The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Resolution today that condemns the unchecked illegal logging and decimation of Madagascar's endemic species, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon), author of the resolution, said in a statement published on his Web site.

"The House is sending a firm signal that the devastating and illegal destruction of Madagascar's natural resources will not be tolerated," Blumenauer said. "Illegal logging not only does irreparable harm to the environment, but it destroys livelihoods.

"In Oregon and across the United States, at a time when we are working to recover the economy, illegal timber imports undermine legitimate logging operations.

"While Madagascar's de facto government continues to use its endangered resources to boost its regime, Congress today joined the administration in calling for an immediate end to these practices."

The Resolution responds to growing anxiety in the international conservation community that the continued plundering of Madagascar's few protected forests, for valuable rosewood and other timber, and with it the destruction of habitat vital for the survival of lemurs and numerous other rare species, has inflicted irreparable damage on the African island country's environment.

Satellite image courtesy NASA

Much of the California-size island has been eroded because of deforestation for farming. Most of the country's twenty million people are poor. Conservation projects such as national parks that would showcase Madagascar's abundance of endemic species were supposed to provide drawcards for tourists and researchers, creating income and work to kick-start local economies. But much of that is at risk because of recent political instability and the destruction of the forests.

There is also concern that what's been happening in Madagascar exacerbates the problem of worldwide illegal logging, which costs countries U.S.$10 billion-15 billion each year in lost revenues for legitimate lumber industries.

"Madagascar is home to almost 150,000 species of flora and fauna. The illegal extraction of these resources threatens biodiversity as well as legitimate logging operations in the U.S.--up to $460 million lost in export opportunities every year," Blumenauer said.

"After a coup in March, the new and weakened government of Andry Rajoelina issued sweeping decrees allowing the harvest and export of wood from protected forests and World Heritage Sites. The Obama administration has condemned the de facto government, and the Wildlife Conservation Society, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Conservation International have denounced the wholesale exploitation of some of the world's most diverse forests and decimation of the local population's resources and livelihoods. These groups have strongly endorsed Blumenauer's resolution," the Congressman's statement said.

Madagascar is legendary for its unusual animals and plants, such as this chameleon.

NGS photo by Luis Marden

The House voted 409-5 to join the administration and environmental groups in speaking out against the devastation occurring in Madagascar. The Resolution was co-sponsored by 49 members, representing both Democrats and Republicans and including Congressman Donald Payne (D-New Jersey), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health on the Committee for Foreign Affairs, and Congressman Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and the Global Environment.

Author of the Legal Timber Protection Act, Blumenauer is a global leader on the issue of illegal logging, his Web site states. The law, signed in May 2008, bans the import of illegally harvested timber and wood products and empowers regulators to keep illegally harvested timber out of the U.S.

Most species of baobab trees are found only in Madagascar.

NGS photo by Luis Marden

Commenting on today's House resolution, John Calvelli, Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, said, "The situation in Madagascar is nothing short of tragic--not only for the people and wildlife of Madagascar, but for the entire planet. I applaud Congressman Blumenauer for his continued leadership in the United States Congress on the issue of illegal logging. This resolution will serve as a clear message to the current Malagasy government that the illegal harvesting of Madagascar's natural resources is unacceptable."

Said Lisa Steel, Deputy Director for Madagascar at WWF, "The loss of Madagascar's spectacular biodiversity would not only be a global tragedy, but it will further impoverish rural communities whose lives are inextricably tied to the health of their natural environments. While Madagascar is under the rule of a weakened government, it is essential that the international community work to stop the harvest and trade of illegal wood and other protected species, and we appreciate this important first step by Congressman Blumenauer."

"Congressman Blumenauer continues to play a leadership role in the global problem of illegal logging and the responsibility of consumer nations like the U.S. to support the fight against it, through policies like the Lacey Act and this resolution," said Alexander von Bismarck, executive director of the Environmental Investigation Agency, which conducted a mission to Madagascar in August 2009 to evaluate the illegal logging situation.

