Introducing the Red Ruffed Lemur into a forest in Madagascar

Endemic to the northeastern region of Madagascar, the Red Ruffed Lemur plays a crucial role in the restoration of the moist tropical forests it inhabits. Not only does it transport pollen from flower to flower with its long nose, but it also disperses the seeds of the fruits it consumes. At Pairi Daiza, you can encounter them on Nosy Komba. Victim to habitat loss (due to agriculture and forestry) and hunting for its meat, the Red Ruffed Lemur is classified as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Pairi Daiza participates in the European conservation program (EEP) coordinated by the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

 

1,660 hectares of forest to protect

In Madagascar, the Pairi Daiza Foundation has been supporting a reintroduction program led by Antongil Conservation, GERP, and the Bioparc de Doué-la-Fontaine since 1999. The goal? To reintroduce the red ruffed lemur into the Farankaraina forest, where it disappeared 50 years ago. The first 5 red ruffed lemurs returned to this forest in 2018 and 2019, following successful translocations from a forest destined to disappear to the protected 1,660 ha of Farankaraina. They will be joined by other groups and, ultimately, by animals born in zoological parks. The reintroduced individuals are continuously monitored through scientific telemetry and direct observation. The project also has a strong human dimension: it is carried out in close collaboration with the 10 villages surrounding the Farankaraina forest. To ensure management favorable to both the forest and the people, the forest is organized into 4 zones: a zone of integral conservation, a rehabilitation zone (reforestation actions), a zone of usage rights for residents (cutting according to quotas), and an ecotourism zone. Various awareness-raising actions also offer residents the opportunity to discover the red ruffed lemurs and actively engage in their protection.