGASCAR’S LEMURS: THE
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Page 33 and 34: Hayes, R. A. Morelli, T. L., and Wr
Page 35 and 36: EXPEDITION PACKING CHECKLIST This E
Page 37 and 38: Personal Supplies Kleenex Lip balm

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