Full text of the Resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives today:

H. RES. 839
Mr. BLUMENAUER (for himself, Mr. PAYNE, and Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA) submitted
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

RESOLUTION
Condemning the illegal extraction of Madagascar's natural
resources.

Whereas Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island, and
home to up to 150,000 species of unique flora and fauna;

Whereas during the last 20 years, with the support of the
U.S. Government and others, Madagascar has made substantial
progress in stopping environmental degradation,
effectively managing natural resources and preserving its
unique biodiversity;

Whereas these natural resources provide essential benefits
and services for the basic needs of the majority of
Madagascar's people, three-quarters of whom live in rural
areas and two-thirds of whom live on less than $2 per
day;

Whereas these natural resources also provide economic development
in the tourism sector, drawing an estimated
$390,000,000 per year;

Whereas the Obama Administration has condemned Marc
Ravalomanana's forced resignation as President of the
Republic of Madagascar, and Andry Rajoelina's installation
as de facto head of state, as tantamount to a coup
d'etat, undemocratic, and contrary to the rule of law;

Whereas in March 2009, the Obama Administration announced
a suspension of non-humanitarian assistance to
the de facto Andry Rajoelina government;

Whereas, given that 2⁄3 of people live off the natural resources,
decreased assistance for conservation efforts is
having dire humanitarian consequences;

Whereas the African Union and the Southern African Development
Community have suspended Madagascar's participation
until constitutional order is restored;

Whereas in October 2009, the World Wide Fund (WWF),
Conservation International, and the Wildlife Conservation
Society condemned an interministerial order issued by the
current administration granting sweeping authorization
to export raw and semi-processed hard wood as
''legaliz[ing] the sale of illegally cut and collected wood
onto the market; allow[ing] for the potential embezzlement
of funds in the name of environmental protection
and constitut[ing] a legal incentive for further corruption
in the forestry sector'';

Whereas the following natural resource degradation is occurring
under the de facto government's watch--

(1) open and organized plundering of precious wood
from natural forests, including World Heritage Sites such
as Marojejy and Masoala National Parks;

(2) intimidation and menace of legitimate local community
management structures, and expropriation of revenue
and benefits from them, causing suffering and impoverishment;

(3) intensified smuggling of endemic and protected
species and species parts and/or products to the national
and international markets;

(4) proliferation of destructive practices such as illegal
mining and slash-and-burn agriculture within protected
areas and environmentally sensitive areas;

(5) degradation of forests, pushing some rosewood
and ebony species to the brink of extinction; and

(6) the degradation of the resource base upon which
rural communities depend representing an immediate and
future threat to local governance, local incomes, and food
security; and

Whereas the vast majority of this precious wood is destined
for global export markets: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) calls on people of Madagascar to immediately
undertake a democratic, consensual process
to restore constitutional governance, culminating in
free, fair and peaceful elections;

(2) strongly condemns the illegal extraction of
Madagascar's natural resources and its impact on
biodiversity and livelihoods of rural communities,
including illegal logging, smuggling of wild species,
and illegal mining;

(3) supports action by competent authorities
and the people of Madagascar to stop this illegal
devastation and bring those perpetrating these
crimes to justice;

(4) calls upon importing countries to intensify
their inspection and monitoring processes to ensure
that they do not contribute to the demand for ille10
gally sourced precious woods from Madagascar; and

(5) calls upon consumers of rosewood and
ebony products to check their origin, and boycott
those made of Malagasy wood, until constitutional
order is restored.

 

You might also be interested in:

The call to boycott Madagascar's rosewood and ebony explained
Conservation biologist Stuart Pimm writes about his observations of the diversity in Madagascar and how the current pillaging of the country's natural heritage threatens not only to destroy decades of conservation work, but also ruin the one chance that communities adjacent to national parks have to escape poverty.

