Lemur News

Communities band together to save besieged reserve in Bolivia
- Bolivia’s Tucabaca Valley Municipal Wildlife Reserve has been beset by clearing and fires over the past several years.
- Now, mining, infrastructure development and land trafficking are adding to the pressure faced by the reserve.
- Residents of nearby communities have formed an association called Movement in Defense of the Tucabaca Valley.
- In June, a delegation from the Movement visited the Tucabaca reserve to assess the damage.

Relief in Sri Lanka as key threat to nonprotected forests is repealed
- A 2020 government decree that transferred administrative control of nonprotected forests in Sri Lanka to local governments has been formally revoked by the country’s new government.
- The move follows its overturning by the country’s Supreme Court, where environmental activists argued it could allow the release of these forests for development projects without proper environmental assessments.
- Known as “other state forests” (OSFs) or “residual forests,” they harbor high levels of biodiversity and serve as crucial connectivity or buffer zones that help reduce human-wildlife conflict.
- They could also play a key role in the government’s commitment to the 30×30 initiative of protecting 30% of land and sea area by 2030.

Experts welcome Brazil’s revived reforestation plan as much-needed boost
- By 2030, Brazil aims to restore 12 million hectares (30 million acres) of degraded land through the Planaveg initiative, revised and launched by the government at the recent COP16 biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia.
- Experts have welcomed the move amid growing international commitments to protect biodiversity and stabilize the climate, but point to challenges such as securing resources and social mobilization.
- As ambitious as the target is, it still falls short of the 20.7 million hectares (51.2 million acres) of native vegetation that have been illegally degraded just on private rural plots.

Five-year rainforest tech competition culminates with four winners
- Limelight Rainforest, a team of ecologists, robotics engineers and Indigenous scientists, has won first place in a $10 million rainforest tech competition.
- At the finals in Brazil in July, the team deployed canopy rafts, drones and artificial intelligence models to identify and detect the highest amount of biodiversity from a forest plot within 24 hours.
- Three other teams were also recognized for their work in developing tech solutions to monitor rainforests around the world.
- The five-year XPRIZE Rainforest competition was launched in 2019 to identify solutions to automate rainforest monitoring.

Scottish salmon farms seek growth despite mounting fish deaths and environmental concerns
- Scotland is the world’s third-largest producer of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), after Norway and Chile.
- The industry is seeking to significantly increase production in Scotland, driven by growing export demand.
- However, it faces ethical concerns over mounting fish mortality, as well as environmental concerns about pollution, the proliferation of sea lice affecting wild salmon, and opposition from several local communities.
- Industry members acknowledge the challenge of growing salmon amid rising sea temperatures, but say Scottish salmon farms have made progress in managing sea lice and other health challenges.

Indigenous guardians embark on a sacred pact to protect the lowland tapir in Colombia
- An Indigenous-led citizen conservation project in the community of Musuiuiai in Putumayo, Colombia, aims to obtain data on the lowland tapir’s presence and understand the environmental factors affecting the species.
- According to spiritual beliefs, a divination from an elder in the 1990s pushed the community to move to a high-priority region for tapir conservation. Beliefs in the mammal’s sacred status supports conservation efforts.
- The lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) is listed as vulnerable to extinction on the IUCN Red List; in Colombia, it’s threatened by habitat loss and hunting.
- Using a biocultural approach to conservation, Musuiuiai was named an Indigenous and Community Conserved Area (ICCA), whose members now hope to reduce tapir hunting in neighboring tribes through outreach and collaboration.

Camera traps reveal little-known Sumatran tiger forests need better protection
- A new camera-trapping study in Indonesia’s Aceh province has identified an ample but struggling population of Sumatran tigers, lending fresh urgency to calls from conservationists for greater protection efforts in the critically endangered subspecies’ northernmost stronghold forests.
- The study focused on the Ulu Masen Ecosystem, an expanse of unprotected and little-studied forest connected to the better-known Leuser Ecosystem, the only place on Earth that houses rhinos, tigers, elephants and orangutans.
- The big cat population and its prey likely contend with intense poaching pressure, the study concludes; their forest home is also under threat from development pressure, illegal logging, rampant mining and agricultural encroachment.
- As a key part of the Leuser–Ulu Masen Tiger Conservation Landscape, experts say Ulu Masen merits more conservation focus to protect the tigers, their prey populations and their habitats.

