Conservation education in Madagascar: three case studies in the biologically diverse island-continent.

Few Malagasy children and adults are aware of the rare and unique fauna and flora indigenous to their island-continent, including flagship lemur species. Even the Malagasy ancestral proverbs never mentioned lemurs, but these same proverbs talked about the now extinct hippopotamus. Madagascar's geography, history, and economic constraints contribute to severe biodiversity loss. Deforestation on Madagascar is reported to be over 100,000 ha/year, with only 10-15% of the island retaining natural forest [Green & Sussman, 1990]. Educating children, teacher-training, and community projects about environmental and conservation efforts to protect the remaining natural habitats of endangered lemur species provide a basis for long-term changes in attitudes and practices. Case studies of three conservation education projects located in different geographical regions of Madagascar, Centre ValBio, Madagacar Wildlife Conservation Alaotra Comic Book Project, and The Ako Book Project, are presented together with their ongoing stages of development, assessment, and outcomes. We argue that while nongovernmental organizational efforts are and will be very important, the Ministry of Education urgently needs to incorporate biodiversity education in the curriculum at all levels, from primary school to university.

Guns, germs, and trees determine density and distribution of gorillas and chimpanzees in Western Equatorial Africa.

We present a range-wide assessment of sympatric western lowland gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla and central chimpanzees Pan troglodytes troglodytes using the largest survey data set ever assembled for these taxa: 59 sites in five countries surveyed between 2003 and 2013, totaling 61,000 person-days of fieldwork. We used spatial modeling to investigate major drivers of great ape distribution and population trends. We predicted density across each taxon's geographic range, allowing us to estimate overall abundance: 361,900 gorillas and 128,700 chimpanzees in Western Equatorial Africa-substantially higher than previous estimates. These two subspecies represent close to 99% of all gorillas and one-third of all chimpanzees. Annual population decline of gorillas was estimated at 2.7%, maintaining them as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List. We quantified the threats to each taxon, of which the three greatest were poaching, disease, and habitat degradation. Gorillas and chimpanzees are found at higher densities where forest is intact, wildlife laws are enforced, human influence is low, and disease impacts have been low. Strategic use of the results of these analyses could conserve the majority of gorillas and chimpanzees. With around 80% of both subspecies occurring outside protected areas, their conservation requires reinforcement of anti-poaching efforts both inside and outside protected areas (particularly where habitat quality is high and human impact is low), diligent disease control measures (including training, advocacy, and research into Ebola virus disease), and the preservation of high-quality habitat through integrated land-use planning and implementation of best practices by the extractive and agricultural industries.

Food sharing in lion tamarins: Tests of three hypotheses.

Infant marmosets and tamarins (Callitrichidae) frequently receive food from older group members. Three possible functions of food sharing in lion tamarins were examined experimentally. The first hypothesis, that food sharing ensures that infants receive sufficient food even if it is difficult for them to acquire it themselves, was tested by varying the ease with which infants could reach a food source. When access to food was restricted, infants fed themselves less, received more food from others, and had a higher success rate in begging attempts. The second hypothesis, that food sharing helps teach infants an appropriate diet, was tested by presenting fruits that were novel to infants. Although infants fed themselves less under these conditions, adults were less likely to share novel foods than familiar foods. The final experiment compared food sharing when food was abundant with behavior when food items were presented singly. Infants fed themselves less and received more food from others when food items were rare. These results suggest that food sharing in lion tamarins helps to ensure that infants receive adequate amounts of food which is difficult to locate or acquire, but that it is not involved in teaching infants which foods they should eat. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Social system of the Alaotran gentle lemur (Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis): genetic characterization of group composition and mating system.

Group composition and mating system were investigated in wild Alaotran gentle lemurs (Hapalemur griseus alaotrensis) using genetic markers. These small-bodied herbivorous and cathemeral primates are endemic to the reed and papyrus beds around Lac Alaotra in Madagascar. They live in small groups in small, defended territories. Data were collected during the rainy seasons in 1996, 1997, and 1999, and include 99 individuals from 22 neighboring social groups and an additional 30 animals from other areas representing most of the geographic range. Animals were located by researchers canoeing in the marshes bordering the lake. After a group's size was determined by direct observation, all individuals were captured, marked, and released. During handling each individual was weighed and sexed, and hair samples for DNA extraction were collected. A 342 bp mtDNA control region sequence and 10 nuclear microsatellite loci provided multilocus genotypes that were used to assess pedigree relations and population structure. Alaotran gentle lemurs were found in groups of two to nine individuals (mean: 4.3), comprising one or two breeding females, their offspring, and one reproducing male. Solitary individuals of both sexes were encountered rarely. Breeding females were the permanent core of the social groups, whereas intergroup transfer of reproductive males was relatively frequent. Forty percent of all reproducing groups contained two breeding females, which were related to each other as closely as mother-daughter or full sisters. Parentage assessment revealed a variable mating system ranging from serial monogamy to polygyny within social groups. At least 8% of paternities involved extragroup males. Additional data on life history and reproduction are presented, and the social system of the Alaotran gentle lemur is discussed in the light of the new genetic findings.