Conservationists Call on Malagasy People to Stop Forest Plunder
Eleven groups that fund and help manage conservation of Madagascar's remaining wilderness heritage issued a joint statement deploring the invasion by armed looters of national parks and forests, illegal timber extraction, illegal mining, and intensified smuggling of endangered species.

Act Aggressively to Curb Illegal Logging, Madagascar Urged
Madagascar's efforts to curtail illegal logging in the World Heritage Sites of Masoala and Marojejy National Parks and their peripheral zones have not reduced the impact of logging in the immediate term, say governments, international agencies, and conservation groups that support conservation of the country's natural heritage.

Lemurs, Rare Forests Threatened by Madagascar Strife
Looters are invading Madagascar's protected wildlife sanctuaries, harvesting trees and threatening critically endangered lemurs and other species. (March 2009)

 

Representatives of Malagasy civil society, conservation and development organizations and the international community issued a statement today lamenting the ongoing destruction of Madagascar's last fragments of forest for the illegal harvest and export of precious woods. Consumers of rosewood and ebony products are asked to check their origin, and boycott those made of Malagasy wood. The full statement is at the bottom of this page.

Conservation biologist Stuart Pimm writes about his observations of the diversity in Madagascar and how the current pillaging of the country's natural heritage threatens not only to destroy decades of conservation work, but also ruin the one chance that communities adjacent to national parks have to escape poverty.

By Stuart L. Pimm
Special Contributor to NatGeo News Watch

Madagascar has long been the worst country to be a tree. In the last year, things have got even nastier.

"To how many continents have you traveled with National Geographic," people ask me. "Eight," I reply with complete confidence. "But there are only seven continents!" I will not win the National Geographic Bee. I am unmoved, nonetheless.

Madagascar is the eighth "continent," and no one who loves the great diversity of life on Earth would disagree.

Almost everything a naturalist sees in Madagascar is unique to the place.

There are the lemurs, of course. But even to a birdwatcher, broadly familiar kinds of birds are so special to the island that they must have "Madagascar" in front of their names: Madagascar partridge, Madagascar pochard, Madagascar buttonquail--and on down a long list. It turns out that most of these birds are not all that familiar--they are peculiarly from Madagascar.

Simply, Madagascar is an entirely isolated world. It has landscapes that could be the sets for science fiction movies, and one odd lemur, the aye-aye, that is too incredible to belong in one.

Most of Madagascar's trees--and other plants--are also unique.

Sadly, Madagascar is a wretchedly bad place to be a tree, even in the best of times. Most of the country has been deforested. A coup earlier this year ejected a democratically elected president. In the lawlessness that has followed since, the remaining trees are getting an even worse deal than they have in the past.

Along with other members of National Geographic's Committee for Research and Exploration (CRE) a few years ago, we flew from the capital city, Antananarivo, towards the northeast end of the island--the Masoala peninsula, a place of exceptional diversity.

But almost as soon as we took off there was smoke in the air--and on the ground beneath us we could see fires, small and large. I know from looking at satellite images that many are large enough to be seen from space.

Fires detected by satellite--red squares--dot the landscape of east-central Madagascar, while the wispy plumes of smoke often obscure the land beneath.  The image is approximately 300 kilometers (200 miles) from north to south.  Several of the smoke plumes are 30 kilometers (20 miles) long. There are scattered clouds along the eastern edge of the image and more extensive clouds in its southwest corner.

Image courtesy NASA

I first traveled to Madagascar with my then graduate student, Luke Dollar--now a National Geographic emerging explorer. On the ground, the problem was obvious. To clear their fields or to give a short flush of nutrients for the grasses on which their cattle feed, villagers set fire to the land.

The remnant patches of forest--often in national parks--would go up in flames too as the fire spread into them. Wherever we traveled, we saw forest edges that had been recently burned.

"Why should they care," Luke asked. "They get no benefit from parks." Rural areas of Madagascar contain some of the poorest people on Earth.

