Ученые из NIU добились создания первой в Мадagascar заповедной зоны для защиты уникальных лемуров

NIU Anthropology Professor Mitch Irwin and Biological Sciences Professor Karen Samonds had a dream come true this summer in one of the world’s most beautiful—and poorest—countries. Since 2000, the husband-wife team of National Geographic Explorers has been conducting research, environmental conservation and NIU study abroad trips in Madagascar, a country most well-known for its spectacular varieties of lemurs, found nowhere else in the world, and for the series of classic animated comedies by the same name. Isolated from other land masses for tens of millions of years, Madagascar is rich in biodiversity, with hundreds of species of tropical birds, reptiles and amphibians. But the island nation holds one of the highest poverty rates in the world with about 75% living below the national poverty line. “A lot of forest,” Irwin says, “goes up in smoke every year to grow crops – a combination of increasing rural populations and a virtual lack of assistance in finding sustainable alternatives.” Since the moment they first visited Tsinjoarivo, Madagascar, the couple has wanted to help establish a permanent government-protected area for the pristine, high-altitude rainforest. With their daughters Ann and Evelyn in tow, they traveled there most every summer to conduct research and conservation work. (See related video.) The rainforest is considered a biodiversity hotspot with exceptionally high species richness and endemism (found nowhere else). In 2008, Irwin and Samonds spearheaded the creation of Sadabe, a non-governmental organization (NGO) named after a lemur species. The NGO developed ways to promote healthy coexistence of humans and wildlife and in 2019 helped gain temporary protection of a large portion of the rainforest. This summer, the Malagasy government formally granted the “Tsinjoarivo-Ambalaomby Protected Area” (TAPA) a definitive, permanent protection decree, with Sadabe tapped to co-manage the reserve alongside the regional Environment Ministry office. “This permanent decree is a big deal,” Irwin says. “Working on critically endangered species and ecosystems that are being destroyed has such a sense of urgency – extinction is forever.” Out of necessity, the conservation work often took precedence, even over the couple’s research goals. “I believe in the power of research, but at discouraging times you really ask yourself, ‘What am I doing here? Am I just understanding this species a bit better before it goes extinct? Should I stop doing research and focus full-time on their protection instead?’ Fortunately, we found a way for research, training and education to work together, all leading to legal protection of the ecosystem.” The new permanently protected area spans about 99 square miles in eastern Madagascar, just 60 miles southeast of the capital Antananarivo. The forest is home to 10 species of lemurs, including the critically endangered diademed sifaka— one of the largest lemur species; 17 tenrecs, an endemic group of small spiky mammals a bit like hedgehogs; 93 bird species; 60 frog species; and over 300 species of plants. “When we first arrived in this area in 2000, almost no biological research had been conducted, and the few scientists that had visited had determined that the critically endangered lemurs living there were more or less doomed—everyone had given up on this place,” Samonds says. “Both of us felt from the moment we visited that Tsinjoarivo was special and needed someone to fight for it. With no action it would surely be gone,” she adds. “Mitch dedicated his research and years of his life to finding a way to make it happen—first by forming the Tsinjoarivo Forest Fragments Project, and then SADABE, and ever since Tsinjoarivo has felt like our second home.” In Madagascar, many protected areas are managed by Malagasy or foreign NGOs – something typical in poorer countries. “Our NGO, Sadabe, is in this situation,” Irwin says. “In many ways we recognize that this step is not an end, but a beginning, or a continuation. We need to keep trying to find external grants to run things on the ground and pay staff – we’ve only made it this far due to the amazing staff in Madagascar, and the future relies on them. It’s a huge responsibility. However, having the legal definitive protection is important because it gives legitimacy to our NGO and our fundraising efforts.” Over the years, nearly 50 students, the majority from NIU, have studied abroad with Irwin and Samonds in Madagascar. Ten NIU students completed their master’s theses or Ph.D. dissertations on Madagascar, with two more in progress. “The student reactions we got were so memorable,” Irwin says. “They were truly thankful to be exposed to Madagascar, loved the people they met and the lemurs they saw. It was a real disconnect, though, coming from a developed country, to see that an ecosystem like the rainforest can just be chopped down and lost. I think they would be happy to hear this news about permanent protection status.” “We are all very proud,” Samonds adds. “It also makes me smile to think that some of the students we are mentoring right now at NIU are the same age as Mitch and me when we were Ph.D. students visiting Tsinjoarivo for the first time.”