This February 25th, the Lemur Conservation Network will celebrate its first anniversary. As Director of the Lemur Conservation Network, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made this endeavor possible, look back on all we accomplished in our first year, and look forward to exciting things to come in years future. How the Lemur Conservation Network Came to Be On February 25th 2015, the Lemur Conservation Network (LCN) was launched globally. The launch coincided with the one year anniversary of the […]
If you picture the landscape of Madagascar, what images first come to mind? Never-ending rainforests? A paradise unspoiled? These images may be the Madagascar that once was, but it is not the Madagascar of today. While there are many national parks and reserves with those lush rainforests you may picture, a lot of the island’s original forests have been cleared. Today, Madagascar is often a country on fire. Much of this deforestation is from slash-and-burn agriculture, from both large commercial […]
After months of lead up, the second annual World Lemur Festival arrived from October 29-31. The event’s aim was to raise awareness for lemur conservation, celebrate lemurs and Madagascar, and educate the public about why it’s important to protect them and their habitats in Madagascar. By all accounts, not only did this year’s events go above and beyond in fulfilling this mission, but the festival was even more successful and featured even more events than the first festival a year ago. […]
As we prepare for all the amazing events coming up for the 2015 World Lemur Festival, let’s take a look back at the first ever World Lemur Festival, celebrated just last year from October 25th-31st 2014. The event was the brainchild of Jonah Ratsimbazafy of GERP Madagascar, one of Madagascar’s leading primatologists (and one of our Project Advisors at the Lemur Conservation Network!). The festival was successful in attracting the attention of the Malagasy press, as well as the many […]
Oral storytelling is the oldest method of transferring knowledge in human history. Stories are as old as human culture itself. And even though the medium may have changed, stories are just as important in today’s society as they were thousands of years ago. Through television, movies, books, the news, and even music, we hear new stories that move us and inspire us every day. Stories teach, inspire, entertain, and influence attitudes and beliefs in ways that facts alone could never […]
The Importance of Conservation Education As a conservation educator, I am a strong believer in the power of education to influence behavior and attitude changes, and I have seen the results first hand. Innovative and engaging conservation education is key to inspiring conservation action. As famed conservationist Baba Dioum once said, “We will only conserve what we love, we will only love what we understand, and we will only understand what we are taught.” Zoos provide the unique opportunity […]
