Travel to one of the most ecologically distinct places on earth, Madagascar. Nearly all species found on this island off the East coast of Africa can be found only here. The most famous of these is the lemur. Sadly, nearly a third of lemur species are critically endangered and nearly all are threatened with extinction. This makes lemurs the earth’s most at risk group of mammals.
You’ll be working to conserve one endangered lemur species, the Black lemur, and two critically endangered lemur species, the Nosy Be sportive lemur, also known as the Hawks’ sportive lemur, and the Nosy Be mouse lemur, also known as the Claire’s mouse lemur, one of the smallest primates in the world.
Your work will be based in Lokobe National Park, the only remaining old-growth rainforest on the island of Nosy Be. You’ll carry out surveys of the forest both during the day and at night recording what lemur behaviour you can observe first-hand and monitoring camera traps for evidence of more shy individuals. On your surveys you’ll also record sightings of the panther chameleon, a striking, frequently poached creature, as well as one of the smallest frogs and one of the smallest chameleons in the world, both of which are endangered. Sightings of the many butterfly species found here are also common.
Habitat loss is one of the biggest threats to endangered species, including lemurs, and you’ll also be working to restore the rainforest by assisting with the regrowth of indigenous plants.
When you aren’t engaged in conservation work, be sure to also visit the protected beach and marine area bordering the forest. Here, you can swim, snorkel or dive in the warm waters surrounded by vibrant corals, tropical fish, sea turtles and dolphins.
Nosy Be | Wildlife Hub | Long-term Objectives:
1. Establishing the baseline biodiversity of Lokobe National Park, which hasn’t been rigorously surveyed since the early 1990s.
2. Reforestation, sustainable agroforestry, and working towards the prevention of the illegal logging and deforestation of Madagascar’s National Parks.
3. Monitoring and protection of endemic species heavily poached for the pet trade, such as the panther chameleon, one of the most poached and heavily trafficked chameleon species in the world.
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