Hello Everyone,
We have not yet made it to Madagascar, although we have been monitoring various websites daily, hoping for news that Madagascar has opened her borders to international travelers.
In the meantime, I am keeping busy preparing several scientific publications and a presentation on Conservation Education. I am working on an Action Letter for the American Society of Primatologists, a symposium for the American Society of Primatology meeting in Oklahoma City in November, and a special issue of the American Journal of Primatology.
With the work on these publications, I have been reviewing and analyzing data from the past nine years of work on The Red Book Challenge. I think this work will be an eye-opening experience because although we have accomplished so much (see below) there is still room for improvement.
- field trips for city young people to see lemurs,
- classroom lessons on conservation topics,
- bringing school desks to Berenty school,
- organization of a Malagasy-run conservation club,
- a coloring book, and
- documentary film
One of the main messages in my presentation will be that as primatologists we can no longer put our conservation work on the back burner. In the past I have considered myself first and foremost a research primatologist and a part-time conservation educator. This attitude is no longer practical, with so many lemurs and other primates at threat of extinction. 98% of lemurs are threatened with extinction: https://www.iucn.org/news/species/202007/almost-a-third-lemurs-and-north-atlantic-right-whale-now-critically-endangered-iucn-red-list. It has become time for me to see conservation education as a priority in my career, hence the current projects on the go that I just mentioned (Action Letter, Symposium and Special Issue).
Collaborations
I have recently established a collaborative effort with Sylvia Atsalis (check her out on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylviaatsalis/ ) who is a fellow primatologist. She works now in professional development & career training of young adults with a mission. She is a Primate Ecologist, Wildlife Conservationist and Capacity Builder with impressive credentials. She is a Fulbright Scholar and National Geographic Explorer for her work in Surinam and Madagascar respectively. Our collaboration is starting out with career training for young adults in Madagascar, since that is a country that both of us are familiar with. We recently had our pilot lecture with students at CURA – Centre Universitaire Regional Androy and it was a huge success thanks to the hosting of CURA director Dr. Tsibara Mbohoahy and the organizational talents of my amazing husband Ramanorintsoa Fiankina Milliasse. We will be applying for funding to continue these important classes.
Call to Action!
If you are enjoying this blog, please consider making a donation to save primates where they live.
If you are a friend of mine on Facebook, you can post your donation on my wall and I will match it! That’s right, every donation people post there will be 100% matched by me. You can also post your donation in the comments here and I will make sure to match it.