Many of Madagascar's plants like this pachypodium are bizarre and most are restricted to the country.

Photo by Stuart L. Pimm

Luke, and my fellow CRE member, Professor Patricia Wright, spend their energies ensuring that poor people near Madagascar's parks do benefit from the sanctuaries.

Luke founded a small restaurant near one park, for example. The committee ate there during our visit. (Rice and beans, French fries and eggs--a definite improvement on the food we ate during our field work in earlier years.)

With an income stream from the restaurant, the children in the village were all in school. Literacy is the first step on the ladder out of poverty.

Photo of red ruffed lemur in Masoala courtesy Barbara Martinez

Photo of rosewood logging in Madagascar courtesy Stuart Pimm

Reports from the field make it clear that in the last year there has been a surge in logging inside protected forests. The trees involved are mostly "rosewood" and "ebony," Peter Raven told me.

Peter is the chairman of National Geographic's Committee for Research and Exploration and has overseen many National Geographic grants to local and international researchers in Madagascar.

In his other capacity as president of Missouri Botanical Garden, Peter is responsible for a large staff in Madagascar. Missouri Botanical Garden runs a multitiered botanical training program in the country, with a network of local collectors working in parks and reserves.

Peter Raven is truly in the middle of the country's research and conservation.

Rosewood and Ebony

I asked Peter for more information about the rosewood and ebony trees, for these common names are misleading.

"Rosewood is Dalbergia, a legume, and it has some 47 endemic species in Madagascar, and Diospyros, ebony, which is also being logged, we now believe has nearly 200 species--a remarkable array of endemics in each case," he told me. ("Endemics" are those species found only in the country.)

 

Photo of rosewood logging courtesy Stuart Pimm

I've not seen the illegal logging firsthand in Madagascar. But I know the way it works in other countries. The essential ingredients are a good river and bad policing. You select a tree near a river, fell it with a chain saw, float it downriver. There will always be someone to pay for the chain saw, so long as he doesn't get caught.

So who buys these trees? Try typing "Madagascar rosewood" into Google. The first couple of hundred entries are almost all about guitars. And I gave up checking after that.

There's a lot of money to be made in poaching trees that provide beautiful wood that we desire. Do you know where your guitar came from?

There's a lot of money to be made in poaching trees that provide beautiful wood that we desire. Do you know where your guitar came from?

There was a time when people thought that leopards looked best as skins draped over expensive women. Then we learned that they never look more beautiful than when they're in their natural habitat.

I hope there will be a time when we'll agree that there is nothing so lovely as a tree. (I borrowed that.) Except, perhaps for the lemur sitting in it.

But more than anything, there is nothing more precious to behold than the children in the schools that tourist dollars build.

 

Professor Stuart L. Pimm is a conservation biologist at Duke University, North Carolina. A former member of the National Geographic Committee for Research and Exploration, Pimm is the author of dozens of books and research papers, including the book "The World According to Pimm: A Scientist Audits the Earth."

 

 

Read earlier blog posts by Stuart Pimm>>

 

Text of statement released today by conservation groups regarding forests and export of wood from Madagascar:

► Read This Entire Post

Pictures from some of the world's leading nature and wildlife photographers were exhibited at London's Saatchi Gallery today.

For those of us who couldn't make it to the British capital, Conservation International shared some of the images from the exhibit, shown here. The places they represent are indeed remarkable.

On the Look Out: The peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) is believed to have the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom. Each is capable of depth perception and trinocular vision. This allows the peacock mantis to detect semi transparent prey, different coral patterns, and the shimmering scales of hungry barracudas. They also have very powerful claws, known to break the glass of aquariums.

Photo by Sterling Zumbrunn/Caption by CI

Beach Bum Chameleon: The panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) of Madagascar loves sunbathing and enjoys cockroaches. They change color for camouflage and to communicate. When carrying eggs, females turn dark brown or black with orange striping to tell males they aren't interested. When two males come into contact, they turn brighter colors to assert dominance. Often these battles end with the loser retreating, turning drab and dark.

