Protect a brand new mouse lemur in Madagascar!

Over the past 18 months, Sam Hyde Roberts and the SEED Madagascar Conservation Research team have been hard at work collecting important field data on the mouse lemur species found in the littoral forest of Sainte Luce, southeast Madagascar. With over 1,800 traps nights, broad distributional surveys completed and 36 individual lemurs studied, the project is now coming to an end.

 

The initial aim of this project was to establish definitively the identity of the mouse lemur species occurring in Sainte Luce. Whilst the identity of the species was initially uncertain, preliminary evidence suggested that the species was likely a new form of mouse lemur. However, following comprehensive genetic analysis at the German Primate Centre, we can now confirm that the species is, in fact, Microcebus tanosi, a recently recognised and poorly known species. The data collected as part of this project will now contribute to the global understanding of this species, and contribute directly to the IUCN’s formal assessment for the species. We foresee Microcebus tanosi being classified as ‘Endangered’ on the forthcoming IUCN Red List, once ratified by the IUCN Lemur Specialist Group.

 

Sam is studying several aspects of Microcebus tanosi ecology for his PhD project, based at Oxford Brookes University, UK. His work constitutes the first focused ecological assessment of the species and includes work on population density within the littoral forest, identifying species boundaries, and the determination of territory and home range size using radio telemetry. Sam’s research is expected to be published in 2019/20.

 

SEED Madagascar has also been working closely with Sam and the Conservation Research team to develop a new practical conservation project: creating habitat corridors to reunite isolated populations of nocturnal lemurs, including Microcebus tanosi, across the forest fragments of Sainte Luce. Project Ala is currently seeking funding – for more information visit the project page on our website and our new Global Giving project page!

We would like to take this opportunity to once again thank everyone who has generously donated to this project.