Shauna Kiernan
SEA-DISC
December 11, 2012
Content: Madame Berthe’s Mouse Lemur
1.)
The Madame Berthe’s Mouse Lemur is only found in the dry deciduous Kirindy
forest located in Madagascar, making it an endemic species. When a species is endemic,
it makes the organism much more vulnerable to endangerment or even extinction. In
our case, the adorable yet helpless Mouse Lemur.
This primate, the smallest known to mankind, is helpless against the slash-andburn agriculture that is practiced in the precious Kirindy forest, where it is naturally
based. When an area of land has been slashed and burned, the land is used for
subsistence agriculture. Though subsistence agriculture’s main purpose is for selfsustainability, many of these poor farmers practice trade of their crops or goods to
some extent. (Waters, 2007)
“Many farmers practice slash and burn because they have no other means to
survive.” – Proverb from Madagascar, San Francisco Zoo
These burned fields and plots of land are also used as pastures for grazing cattle and
live-stock herding, which are later used to produce dairy and meat products which are
typically produced and shipped long distances. Timber extraction from the Kirindy forest
is also a trying practice. Resources are obtained, stored, and transported overseas, thus
worsening the condition of this already struggling habitat. (Binggeli, 2009)
Illegal logging is also an ongoing threat to the Kirindy forest and its valuable
ecosystem. Not only does the cutting of the trees disturb and destroy this poor mouse
lemur’s habitat, but because of this, the land has been fragmented from various man-
made dirt roads that are used for lorries and tractors to extract the cut logs (Binggeli,
2007). When any land or ecosystem experiences fragmentation, it has a number of
threats such as increased erosion, habitat fragmentation, and loss of biodiversity.
(Miller, 2011). It also imposes the threat of non-native and invasive species, disrupting
and corrupting the environment and its natural balance.
Along with the destruction of the Mouse Lemur’s habitat, illegal pet trade should
also be addressed. This exotic animal is so cute and cuddly that the idea of owning a
Madame Berthe’s Mouse Lemur is appealing. These innocent creatures are captured
illegally from their native habitats to become exotic pets. So as one could imagine, the
demand for illegal trade of exotic and rare pets is at a high price in the market.
~~~
2.)
Though the Madame Berthe’s Mouse Lemur doesn’t have a direct instrumental
value, like every other organism, it has intrinsic value. Every organism serves a purpose
in its environment. Whether it’s giving or taking, they cycle some aspect of energy and
life into the earth and their natural habitat. The Berthe’s Mouse Lemur is unique in so
many different aspects, from its contribution to the habitat to its genetic make-up and
differences, these endearing creatures are definitely worth saving. To save this helpless
lemur, we must save its habitat.
From an economic standpoint, the habitat of the Mouse Lemur provides many
economic opportunities such as providing fuelwood, lumber, pulp to make paper,
livestock grazing, and jobs (Miller, 2011). These services are very important and
essential in todays world. Yet if we counter the economic services with the forest’s
ecological services, it surely outweighs the fiscal opportunities. While forests support
energy flow and chemical cycling, they also reduce soil erosion, absorbing and purifying
water and air into the earth, influencing local and regional climate, storing atmospheric
carbon, and most importantly for our little lemur, they provide numerous wildlife
habitats.
“A difficult but very important task is to balance the needs of the Madagascan people
with the needs of the local wildlife so that the amazing biodiversity of the island is
maintained.” – Mouse Lemurs – Tiny Endangered Primates of Madagascar, San Francisco Zoo
Currently, it may seem more beneficial to be using the natural resources of the Mouse
Lemur's habitat for human needs, but if we are to overlook the consequences of the
long-term effects of the unsustainable agriculture that takes place, it surely is not worth
it. After land has experienced the stress of unsustainable practices, it causes the soil to
lose richness and nutrients, making it infertile and taking years to recover (Miller, 2011).
Thus becoming useless to not only humans, but to the remaining organisms.
All in all, forests give back to our earth and the creatures that have a right to be
there. When the rate at which we take from the forest is faster than the rate it can
recover, the future of Madame Berthe’s Mouse Lemur seems uncertain. It's important
to keep in mind the existence and value of every organism no matter how big or small,
for they all play roles in the ecosystem.
~~~
3.)
This species has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN National Red List of Threatened
Species. In Madagascar, efforts are being made to protect the Kirindy forest and the
precious and vital organisms that it contains, such as the Mouse Lemur. Assosiation
Nationale pour la Gestion des Aires Protegees (ANGAP) is an organization that manages
Madagascar’s protected areas system with the mission of:
1. Safeguarding Madagascar's ecosystems.
2. Researching the potential of Madagascar's biodiversity.
3. Developing environmental education programs for local people.
4. Promoting potential commercial applications of Madagascar's biodiversity
(ecotourism, for example).
5. Supporting sustainable development activities in areas surrounding protected
zones. (ANGAP, 2012)
In January 2006, the System of Protected Areas of Madagascar (SAPM) was
presented as a new park-management system. This simplifies the legal process used to
create a protected area and permits varying degrees of sustainable resource use to
contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development (ANGAP –, 2012).
According to Wild Madagascar, one of SAPM (ANGAP)'s principal goals is to enable
local communities to benefit directly from conservation. Fifty percent of park entrance
fees collected by SAPM (ANGAP) go to local communities, and visitors cannot enter a
park without hiring a local guide. SAPM (ANGAP) has extensive training programs to
ensure local guides are knowledgeable about the flora, fauna, and other details of the
protected area. SAPM (ANGAP) also works closely with domestic and foreign scientists
to study biodiversity and the impact of visitors on parks and reserves.