‘Scratching the surface’ of Nepal butterfly research: Interview with Sanej Suwal
- With 692 identified species, including more than two dozen endemic, Nepal is an important habitat for butterflies. However, research is in its infancy due to insufficient funding, limited public interest and a lack of cultural emphasis on butterfly conservation.
- Sanej Suwal is one of a handful of researchers dedicated to butterfly research in Nepal, balancing species studies with public awareness initiatives. He organized Nepal’s first Big Butterfly Count, a citizen science initiative.
- Butterflies in Nepal likely face threats from climate change, habitat loss and urbanization. Despite their importance, butterfly research struggles with minimal funding and institutional recognition, requiring more researchers and global support to expand knowledge and conservation efforts.

The plastics crisis is now a global human health crisis, experts say
- Plastics can contain thousands of different chemicals, many of them linked to cancer and reproductive harm, and many never tested for safety.
- Multiple studies are now finding these chemicals, along with microplastics, throughout the human body, raising alarm among scientists about widespread health effects, including reduced fertility and increased obesity.
- Research points to a correlation between the presence of microplastics and endocrine disrupting plasticizers in the human body and a variety of serious maladies, but tracing a direct causal line is very difficult given the complexity and number of plastics and the industry’s lack of transparency regarding its products.
- Many scientists and nations are calling for a binding plastics treaty to limit global plastic production. But this week the U.S. took a weaker position; it now supports a policy in which nations set their own voluntary targets for reducing production. Negotiations to determine the final treaty language begin at a UN summit in Busan, Korea, running Nov. 25 – Dec. 1.

Hopes and fears for the Amazon: Interview with botanist Hans ter Steege
- Dutch researcher and tree expert Hans ter Steege is the founder of the Amazon Tree Diversity Network, which brings together hundreds of scientists studying the rainforest to map and understand the region’s biodiversity.
- Ter Steege says the rainforest is in danger of collapse: If the deforestation in Brazil’s Pará state continues at the rate of the year 2000, he warns, “then our models show there will be hardly anything left by 2050.”
- Large trees are dying faster in the Amazon, he said, as they face a greater evaporation demand, which they can no longer meet with the water they extract from the soil, as there are more droughts and less rainfall.
- If the forest collapses, Brazil’s aerial water supply system — and its agriculture — will collapse, Ter Steege says.

Biodiversity credit approaches multiply as concerns cloud confidence
- In recent years, biodiversity credit projects and the methods to calculate their value have proliferated, seen by some as a way to finance the $700 billion gap in conservation funding identified in the 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework.
- Credits involve payment for measurable outcomes beneficial to nature, ranging from increases in species diversity at a site to securing land rights for Indigenous communities.
- Critics of biodiversity credits have voiced concerns about comparing outcomes across ecosystems, especially if buyers will use the credits for offsetting. They also say focusing on biodiversity credits is a distraction.
- Proponents argue for bolstering biodiversity credit integrity and confidence in the markets to boost demand. Projections by the World Economic Forum suggest the market could reach $7 billion by 2030, though less than $2 million in credits have been sold so far.

‘Historic’ decision for the Batwa & DRC gorilla park faces hurdles — and hope
- The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights determined that the eviction of thousands of Batwa from Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the 1970s was a human rights violation. However, months later, questions remain about whether and how the government will implement the commission’s 19 recommendations to address the situation.
- The return of Batwa to their ancestral lands in the park, paying them compensation and a public apology for all the Batwa suffered are among the key recommendations the Batwa and sources highlighted. Implementation would be challenging, but necessary from a human rights standpoint, they said, while breaking down the process.
- Researchers say there lacks evidence that modern-day Batwa are custodians of the forest and environmentalists highlight the need to build community-centered conservation projects that help Batwa live sustainably on their land in the park or find a balance that works for both the Batwa and park officials.
- The DRC and park officials have not yet commented on the possibility of implementation, but conservation authorities and the park’s partners and donors say they are taking steps to reconcile Indigenous rights and the protection of biodiversity.

