TillyGalore wrote:Lavabe wrote:Tough news appearing in today's BBC. Photos of the bushmeat trade affecting crowned lemurs and golden crowned sifakas down in Daraina. Daraina is a site of intense conservation activity, as it is home to one of the few forests that contain the golden crowned sifaka.
The following link is from the BBC, and the photos are graphic.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_ne ... 210355.stm
Fortunately, nothing like that occurred where I worked this summer, nor at my field site.
This is why I really took offense at the April 1 shenanigans over yonder.
This news makes me sad and angry. Lavabe, any suggestions on what we can do to curtail this, i.e. people to write to?
For me, it feels like someone just through a right cross into my guts. I know what I saw in my region, and it was wonderful. However, this really highlights the issue in another region.
There are several aspects I should explain:
1) Daraina has been a troubled area for a while, and the Fanamby group has a tough mission for sure. I like a lot of what they do.
2) Daraina has been the subject of a lot of conservation threats, including mining for gold.
3) There are severe economic pressures on people in the region. If the price of a commodity goes down, people turn to another commodity. This may be, in part, what was responsible earlier this year in one national park that was attacked by the timber mafia.
Many of the needed, important details of the trade were NOT presented in the article. How many lemurs? Which habitat was hunted? Who hunted? What's the commodity chain? A lot of details must be answered before I feel comfortable addressing the solution.
Having said that, a number of folks are highlighting this issue as a reason why the US MUST resume nonhumanitarian aid to Madagascar. I believe the article mentions this as well. I would argue that the nonhumanitarian aid used to preserve the environment ultimately IS humanitarian aid.
I have heard cynics argue that conservation groups use this sort of technique to drum up support. In this case, I cannot agree with this argument. Bushmeat here is a very real issue. Daraina has been a MAJOR issue for a while. And I have to say back in 1989, I was about to go into a nearby forest, when I started to hear things about hunting going on with one of the people who was going to help us. I decided not to go into the forest. I never went into that forest. After seeing the images today, I'm glad I didn't go in there.
I also feel VERY lucky to work in the region where I do work.
What can you do?
Uggh. I don't have a good answer just yet. If I did, the issue would be solved. Let me think about it.
In the meantime, you could check out:
www.fanamby.org.mg. Conservation International (CI) is also mentioned. You could check out their site too. WORD OF WARNING: I believe both sites have much more graphic photos.
My approach takes a lot more time. I'm more involved with education over there, trying to get Malagasy students over there to work on these sorts of issues. I think from this summer's class, I have about 6 students who will advance in the field of conservation. Earlier this summer, I recommended to Fanamby a couple of my students from this last summer class.
I have to say that when you responded to my question about whether the management over yonder have been invited to join CTN, I had NO idea about this story. I can't help but wonder what the folks who joked about this would say seeing this story. I think I know some of their responses: "LOL," "it was a joke," lasers."
Yeah, right.
2014, 2011, and 2009 Lemur Loving CTN NASCAR Champ. No lasers were used to win these titles.
At holiday season, in contrast, EVERYONE shows up.
:roll: ;) 
