Lemur Conservation Foundation
Madagascar
Our Vision and Mission
The Lemur Conservation Foundation is dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the primates of Madagascar through managed breeding, scientific research, education, and art.
LCF is leading lemur conservation efforts in the SAVA region in the following ways.
Overnight student field trips to the rainforest — Educating Madagascar’s next generation of conservationists
Fish farming training — Reducing dependence on lemur bushmeat hunting
Reforestation — Restoring lemur habitat
Fuel-efficient cook stoves — Decreasing dependence on the rainforest
Public health initiative — Providing voluntary family planning
Ecotourism infrastructure — Camp Indri, ASSR’s only established campsite
Forest monitoring — Removing lemur bushmeat traps
Lemur population surveys — Improving estimates of silky sifaka population size
Our Work In Pictures
From LCF’s office in the SAVA region of northeastern Madagascar, staff work with conservation partners and communities bordering protected lemur habitats. Their work focuses on the mountainous rainforests of Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve (ASSR) and Marojejy National Park. Nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, ASSR spans 108 square miles and is home to at least 11 species of lemurs, including critically endangered indri and silky sifakas, which are one of the rarest mammals in the world. LCF established Camp Indri in ASSR as an ecotourism destination.
Where we are?
Why We Need Your Help
Although stunningly rich in biodiversity, Madagascar is also exceptionally poor in almost every quality-of-life measure tracked by the United Nations and World Bank. The population is exploding, and most Malagasy live on less than $1 per day.
Poverty and political instability have undermined Madagascar’s environmental management. Slash and burn agriculture, selective logging of precious wood (rosewood and ebony), and fuel wood harvesting has accelerated deforestation and erosion, which in turn has altered microclimates, leading to droughts, forest fires, and soil degradation. Bushmeat hunting of lemurs has also increased in recent years due to a lack of alternative protein sources in rural villages as well as the emergence of a commercial bushmeat trade.
LCF conservation programs on the ground in Madagascar are helping to protect lemurs and their habitat.