Dam displaces farmers as drought parches Indonesia’s Flores Island
- In 2015, Indonesia announced the construction of seven dams to provide water in East Nusa Tenggara province, an eastern region of the archipelago where access to freshwater is scarce during the annual dry season.
- One of the national priority dams, the Lambo Dam on Flores Island, has yet to be finished because of a land dispute with Indigenous communities in Nagekeo district.
- Research shows that much of Indonesia, particularly in the east, face increasing water stress due to climate change, as well as drought spikes brought on by the positive Indian Ocean dipole and El Niño patterns.

A Ramsar site in Bangladesh fast loses its fish diversity amid government inaction
- Tanguar Haor, Bangladesh’s second largest Ramsar site and one of the country’s most important habitats of breeding fish, has been losing its fish diversity.
- A recent study found that the number of available fish species is now below 100 while, just two decades ago, the figure was recorded to be 141.
- Experts blame anthropogenic factors, including overfishing and habitat destruction, as the causes of declining diversity.
- However, authorities are ignoring the rising urgency for conservation and are instead celebrating the “increased fish production in the wetland.”

Organizations tackle droughts, floods in Brazil by planting forests
- Many areas of Brazil have been hit with severe droughts and floods in recent years; scientists say climate change is increasing the incidence of extreme weather events.
- Forests protect against erosion and pollution and help store water in soil and aquifers, buoying water security.
- Organizations across the country are leading efforts to reforest cleared areas — particularly along rivers and other water sources —to mitigate the damaging effects of droughts, floods and other effects of climate change, as well as safeguard and improve habitat for wildlife.
- Experts and stakeholders say broader support is needed at the federal level, while a representative of Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change says the government is rolling out conservation plans of its own.

Easy to catch, yet little known: Meet the Chinese mountain cat
- The Chinese mountain cat (Felis bieti) is a little-known felid found only on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, in northwestern China.
- The species was first photographed in the wild in 2007, and until recently, very little has been known about its distribution and basic ecology.
- Researchers collected vital data on an active Chinese mountain cat den in 2018, while a recent study in Menyuan county, Qinghai province, managed to GPS-collar Chinese mountain cats for the first time.
- Recent genetic research highlights the growing threat posed by hybridization with domestic cats.

How ‘waste colonialism’ underpins Asia’s plastic problem (commentary)
- Most plastic is a product of oil and gas, so addressing Asia’s plastic pollution problem is not just a question of waste management, but of climate change, too.
- The largest plastic manufacturers are located in the US, EU, UK, and Japan, former colonial powers which are also now the main exporters of their societies’ waste to the Global South, in a cycle called ‘waste colonialism,’ which is likely to be debated again this month.
- “With the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) on the Global Plastic Treaty beginning in late November, world leaders have a make or break moment to address the worsening impacts of plastic pollution,” a new op-ed argues.
- This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily Mongabay.

A father and son duo fight invasive lionfish on a Honduran reef
- Live coral covers 68% of Tela Bay, on the northern coast of Honduras, creating a complex ecosystem that’s part of the wider Mesoamerican Reef system.
- Among stressors including overfishing and coral bleaching due to climate change, is the invasive lionfish — a spectacular-looking, venomous, striped fish native to the Indo-Pacific that, with no natural predators here, is wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems throughout the Caribbean.
- To protect Tela Bay’s embattled coral reef, a local father and son are mounting a single-minded lionfish hunting effort to limit the fishes’ spread, hunting the fish themselves and organizing hunting competitions.

DRC carbon credit projects surge amid lack of regulation
- Researchers say carbon credit projects involving private companies, NGOs and logging companies have proliferated in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- They’ve documented projects covering more than a quarter of the DRC’s nearly 200 million hectares (494 million acres) of forest.
- Preliminary findings suggest that the DRC lacks the governmental guardrails to ensure these projects are helping to avoid deforestation and that they are not harming communities.
- In late 2021, an India-based consultancy signed carbon credit project agreements with 25 communities in the DRC but provided little information about the projects. The company is reportedly no longer operating in the country.

Lithium mining brings sickness to Jequitinhonha Valley communities
- With annual output of 270,000 tons per year, Sigma Lithium has been increasing its lithium mining in the Jequitinhonha Valley; its pile of waste rock already covers 560,000 square meters (6 million square feet) of land and is encroaching on homes in the neighboring community.
- Dust produced by the mining operation has been causing respiratory problems in the local community, which is also suffering from psychiatric disturbances, silted-up rivers and cracks in their homes caused by detonations.
- Other traditional communities in Jequitinhonha Valley, including Quilombolas and Indigenous communities, are also being affected by the lithium mine; land ownership conflicts are occurring in some municipalities.

