Our Blog

The Diego Baobab, Adansonia suarezensis, is Critically Endangered on the IUCN RedList. The population in Diego do not think conservation efforts are required for this species. What should be done?

Madagascar has a comprehensive set of wildlife laws that gives protection to many species, including all lemurs, and permits the managed hunting of other species. We have studied peoples' use of wild animals in Madagascar for food since 2007 and conclude that illegal hunting of protected species is rife and lemurs are often targeted.

We are working to identify the priority reptile species for conservation and sustainable use.

We are creating six new protected areas with the support of local communties and the government of Madagascar. These forest range in size from 60 ha to 17,000 ha and are home to a range of endemic plants and animals.

We started working in Lake Tseny during 2010. This lake is in western Madagascar and our early survey results indicate that it has a remarkable assemblage of endemic fish. A sunken forest near the shore may be the key to maintaining important safe areas for Malagasy fish whilst the open water supports healthy stocks of other fish species that provide an important source of income and protein to local communities.