Barbara Martinez
PhD student

Conservation Biology Program
University of Minnesota

My project has evolved with the realities of field work. Initially I was going to study red-ruffed lemur and white-fronted brown lemur behavior in forest fragments vs. their behavior in large, continuous forest sites. The site I chose for this research is south of the border of Masoala National Park in the Fampotobe region. However, in a nutshell, fragments there are too small for the larger diurnal lemurs. Fampotobe is also incredibly isolated. It takes a long, unsafe boat ride to get there. Or one can walk for a week to reach the site. The people in Fampotobe are wonderful, friendly, and proud farmers. The people of Fampotobe who worked on my initial project have vowed to take care of the lemurs living in the fragments, as they are threatened by hunting and habitat loss through deforestation.

Due to the difficulties of research at Fampotobe, I moved my research to a  site in Masoala National Park at the Ambatoladaima "corridor." This is a place where WCS and ANGAP  (The National Association for the Management of Protected Areas in Madagascar) has a reforestation project. ANGAP employees and local farmers are re-planting rain forest tree seedlings in areas that were formerly agricultural plots within the forest. I am evaluating the role of V. rubra and E. albifrons as seed dispersers within this site.

I am also working towards encouraging tourists to stop and stay at Ambatoladaima to see the habituated red-ruffed lemurs. It is the only forest tourists they pass through on the long trek to Antalaha.

I return to Ambatoladaima in August 2007 to complete research at this site.
 

Male Eulemur albifrons on Nosy Mangabe. Photo by Barbara Martinez.

Varecia rubra near Ambatoladaima with radio collar. Photo by Barbara Martinez.

Why lemurs? Why not?!
Conservationists need to find their niche and do their part as best they can. I just so happened to find mine in Madagascar, and a PhD program in Minnesota. My research schedule works perfectly with avoiding the bitter cold MN winters.