Lemur species counts for selected parks

Protected Area		Species
Andringitra		13
Zahamena		13
Marojejy		12
Ranomafana		12
Andasibe Mantadia		11
Bemaraha		11
Marotandrano		11
Ankarana		10
Masoala		10
Kirindy Mitea		8
Montagne d'Ambre		8
Namoroka		8
Zombitse-Vohibasia		8
Isalo		7
Kasijy		7
Manombo		7
Pic d'Ivohibe		7
Bay de baly		6
Bemarivo		6
Bora		6
Nosy Mangabe		6
Tampoketsa-Analamaintso		3
Tsimanampetsotsa		3
Ambohijanahary		2

Lemur species

Please note: a number of lemur species have been described since this list was published.

Family	Common name	Scientific name	Local name	Active	Pictures
Cheirogaleidae	Mouse and Dwarf lemurs			Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Hairy-eared Dwarf Mouse-lemur	Allocebus trichotis		Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Southern Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur	Cheirogaleus adipicaudatus	Matavirambo	Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Furry-eared Dwarf Lemur	Cheirogaleus crossleyi	Matavirambo	Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Greater Dwarf Lemur	Cheirogaleus major	Matavirambo	Nocturnal	+
Cheirogaleidae	Western Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur	Cheirogaleus medius	Matavirambo, Kely Be-ohy, Tsidy, Tsidihy	Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Lesser Iron Gray Dwarf Lemur	Cheirogaleus minusculus	Matavirambo	Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Greater Iron Gray Dwarf Lemur	Cheirogaleus ravus	Matavirambo	Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Sibree's Dwarf Lemur	Cheirogaleus sibreei	Matavirambo	Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Gray Mouse-lemur	Microcebus murinus	Tsidy, Koitsiky, Titilivaha, Vakiandri, Pondiky	Nocturnal	+
Cheirogaleidae	Pygmy Mouse-lemur	Microcebus myoxinus	Tsidy	Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Golden Mouse-lemur	Microcebus ravelobensis	Tsidy	Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Red Mouse-lemur	Microcebus rufus	Anakatsidina, Tsidy, Tsitsidy, Tistsihy	Nocturnal	+
Cheirogaleidae	Giant Mouse-lemur or Coquerel's Mouse-lemur	Mirza coquereli	Tsiba, Tilitilivaha, Siba, Setohy, Fitily	Nocturnal	+
Cheirogaleidae	Amber Mountain Fork-crowned Lemur	Phaner electromontis	Tanta, Tantaraolana	Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Masoala Fork-crowned Lemur	Phaner furcifer	Tanta, Tantaraolana	Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Western Fork-crowned Lemur	Phaner pallescens	Tanta, Tantaraolana, Vakivoho	Nocturnal
Cheirogaleidae	Sambirano Fork-crowned Lemur	Phaner parienti	Tanta, Tantaraolana	Nocturnal
Daubentoniidae	Aye-aye			Nocturnal
Daubentoniidae	Aye-aye	Daubentonia madagascariensis	Aye-aye, Ahay, Itay-hay, Aiay	Nocturnal
Indridae	Woolly lemurs and allies			Diurnal
Indridae	Eastern Avahi	Avahi laniger	Avahina, Avahy, Ampongy, Fotsifaka	Nocturnal	+
Indridae	Western Avahi	Avahi occidentalis	Fotsife, Tsarafangitra	Nocturnal
Indridae	Indri lemur	Indri indri indri	Babakoto, Amboanala	Diurnal	+
Indridae	Indri lemur	Indri indri variegatus	Babakoto, Amboanala	Diurnal	+