Photo by Cristina Mittermeier/Caption by CI

The exhibition, entitled "Thrive!", and organized by CI and the BG Group, "aims not only to showcase examples of nature's beauty and fragility, but to underscore how human well being and the natural world are inextricably linked," CI said in a statement accompanying the photos.

Monkeys on the Move: The Northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) is a critically endangered resident of Brazil's Atlantic Forest. Less than one thousand remain. To help revive them and other unique species, CI helped create green corridors linking the remaining fragments of the Atlantic Forest, assuring animals have a wider home to roam.

Photo by Luciano Candisani/Caption by CI

The exhibition was opened by CI President Russell A. Mittermeier and BG Group Executive Vice President Charles Bland on Thursday.

"Mittermeier, one of the world's most famous conservationists, is a legendary field biologist who has discovered numerous new species of animals, and is a world authority on primates, amphibians and the wildlife of Madagascar, the Guianas and Brazil," CI's statement added.

No Blast Fishing: A community patrolman on his dugout canoe near the island of Batanta, Raja Ampat. Local communities, aware of the importance of reef habitats to their fisheries, have learned to patrol their waters to protect against cyanide and blast fishing.

Photo by Sterling Zumbrunn/Caption by CI

"We are at a critical time in the history of the planet. Over the next decade decisions are going to be made that will affect the lives of millions of people and the survival of thousands of plants and animals," Mittermeier said. "Conservation International's mission is to protect the world's ecosystems for the benefit of humanity. The partnership with BG Group allows us to use photography as a tool for conserving the incredible biodiversity and cultures featured in this exhibition."

A New Species Found Each Week: Raja Ampat, Papua, Indonesia, has one of the most dense concentrations of marine life on Earth, with over 1,000 species of fish and 600 of coral. In one year, CI divers discovered more than 50 previously unknown species of shrimp, coral, and reef fish - an average rate of one per week. All this in an area about 1/10th the size of England.

Photo by Sterling Zumbrunn/Caption by CI

Charles Bland said: "At BG Group we understand that our business activity can have an impact upon the environment and we are committed to making a positive contribution to protecting the environment. Our alliance with CI supports this by helping to build awareness of the importance of our natural world."

Much Ado Below the Surface: 1,250 fish species and 600 hard corals; the greatest biodiversity concentration for a territory its size anywhere on earth. Wayag Lagoon in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, is one of several marine protected areas created thanks in part to CI's Rapid Assessment Program (RAP). These surveys quickly document uncharted habitats to help prioritize areas for protection.

Photo by Sterling Zumbrunn/Caption by CI

Brand New Frog?

This handsome, slender legged treefrog, while known to be a Osteocephalus, may be a new species. Discovered by CI scientists on a recent trip to Para, researchers are still trying to verify if it's ever been identified. With species going extinct every 20 minutes, many disappear without a trace. Since new animal finds have helped humans with everything from diffusing landmines to curing forms of cancer, no one knows what is lost to us when a species vanishes.

Photo by Luciano Candisani/Caption by CI

Said Cristina Mittermeier, Director of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), and one of the photographers whose work is featured in the exhibit, "Conservation photography is a mixture of art, journalism and environmentalism. It mixes beauty and abstract images with profound social comment, and it provides motivation for those who often live in a world far removed from the people, places and wildlife that are featured in this stunning exhibition."

Gentle Giant:

Though capable of highly intimidating displays of power when threatened, the largest of the gorillas, Grauer's gorilla, is generally calm and non aggressive.. There are about 16,000 in the wild. All live in the Democratic Republic of Congo. War in the Congo has been a drain on tourism, a primary source of funding for the gorilla's protection.

Photo by John Martin/Caption by CI

More Fish Species Than Anywhere On Earth:

CI scientists have documented more than 1,200 species of fish in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, more than any other coral reef environment on the planet. Scientists also believe there are over 550 coral species, an astonishing 70 percent of the world's total.