~~~
4.)
In order to protect our furry friend, you can be conscious of your everyday
decisions and the impact that they have on our environment. You can help save this rare
organism by donating to organizations that move towards restoration of the Kirindy
forest and help save and protect this endangered species. In order to save an animal, we
must save its habitat. When protecting the Kirindy forest, (or forests in general) there
are two steps: prevention and restoration.
In order to prevent we must:
-
protect the most diverse and endangered areas
-
educate settlers about sustainable agriculture and forestry
-
subsidize only sustainable forest use
-
certify sustainably grown timber
-
reduce poverty
In order to restore we must:
-
encourage regrowth through secondary succession
-
rehabilitate degraded areas
-
concentrate farming and ranching in already-cleared areas.
These are just some steps we can take whether we attempt controlling or
empowering the use of law and regulations or through other tactics. Through the use of
education and motivation, we are just steps away from saving the valued and treasured
Mouse Lemur of Madagascar.
5.)
References
Alicia, C. (2012) Mouse Lemurs – Tiny Endangered Primates of Madagascar. Retrieved
December 9, 2012, from Hub Pages Web site:
http://aliciac.hubpages.net /Mouse-Lemurs-Tiny-Endangered-Primates-of-Madagascar
ANGAP – The National Association for the Management of Protected Areas in
Madagascar. (2012) Retrieved December 9, 2012, from Wild Madagascar Web
site:http://www.wildmadagascar.org/conservation/angap.html
Binggeli, P. (2009) Imapct of Logging Operations on Kirindy Forest Structure and Species
Composition. Retrieved December 9, 2012, from Miscellaneous Notes & Reports in
Natural History, Ecology, Conservation and Resources Management Web site:
http://members.multimania.co.uk/woodyplantecology/docs/MNR-Kirindy-logging.pdf
Cornell, J. (2011) Slash and Burn. Retrieved December 9, 2012, from The Encyclopedia of
Earth Web site:http://www.eoearth.org/article/Slash_and_burn
Microcebus Berthae. (2012) Retrieved December 9, 2012, from IUCN National Red List of
Threatened Species Web site: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/41573/0
Miller, G. & Spoolman, S. (2011), Living in the Environment, Belmont: Brooks/Cole
Cengage Learning.
Naggy, H. (2007) A Preliminary Analysis of Verreaux’s Sifaka Habitat in Kirindy Mitea
National Park, Madagascar. Retrieved December 9, 2012, from Duke Space Web
site:http://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/handle/10161/304
Waters, T. (2007), The Persistence of Subsistence Agriculture, Lexington Books, Pg. 3.
Glossary
Biodiversity: variety of different species, genetic variability among individuals within
each species, variety of ecosystems, and functions such as energy flow and matter
cycling need for the survival of species and biological communities.
Ecosystem: one or more communities of different species interacting with one another
and with the chemical and physical factors making up their nonliving environment.
Endangerment (endangered species): wild species with so few individual survivors that
the species could soon become extinct in all or most of its natural range.
Endemic: species that is found in only one area. Such species are especially vulnerable
to extinction.
Erosion: process or group of processes by which loose or consolidated earth materials
are dissolve, loosened, or worn away and removed from one place and deposited in
another.
Extinction: complete disappearance of a species from the earth. It happens when a
species cannot adapt and successfully reproduce under new environmental conditions
or when a species evolves into one or more new species.
Fiscal: of or relating to financial matters.
Fragmented (habitat fragmentation): breakup of a habitat into smaller pieces, usually as
a result of human activities.
Habitat: place or type of place where an organism or population of organisms lives
Instrumental value: value of an organism, species, ecosystem, or the earth’s biodiversity
based on its usefulness to humans.
Intrinsic value: value of an organism, species, ecosystem, or the earth’s biodiversity
based on its existence, regardless of whether it has any usefulness to humans.
Invasive species: see Non-native species
Logging: the activity or business of felling trees and cutting and preparing the timber.
Natural resources: materials such as air, water, and soil and energy in nature that are
essential or useful to humans.
Non-native species: species that migrate into an ecosystem or are deliberately or
accidentally introduced into an ecosystem by humans.
Organism: any form of life.
Secondary succession: Ecological succession in an area in which natural vegetation has
been removed or destroyed but the soil or bottom sediment has not been destroyed.
Slash-and-burn agriculture/slash-and-burn cultivation: cutting down trees and other
vegetation in a patch of forest, leaving the cut vegetation on the ground to dry, and
then burning it. The ashes that are left add nutrients to the nutrient-poor soils found in
most tropical forest areas. Crops are planted between tree stumps. Plots must be
abandoned after a few years (typicall 2-5 years) because of loss of soil fertility or
invasion of vegetation from the surrounding forest.
Species: group of similar organisms, and for sexually reproducing organisms, they are a
set of individuals that can mate and produce fertile offspring. Every organisms is a
member of a certain species.
Subsistence agriculture: Production of enough food for a farm family’s survival and
perhaps a surplus that can be sold. This type of agriculture uses higher inputs of labor,
fertilizer, and water than traditional subsistence agriculture.
Sustainable: ability of earth’s various systems, including human cultural systems and
economies, to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely.
(Miller, 2011)