In-Situ Conservation Part I

Conservation Biology is a booming discipline. I don’t know whether to add “fortunately” or “unfortunately” to that previous sentence. As the human population expands, there is less and less room for other creatures and living things on this planet. There’s only so much space to be had. Yet, many people are interested in protecting ecologically valuable areas, improving biodiversity, saving endangered species, etc.

Burning sisal to plant more

Conservation work is varied but there are two main categories of work: in-situ conservation and ex-situ conservation. In-situ means within the country. Examples of in-situ conservation efforts include transferring species to available areas, teaching locals about resource management, and creating protected parks within the country. Ex-situ conservation work examples include breeding species in zoos, informing people of the dangers of buying products made from wood harvested from the Amazon, etc.

This post is dedicated to in-situ conservation, or what I’ve learned here in Madagascar. Madagascar is currently experiencing rapid deforestation (like many places across the world), leaving primates and other flora and fauna with less and less space. So much of the life on this island exists only in Madagascar and it is a hotspot of biodiversity.

Fields for grazing and growing rice outside of Antananarivo

Forests are cleared for multiple reasons. It is cleared for charcoal, it is cleared to make living space for Madagascar’s increasing population, it is cleared for sisal plantations, etc. It may seem easy to judge and ask why a government or a people wouldn’t want to protect these unique species or ask how could someone possibly hunt and eat a primate, but let’s remember cultural relativism. Let’s remember to walk a hundred or a thousand miles in another man’s shoes before judging. I’ve done a lot of walking here, both in the forest and across all of the sand roads (no need to pay for a pedicure to exfoliate my feet, that’s for sure). Half of Madagascar’s population lives on less than one dollar a day. If you’re starving and have little money, of course you are going to buy inexpensive charcoal, which contributes to deforestation, over gasoline which is more expensive but better for the environment. If you can’t feed your family, then problems like preserving biodiversity hardly seem urgent. As for judging a country’s government and their priorities, investing roads so that people can travel to each other usually takes precedence over preserving parks. Lowering the illiteracy rate, creating jobs, and strengthening the economy are all likely more pressing to the general public and therefore the government than conservation.

Which of the following is NOT an example of in-situ conservation efforts:

A.   Foreign researchers hosting an event within the country where local biologists learn to apply for conservation grants to fund their work.

B.   Undergraduate students volunteering in local schools, teaching others about endangered wildlife surrounding their community.

C.   A WWF initiative moving endangered rhinos to protected areas.

D.   A fundraising event for cheetahs to increase money for zoos looking to help this species by increasing genetic diversity.

E.   All of the above are examples of in-situ conservation efforts.

F.    A and D

Answer: D

Invasion of the fittest

Berenty Private Reserve is primarily a tourist site. The concern is with ensuring tourists have an enjoyable stay and see lots of lemurs right outside of their cabins. The few researchers who come to Berenty to work must contend with this fact.

Invasive vine that has been very successful

One of the problems that arise from Berenty being a tourist facility is the number of invasive species present here. Invasive species can take root anywhere, not just tourist sites. In Florida, work is being done to eradicate a species of land snail originally from Africa that can grow as large as a rat. The snail is thought to have been introduced by a religious group using the snail for ritual purposes. Asian carp were introduced on purpose in the Great Lakes to reduce algae levels. It turns out they eat pretty much anything and are completing taking over the Great Lakes and drastically reducing biodiversity.

Here at Berenty, certain plants have been planted for aesthetic pleasure. For example a row of cactus was planted along the road and the edge of the forest. This seems perfectly harmless at first glance. However, the inclusion of this plant in the ecosystem does change things. Lemurs eat the cactus, birds eat it, and before you know it you have cactus popping up in the forest itself. Cactus is popping up where it shouldn’t be and where it doesn’t belong. The same is true for other plant species brought in for aesthetic pleasure: they spread everywhere and find their way into the forest. These invasive species may be more successful than native species, driving out the original inhabitants and causing extinction of native species.

At least two of my three sifaka groups that I study I’ve seen eat from a species not native to this habitat. I’m doubtful it will affect my research, because I am looking to see if there are any differences between the sexes in their feeding habits. Invasive species certainly affects any researchers who come here to study diet. In fact, because of the introduced plant species and the provisioning of primates with human food that occurs at Berenty, this site could not really be used to study natural primate diet.

With the world growing smaller, humans travelling globally inadvertently bring seeds and invasive species with them. Primates and humans increasingly come into contact. Questions concerning primate diet in unnatural, altered ecosystems may be all that scientists are able to ask.

An unusual type of pest

Berenty is overflowing with lemurs. They’re everywhere. They’re completely habituated (used to humans). I can hear the ring-tailed lemurs and the brown lemurs on my roof, foraging on the tree above. I see brown lemurs multiple times a day drinking water from our well or from large puddles. I’ve only seen a sifaka drinking from the well once so far. The ring-tailed lemurs are very daring: they are in the kitchen, running around outside our houses, even in the dining room on the table. They’ll steal whatever food is left out and they’ve been known to sneak off with whole loaves of bread. They raid our garbage as well and anything that’s left behind in the kitchen. They sit on top of the roof. They sit on the side of the houses. They feast on the cactus that grows near us. They steal the cat’s food. Ring-tailed lemurs are basically like rats here. Being everywhere, they of course poo everywhere, which is not so cute.

Brown lemurs drinking our water

 Ring-tailed lemurs are also up in the tourist section of Berenty. In this part of the reserve, they enjoy stealing leftovers from the tourists’ meals and occasionally being fed by employees, even though this is forbidden. It sounds cute and the tourists happily snap humorous photos of lemurs eating banana peels or jumping on tables, but the reality is different. Feeding or provisioning animals leads to multiple problems. For starters, aggression within the troop will increase, causing physical confrontations and injuries and potentially increased infant mortality. The increase in aggression causes an increase in stress, making animals more vulnerable to disease. Animals become dependent on this outside source of food, causing a serious problem if at any point humans decide to stop provisioning the animals. Once used to a steady source of food, the troops may no longer have a large home range and the ability to expand and search for alternative food sources without entering into another troop’s territory, again leading to increased physical confrontations.

Ring-tailed lemur sauntering into our kitchen

Provisioning cute, little lemurs seems like a good idea at a first glance, but there are drawbacks that should be considered. Provisioning a group of primates is not a decision that should be entered into lightly. Yet there are troops of primates around the world where provisioning takes place and has so for years. These unique, experimental environments allow researchers to ask novel questions that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. For example, we know that provisioned populations generally have higher birthrates. 

Critical thinking: What other questions might be asked if studying a provisioned population of primates or other animals?

The more the merrier

Come on in! To one of our bedrooms...They have no shame.

 

Help yourself!