Madagascar's efforts to curtail illegal logging in the World Heritage Sites of Masoala and Marojejy National Parks and their peripheral zones have not reduced the impact of logging in the immediate term, say governments, international agencies, and conservation groups that support conservation of the country's natural heritage.

A statement issued today by 13 embassies, agencies, and organizations--the 'International Community and Conservation Partners Resident in Madagascar"--calls for "aggressive transparent actions to curb illegal logging in and around Madagascar's Protected Areas and World Heritage Sites."

NGS photo of lemur in Madagascar forest by Luis Marden

The "communique" was made two months after eleven groups that fund and help manage conservation of Madagascar's remaining wilderness heritage issued a joint statement, deploring the invasion by armed looters of national parks and forests, illegal timber extraction, illegal mining, and intensified smuggling of endangered species.

The groups came together at the end of March after numerous reports that Madagascar's conservation areas were being plundered by bandits and organized criminal syndicates taking advantage of the lawlessness and paralysis of government in the wake of a coup d'etat and ongoing political turmoil throughout the African island country.

Earlier in March, the Marojejy National Park in the northern region of Madgascar closed for tourism after gangs entered the sanctuary to cut down precious rosewood trees.

Looters invading Madagascar's protected wildlife sanctuaries to harvest trees threaten critically endangered lemurs and other species, conservationists warn. (Read a full account about this.)

Satellite image courtesy NASA

Now, two months later, there is no indication that the illegal logging has abated, prompting today's statement.

Joining the conservation groups in today's statement are the embassies of France, Germany, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, and the U.S. All these countries provide foreign assistance to Madagascar.

"Madagascar's image ... is being irreparably damaged."

The statement said: "We are troubled that Madagascar's image, nationally and internationally, as a country committed to the protection of its unique biodiversity and natural resources, is being irreparably damaged, resulting in reduced long-term support to protected areas and making it difficult for Madagascar's people to benefit from its natural resource heritage.

"We are also afraid this damage could spread around other protected areas and their peripheral zone.

"The increased illegal logging calls into question Madagascar's genuine commitment to a transparent wood control system that documents the legality of harvesting and sales. A significant amount of precious resources--hardwood, unique biodiversity and non-collected fees--are irreversibly lost from this uncontrolled timber harvesting.

"The Malagasy rural people only marginally benefit from this illegal trade of precious wood, as the international value of the exported wood is over 600 times the benefits to the collector. It is clear the current situation does not further the fight against poverty or the livelihoods of Madagascar's rural population."

NGS photo by Luis Marden

Illegal trade of timber is growing in importance and concern at the global level, the statement continued. "The United States and European Union are putting in place new strict laws and regulations to stop the importation of illegally harvested and traded wood products.

"We, the international community and conservation partners, encourage a still more proactive and aggressive response in addressing this increased harvesting of Madagascar's unique natural resources by implementing a legal transparent system of wood trade that effectively controls all points in the supply chain.

"Environmental governance can and must be improved through preventive actions at all levels, including pressure on international buyers coupled with incentives that support legal trade and respond to the needs and engagement of local communities.

"Moreover, it is essential that the Malagasy authorities, with the support of all stakeholders, improve support to protected areas in order to preserve the extraordinary biological riches of Madagascar."

Read the full text:

► Read This Entire Post

Updated with new images and text 

Photo of silky sifakas in Marojejy National Park by Jeff Gibbs/courtesy Erik Patel

Looters are invading Madagascar's protected wildlife sanctuaries, harvesting trees and threatening critically endangered lemurs and other species, conservationists said today.

Marojejy National Park in the northern part of the African island country has been closed to tourism. Rangers are abandoning their posts in other parks, according to reports.

