Lemurs face extinction amid Madagascan turmoil
Political turmoil and a resurgent “timber mafia” are threatening the unique biodiversity of Madagascar and putting thousands of species – including the island’s famous lemurs – at risk of extinction, environmentalists have warned.
The violent ousting in March of former president Marc Ravalomanana has led to a “gold rush” of armed loggers and poachers, while the suspension of environmental programmes due to international sanctions has devastaing implications for the country’s national parks, the Guardian reports.
Ravalomanana was praised for putting six million hecares under protection and encouraging eco-friendly community projects and sustainable farming, temporarily raising hopes of a reversal of decades of logging, mining and destructive farming which had destroyed 90 percent of Madagascar’s forests.
Separated from mainland Africa for 160 million years, Madagascar is home to thousands of “wildlife castaways” which have evolved in complete isolation. They include almost 100 types of lemur, a bizarre furry primate, of which six are considered critically endangered.
They include the “aye-aye”, whose plight was highlighted by Stephen Fry and zoologist Mark Carwardine in the recent BBC series “Last Chance to See” and which Fry described as looking “as if someone has tried to turn a bat into a cat… and then stuck a few extra gadgets on it for good measure.”
In a BBC article, Carwardine warned that many lemurs risked being captured for the exotic pet trade or butchered for sale as bush meat to restaurants.
“Madagascar was already one of the world’s highest conservation priorities. But the recent troubles will impoverish it still further,” Carwardine wrote. “Without urgent action, it faces an ecological disaster that could wipe out some of the most wonderful animals and plants on earth.”
Dr Hantanirina Rasamimanana said that lemur meat was considered a delicacy in city restaurants. But the creatures are also being hunted and eaten by villagers stricken by a devastating drought.
“Here in Madagascar, when there is a political change, everything is burning. It’s always like that. They burn, they cut, they destroy, they steal,” she told the Guardian. “If they don’t stop, I am afraid that some species will become extinct.”