Lessons learned from Lepilemur spp. for habitat restoration in Madagascar

Wildlife Madagascar is proud to share the publication of a new scientific study co-authored by Wildlife Madagascar staff members Dr Tim Eppley, Delaïd Claudin Rasamisoa, and Jacques Rakotondranary.

The study, Lessons Learned from Lepilemur spp. for Habitat Restoration in Madagascar, published in Folia Primatologica with Jörg U. Ganzhorn as first author, examines the tree characteristics associated with Lepilemur across Madagascar and what they mean for habitat restoration.

Investigating Habitat Needs Across Madagascar

Forest restoration has become a conservation priority in Madagascar, with most initiatives guided by national or international restoration standards. According to the authors, these approaches often consider food trees for targeted conservation species but neglect the structural habitat requirements of forest-dependent wildlife. They point out that restoration is a long-term undertaking.

To explore this, the researchers made a nation-wide comparison of tree characteristics at 24 sites, covering 17 to 18 species of the Malagasy lemur genus Lepilemur.

Across sites and species, Lepilemur showed rather consistent associations with large trees.

The authors interpret this as reliance on vertical structures that facilitate locomotion by clinging and leaping. They also link it to tree holes, which serve as shelter for resting, thermoregulation, and in relation to predation.

The study also notes that some fast-growing tree species might provide the supports needed for efficient locomotion.

Restoration is central to our own work, including Let’s Plant A Million Trees.

Download the PDF here