The trouble is linked to turmoil that culminated in a coup d'etat that ousted President Marc Ravalomanana last week. Looters have taken advantage of government paralysis and lawlessness in some parts of the country. Some protected conservation areas are being invaded by organized criminals intent on cutting down valuable rosewood trees and extracting other protected resources, according to conservationists in Madagascar.

The closure of Marojejy National Park was "deemed necessary by park management due to the lawlessness that has descended over the ... region during this time of political unrest in Madagascar, and the resultant looting and destruction which is currently occurring within the park," according to a notice posted on the park's Web site.

Satellite image courtesy NASA

"In particular, gangs of armed men (led primarily by foreign profiteers in conjunction with the rich local mafia) are plundering the rainforests of Marojejy for the extremely valuable rosewood that grows there," the notice continues.

The crisis in Marojejy has serious implications on several fronts, states the notice on the park's Web site.

"First, of course, is the extremely detrimental impact it is having on the park's unique flora and fauna. While old-growth rosewood trees may be the primary objective of the armed gangs, such destructive, unregulated use of the forest will certainly have an adverse effect on everything else in the park.

"Most worrisome is the well-being of the highly endangered silky sifaka, a lemur found only in the rainforests of Marojejy and the surrounding area."

Map courtesy Marojejy National Park

"But the crisis is also having a devastating effect outside the boundaries of the park itself. With armed militia descending on local villages and death threats being issued, people live in fear; communities are divided, and families are pitted one against the other. Many local people who depend on tourism -- guides, porters, shopkeepers, hotel and restaurant personnel - -now live in limbo.

"With no other means of support, some turn to the lucrative rosewood trade," the notice said.

Erik Patel is a PhD candidate at Cornell University who has been studying the silky sifaka since 2001 and has recently published the first article about illegal precious wood logging in Madagascar. (See a quote from his paper in the side bar below.)

"Illegal logging of precious wood has emerged as one of the most severe threats to Madagascar's dwindling northeastern
rainforests," Patel said in an email.

 

Rosewood logged illegally in Marojejy National Park in 2005

Photo courtesy Erik Patel

Cornell University PhD Candidate Erik Patel has been studying the silky sifaka since 2001.

Photo of silky sifaka by Andrew Ritchie. Photo of Patel by Abigail Derby/courtesy Erik Patel

The video clip above features Erik Patel and his work in Marojejy National Park. It is from "Angels of the Forest, " a documentary film by Sharon Pieczenik chronicling the science and conservation efforts surrounding the silky sifaka.

Over the past few years, thousands of logs, worth millions of dollars, have been confiscated at ports of Vohémar, Antalaha, and Toamasina, Patel said. "Most of this critically endangered rosewood and ebony is known to have come from Marojejy National Park and Masoala National Park." 

In the face of rich, armed, and politically connected criminals (believed to have ties to elements in China), the parks simply lack the resources to stop this, he added.

"The impacts of such selective logging include violating local taboos as well as ecological consequences such as increased likehood of fire, invasive species, impaired habitat, and loss in genetic diversity." 

Patel said that a key cause of the logging now being seen was the recent (January, 2009) termination of the law prohibiting export of rosewood and ebony from Madagascar. 

The laws prohibiting such exportation must be reinstated as soon as possible," he said. "It is unprecedented for a national park in Madagacar to be closed to tourism because of illegal logging!"

Patricia Wright and Mireya Mayor, conservationists who have done extensive research on lemurs in the wild, spoke to me at length about the crisis in Madagascar. Both had heard from their contacts in Madagascar that rangers were abandoning their posts in a number of parks because of concerns about personal safety.

"I'm gutted and at a loss to describe how bad this situation is," said Mayor, a primatologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer who has done field work in Marojejy. (Watch the video about her work below.) "Thirty years of successful conservation initiatives is now at risk of being totally destroyed," she said in the interview.

Mireya Mayor working with both the silky sifaka in Marojejy and Perrier's sifaka in Analamera.

