Nouwair Hassani Ahamada
The Menabe Antimena Protected Area, the largest remaining dry forest in Western Madagascar, has lost 30% of its forest cover in the first five years after its foundation in 2015. Between 2016 and 2018 alone, 19,000 ha were slashed and burnt. In Kirindy Forest, which is part of the APMA's core area, 7% of the forest was destroyed between 2015 and 2020, and in 2021 alone, 392 ha of forest were lost. The main threat is intentional clearing for agriculture, combined with illegal logging, poaching, and natural climate variability.
Any conservation action requires a better knowledge of the biological and ecological processes that enable species to survive in human-modified ecosystems. Eulemur rufifrons, a main disperser of large and small seeds, covers large enough distances to maintain the genetic connectivity of fragmented landscapes and to re-colonize plant communities in human-modified habitats. The main aims are:
• To collect and analyze the biochemical characteristics of 55 native plant species dispersed by Eulemur rufifrons.
• To study the relative contribution of Eulemur rufifrons compared to other animal visitors in seed dispersal of selected plant species.
• To study secondary seed dispersal by ants of plant species consumed previously by Eulemur rufifrons.
• To organize environmental education for public pupils and students to show the effects of endozoochory of Eulemur rufifrons and the professional job of research assistants.
• To restore cleared habitats for Eulemur rufifrons by conservation agents.
Our study will demonstrate the importance of Eulemur rufifrons as a seed disperser in a dry deciduous forest and highlight their importance in the conservation of the unique ecosystem of Kirindy Forest involving local communities.
This project aligns with the following general strategies: FANAMBY Strategic Plan: 2022-2026; Madagascar National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans: 2015-2025; and Madagascar National Strategy on Forest Landscape Restoration: 2017-2030.