Will Firebreaks Be Effective in Protecting Madagascar’s Lemurs?

Conservationists in Madagascar partner with local communities to combat forest fires and protect the country’s iconic lemur species.

Madagascar, home to the world’s only native lemur population, has already lost 80% of its natural areas and continues to lose approximately 200,000 hectares of forest each year due to deforestation, as stated in a study conducted in 2023.

Mamy Razafitsalama, the country director for NGO Planet Madagascar, has been leading a project since 2015 to improve livelihoods and reduce forest fires in Madagascar. Currently, 98% of lemur species are threatened, with a third being critically endangered.

“The objective of this project is to safeguard 357 hectares of forest fragments and 4000 hectares of continuous forest by reducing fire impact and occurrence, while increasing the awareness of local communities,” says Razafitsalama. Since 2018, the project has also successfully planted over 147,000 trees, creating forest corridors.

Razafitsalama emphasizes the positive relationship and respect they have established with the local community, stating that it presents an opportunity for lemur and forest conservation in Ankarafantsika National Park, a tropical forest reserve spanning over 135,000 hectares in the northern region of Madagascar.

“The communities we work with coexist with lemurs in the same environment,” Razafitsalama explains. He further highlights the significant value of lemurs to the local population, as they naturally disperse seeds and contribute to the overall health of the ecosystem.

“For certain ethnic groups, like the Tandroy, eating lemurs is considered taboo. Additionally, Ankarafantsika being a tourist and research site, some communities benefit economically from the presence of lemurs,” he adds.

In 2023, Mamy Razafitsalama received the prestigious Whitley Award from the UK charity Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), enabling him to initiate land clearing activities for creating fire breaks covering a distance of 16 kilometers. These fire breaks serve as vegetative barriers to slow down or stop the spread of forest fires.

Lemur Lessons

Razafitsalama spent his childhood in a small village on the east coast of Madagascar.

“As a child, I had the privilege of witnessing lemurs near our village due to our proximity to the forest. This experience left a lasting impression on me and inspired me to study animals, particularly lemurs,” he recalls. During his undergraduate studies at the University of Antananarivo, he pursued his interest in nature and conservation, culminating in the completion of his Bachelor’s degree in 2006.

“I learned that lemurs are the most endangered group of animals in the world, and I am committed to participating in their conservation efforts and preventing their extinction,” he asserts.

Razafitsalama emphasizes the importance of scientists from the global south taking the lead in finding solutions to address global challenges, as they have experienced firsthand the adverse effects of climate change. Given the greater impact of climate change on individuals in the global south, they should spearhead the drive for action.

Another scientist working to protect biodiversity in his home country is Samuel Oluwanisola Adeyanju, a forestry researcher from Nigeria.

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Adeyanju, who grew up just two hours away from the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove, an old-growth forest known as the dwelling place of a fertility goddess, is actively involved in preserving the remarkable biodiversity found in that region.

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