National Geographic Video

Loggers who invaded the parks to extract rosewood would destroy habitat, set up camps, and eat the wildlife, including the lemurs, Mayor predicted. "The lemurs will not be able to withstand this."

"This crisis has had a compelling effect on me personally because of the immediate threat to Perrier's sifaka and the silky sifaka," Mayor said.

Mayor did groundbreaking research on these two critically endangered primates, leading the first expeditions to capture, collar and study some of the animals in remote areas of Madagascar a decade ago. Her work was showcased on National Geographic Television. The work was used to elevate the silky sifaka and Perrier's sifaka from subspecies of lemur to full species. "I feel personally vested in this 'war,'" she said. 

"I have worked extensively in the northern forests and with those villagers whose kindness and generosity got me through many an expedition and whose lives are now being threatened. I am anxious about them too," Mayor said. 

Photo of silky sifakas by Jeff Gibbs/courtesy Erik Patel

 

Posts Abandoned

Patricia Wright said she had received reports that rangers were abandoning their posts in a number of other parks because of fears for their safety.

"What's happening in the north is very worrying, because that is the home of two of the most endangered primates in the world, the silky sifaka and the Perrier's sifaka," she said.

Wright, a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and former member of National Geographic's Committee for Research and Exploration, said she had been on the phone to her contacts in the region yesterday and was told that heavy rain had been falling in the far north of the country for days, making the roads nearly impassable. That could be a good thing because it could inhibit timber exploitation, she said.

The trouble appeared to be confined for the moment to parks in Madagascar's northern areas, Wright said. However, she was concerned that it could spread if the country's political situation was not quickly resolved.

Both Wright and Mayor were at a loss about what could be done to alleviate the crisis in the short term. "One thing we can do is create awareness about this," Mayor said.

Wright said she was trying to contact foundations and agencies that sponsor conservation in Madagascar. "A big worry is that funding dries up for conservation because of the coup. That will leave the national parks without resources and completely exposed to exploitation."

Both Mayor and Wright are also concerned about the long-term future of conservation in Madagascar.

Patricia Wright (left) and Mireya Mayor photo courtesy Mireya Mayor

Former President Ravalomanana had committed the Madagascar government to increasing protected areas on the island and had demonstrated a willingness to work with conservationists. "Now, we don't know what's going to happen," Mayor said.

Erik Patel sent the photos below -- "three of our best Marojejy National park landscape photos" -- which I am adding to show readers the majestic beauty of the habitat, closed temporarily to tourism.

Below the photos are links for additional information and related National Geographic News stories about Marojejy, lemurs, Madagascar, and more. 

The three photos above are by Inaki Relanzon/courtesy Erik Patel

Additional Information:

Marojejy in Crisis (Marojejy National Park Web site)

"Cross Dressing" Lemurs Appear Male to Avoid Conflict (National Geographic News)

Flying Lemurs With "Backpacks" Reveal Gliding Secrets (National Geographic News)

Photo: Three New Lemurs Discovered, Add to Madagascar's Diversity (National Geographic News)

Threatened Lemurs' Diet Key to Conservation Efforts, Researchers Say (National Geographic News)

Lemur Logic May Provide Clues to Primate Intellect Evolution (National Geographic News)

Rainfall Helps Baby Lemurs Survive, Tooth Study Shows (National Geographic News)

African Trees May Be Tied to Lemurs' Fate (National Geographic News)

Madagascar Creates Millions of Acres of New Protected Areas (National Geographic News)

Rare Animals Make Africa Island Park True Hot Spot (National Geographic News)

TV News Feature: Madagascar Ecotourism (National Geographic News)

Monkeys and Lemurs Videos (National Geographic)

Map of Madagascar (National Geographic)

 

Related News From the Web

A happy ending for Madagascar? (BBC Earth Watch blog)

Conservationists see trouble in Madagascar conflict (Nature's Great Beyond blog)

Madagascar Scientists Struggle With Military Coup (ScienceInsider blog)