Tag Archives | Member Update

LCN Member of the Month: GERP

By Lucía Rodríguez on October 2, 2017

Tell us a little bit about the history of GERP. In 1994, ten Malagasy primatologists dedicated to protecting wildlife established a research institution in the form of an association called “Groupe d’Etude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar” (GERP). This organization has grown considerably and is now comprised of researchers, teachers, students, founding members, donors and consultants. Today, we have more than 111 members and 15 of them are foreigners. The main goal of GERP is to share […]

View of Ranomafana National Park from Centre Val Bio. Photo: Lynne Venart.

Leading Conservation with Pascal Rabeson of Centre ValBio

By Lynne Venart on August 8, 2017

Dr. Pascal Rabeson is Centre Val Bio’s National Director, and originally from Toamasina, Madagascar. He has worked with Dr. Patricia Wright in Ranomafana on and off since 1995, most recently rejoining Centre ValBio in 2003. A key part of CVB’s Senior Management Team, Pascal now serves as the National Director at CVB headquarters in Ranomafana National Park. Can you tell me about your background? I grew up in Madagascar and earned my primary, secondary and high school education here. After I passed […]

LCN Member of the Month: The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

By Lucía Rodríguez on July 31, 2017

Tell us a little bit about the history of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens (JZG) was founded in 1914 as a small municipal zoo located in the Springfield area of Jacksonville, Florida. In 1925, it moved to the current 117-acre location along the Trout River in north Jacksonville. JZG has been an American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA)/ Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoo since 1987. As of July 1, 2017, the […]

LCN member of the month: Sainte Luce Reserve

By Lucía Rodríguez on July 11, 2017

Tell us a little bit about the history of the Sainte Luce Reserve. I first visited Madagascar in 1987 looking at rare palms of all things… then with a passion for conservation, I founded and ran another NGO for Madagascar, in the UK in 1994, and I opened the first Madagascar office of that NGO in 1997, so I have been here a while. I retired from that NGO in 2009 to concentrate on Sainte Luce Reserve and we founded […]

Conservation Fusion Partners with Schools in Kianjavato

By Lynne Venart on January 20, 2017

In September, I visited the small town of Kianjavato in eastern Madagascar to meet with LCN members Conservation Fusion and Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership to learn about their work first hand. Both Conservation Fusion and MBP work closely with the villages in this area to build a strong foundation for continued conservation of the eleven lemur species in the nearby forests. Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership has worked in this region since 2009, and Conservation Fusion began their education programming here in 2010 to help teach the local children about […]

Reforestation in Kianjavato: MBP’s Conservation Successes

By Lynne Venart on January 17, 2017

I visited Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership‘s (MBP) field station in Kianjavato last year to learn about their reforestation and conservation efforts in this region. Kianjavato is located about 1 ½ hours east of Ranomafana, and is home to at least 14,000 people and a dozen villages. The forest fragments surrounding Kianjavato are home to nine lemur species including the aye-aye, black and white ruffed lemur, and the greater bamboo lemur. Reforestation to Connect the Forests of Kianjavato and Vatovavy MBP established […]

There is an aye aye nest somewhere in the vicinity of this tree.

In Search of Aye-Ayes with the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership

By Lynne Venart on September 20, 2016

The small town of Kianjavato is located about 1 1/2 hours east of Ranomafana National Park on the RN 25. This is where LCN member Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership has one of their four main field sites, and where their partner Conservation Fusion plays the important role of teaching and inspiring local children to conserve their unique land. I visited this field site for one day and night to see their work first-hand, visit the lemurs in the nearby forests, and meet with two of the […]

Silky Sifaka mother and child. Photo: Jeffrey Gibbs.

A Look at Lemur Conservation Foundation’s Work in Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve

By Lynne Venart on June 21, 2016

In a recent post, we chatted with Zoological Manager Caitlin Kenney about the Lemur Conservation Foundation’s work in the United States at their lemur reserve in Florida. Today, we talk with Dr. Erik Patel, LCF’s Conservation Program Director, about LCF’s work protecting the Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve (ASSR) in the SAVA region of northeastern Madagascar. We’ll be discussing what makes ASSR unique, why it needs to be protected, and the Lemur Conservation Foundation’s work in this region. About the success of […]