Indridae	Coquerel's Sifaka	Propithecus coquereli	Ankomba malandy, Sifaka, Tsibahaka	Diurnal
Indridae	Crowned Sifaka	Propithecus deckenii coronatus	Tsibahaka, Sifaka	Diurnal
Indridae	Decken's Sifaka	Propithecus deckenii dekenii	Tsibahaka, Sifaka	Diurnal	+
Indridae	Silky Sifaka	Propithecus diadema candidus	Simpona, Simpony	Diurnal
Indridae	Diademed Sifaka	Propithecus diadema diadema	Simpona, Simpony	Diurnal	+
Indridae	Milne-Edwards's Sifaka	Propithecus edwardsi	Simpona, Simpony	Diurnal	+
Indridae	Perrier's Sifaka	Propithecus perrieri	Radjako, Ankomba Job	Diurnal
Indridae	Tattersall's Sifaka	Propithecus tattersalli	Ankomba malandy, Simpona	Diurnal
Indridae	Verreaux's Sifaka	Propithecus verreauxi	Sifaka	Diurnal	+
Lemuridae	True lemurs			Diurnal
Lemuridae	White-fronted Lemur	Eulemur albifrons	Varika	Diurnal
Lemuridae	White-collared Lemur	Eulemur albocollaris	Varika	Diurnal
Lemuridae	Red-collared Lemur	Eulemur collaris	Varika	Diurnal	+
Lemuridae	Crowned Lemur	Eulemur coronatus	Varika	Diurnal
Lemuridae	Brown Lemur	Eulemur fulvus	Varikamavo, Komba	Diurnal	+
Lemuridae	Black Lemur	Eulemur macaco	Ankomba, Komba	Diurnal	+
Lemuridae	Blue-eyed Black Lemur	Eulemur macaco flavifrons	Ankomba, Komba	Diurnal	+
Lemuridae	Mongoose Lemur	Eulemur mongoz	Komba	Diurnal
Lemuridae	Red-bellied Lemur	Eulemur rubriventer	Varikamena	Diurnal
Lemuridae	Red-fronted Lemur	Eulemur rufus	Varika, Varikamavo	Diurnal	+
Lemuridae	Sanford's Lemur	Eulemur sanfordi	Ankomba, Beharavoaka	Diurnal
Lemuridae	Alaotran Gentle Lemur	Hapalemur alaotrensis	Bandro	Diurnal
Lemuridae	Golden Gentle Lemur	Hapalemur aureus	Varibolomena, Bokombolomena	Diurnal
Lemuridae	Gray Gentle Lemur	Hapalemur griseus	Varibolomadinika	Diurnal	+
Lemuridae	Sambriano Gentle Lemur	Hapalemur occidentalis	Bekola, Kofi, Ankomba valiha	Diurnal
Lemuridae	Ring-tailed Lemur	Lemur catta	Maki, Hira	Diurnal	+
Lemuridae	Broad-nosed Gentle Lemur	Prolemur simus	Varibolomavo, Vari, Varikandra	Diurnal
Lemuridae	Red Ruffed Lemur	Varecia rubra	Varimena	Diurnal	+
Lemuridae	Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur	Varecia variegata	Varijatsy	Diurnal	+
Megaladapidae	Sportive lemurs			Nocturnal
Megaladapidae	Back-striped Sportive Lemur	Lepilemur dorsalis	Apongy	Nocturnal
Megaladapidae	Milne-Edwards's Sportive Lemur	Lepilemur edwardsi	Boenga, Boengy, Repahaka	Nocturnal	+
Megaladapidae	White-footed Sportive Lemur	Lepilemur leucopus	Songiky	Nocturnal	+
Megaladapidae	Small-toothed Sportive Lemur	Lepilemur microdon	Trangalavaka, Kotrika or Kotreka, Fitiliky, Itataka, Varikosy	Nocturnal
Megaladapidae	Mitsinjo Sportive Lemur	Lepilemur mitsinjonensis	Kotrika, Varikosy	Nocturnal
Megaladapidae	Weasel Lemur	Lepilemur mustelinus	Trangalavaka, Kotrika, Fitiliky, Itataka, Varikosy	Nocturnal
Megaladapidae	Red-tailed Sportive Lemur	Lepilemur ruficaudatus	Boenga, Boengy	Nocturnal
Megaladapidae	Ankarana Sportive Lemur	Lepilemur septentrionalis ankaranensis	Mahiabeala, Songiky	Nocturnal
Megaladapidae	Seal's Sportive Lemur	Lepilemur seali	Songiky	Nocturnal
Megaladapidae	Northern Sportive Lemur	Lepilemur septentrionalis septentrionalis	Mahiabeala, Songiky	Nocturnal