{"id":92666,"date":"2012-07-14T16:57:49","date_gmt":"2012-07-14T20:57:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/92666\/worlds-endagered-primate\/"},"modified":"2012-07-14T16:57:49","modified_gmt":"2012-07-14T20:57:49","slug":"worlds-endagered-primate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/92666\/worlds-endagered-primate\/","title":{"rendered":"THE WORLDS MOST ENDANGERED PRIMATE"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.friendburst.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/tools.php\"><\/a><br \/>\nYes my friends it&#8217;s time that we all start to pay attention to the worlds most endangered primate,and for that matter all of our endangered species&#8230;..because if not us then who,and if not now then when ?<br \/>\nThe following article and video are for your consideration &#8230;&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Madagascar&#8217;s Lemurs are the most threatened primate in the world:<br \/>\nconservation.org | 14 July, 2012 10:03<\/p>\n<p>Leading conservationists have gathered at a workshop of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species<\/p>\n<p>Survival Commission this week to review the conservation status of the world\u2019s 103 lemur species &#8211; the most endangered<\/p>\n<p>primate group in the world.<\/p>\n<p>The results of the conference have today been announced, highlighting that many lemur species are on the very brink of<\/p>\n<p>extinction due primarily to habitat loss, and in need of urgent and effective protection measures.<\/p>\n<p>The conservation status of 91 per cent of the world\u2019s lemur species have now been upgraded to either \u2018Critically Endangered\u2019,<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Endangered\u2019 or \u2018Vulnerable\u2019 on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species \u2013 an<\/p>\n<p>indicator of rampant forest loss which additionally endangers vital ecosystem services that support Madagascar\u2019s people.<\/p>\n<p>Of the world\u2019s 103 different species of lemurs, 23 are now considered \u2018Critically Endangered\u2019, 52 are \u2018Endangered, 19 are<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Vulnerable\u2019 and three are \u2018Near Threatened\u2019. Just three lemur species are listed as \u2018Least Concern\u2019. A previous assessment<\/p>\n<p>carried out in 2005 as part of a Global Mammal Assessment identified 10 species as \u2018Critically Endangered\u2019, 21 as<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Endangered\u2019, and 17 as \u2018Vulnerable\u2019, already a very high number.\u00a0 However, given the recent increases in the number of new<\/p>\n<p>species and the fact that the level of threat has increased over the past three years, the experts decided to carry out a<\/p>\n<p>reassessment of Madagascar\u2019s lemur fauna.<\/p>\n<p>Lemurs are in danger of becoming extinct by destruction of their tropical forest habitat on their native island of<\/p>\n<p>Madagascar, off Africa&#8217;s Indian Ocean coast, where political uncertainty has increased poverty and accelerated illegal<\/p>\n<p>logging. Hunting of these animals has also emerged as a more serious threat than previously imagined.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Christoph Schwitzer, Head of Research at Bristol Zoo Gardens, is a world leading primatologist and is on the organising<\/p>\n<p>committee for the conference in his role as advisor on Madagascar\u2019s primates and the Red List authority for the IUCN Species<\/p>\n<p>Survival Commission\u2019s (SSC) Primate Specialist Group.<\/p>\n<p>He explained the significance of the lemur assessments: \u201cThe results of our review workshop this week have been quite a shock<\/p>\n<p>as they show that Madagascar has, by far, the highest proportion of threatened species of any primate habitat region or any<\/p>\n<p>one country in the world. As a result, we now believe that lemurs are probably the most endangered of any group of<\/p>\n<p>vertebrates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Among the most spectacular species of lemurs assessed as \u2018Critically Endangered\u2019 this week is the indri, the largest of the<\/p>\n<p>living lemurs and a species of symbolic value comparable to that of China\u2019s giant panda, Madame Berthe\u2019s mouse lemur, at 30<\/p>\n<p>grams the world\u2019s smallest primate, and the blue-eyed black lemur, the only primate species other than humans that has blue<\/p>\n<p>eyes.\u00a0 Probably the rarest lemur is the northern sportive lemur (Lepilemur septentrionalis), of which there are only 18 known<\/p>\n<p>individuals left.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Russell Mittermeier, President of Conservation International and Chair of IUCN\/SSC\u2019s Primate Specialist Group, said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis new assessment highlights the very high extinction risk faced by Madagascar\u2019s unique lemur fauna and it is indicative<\/p>\n<p>of the grave threats to Madagascar biodiversity as a whole, which is vital to supporting its people. As the forests go, so do<\/p>\n<p>lemurs and a host of benefits derived from them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMadagascar\u2019s unique and wonderful species are its greatest asset and its most distinctive brand and the basis for a major<\/p>\n<p>tourism industry that continues to grow in spite of the current political problems.<\/p>\n<p>The workshop, held in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, also included a welcome speech by British entrepreneur, Sir<\/p>\n<p>Richard Branson, who is a great fan of lemurs and welcomed the work being done by conservationists to protect these rare<\/p>\n<p>creatures. The workshop also had the support of the Ambatovy Nickel Mining Project, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species<\/p>\n<p>Conservation Fund and the Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>Delegates, who have attended the conference from the UK, Madagascar, the United States, Canada, India, Germany, Italy and<\/p>\n<p>France, are now working together to establish a Conservation Action Plan to protect the most threatened lemurs over the<\/p>\n<p>coming decade.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Schwitzer said: \u201cThis conference is a good example of the growing importance of collaboration between the international<\/p>\n<p>conservation, research and zoo communities in the protection of species and habitats. At Bristol Zoo Gardens, we will<\/p>\n<p>continue our conservation and research with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of the conservation activities, as well<\/p>\n<p>as increasing our understanding of these, and other, critically endangered species.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A more positive outcome of the conference has been the discovery of a previously unknown species of lemur \u2013 a type of mouse<\/p>\n<p>lemur \u2013 discovered by Peter Kappeler and his team at the German Primate Center. The new species is found in the Marolambo<\/p>\n<p>area of eastern Madagascar. A formal description of the species has not yet been published, meaning it has not yet been given<\/p>\n<p>a name. This is the 103 kinds of lemur known to man.<\/p>\n<p>Madagascar has some of the world&#8217;s most unique animals but over 100 species that live here are on the edge of extinction. The amazing &#8216;dancing&#8217; Sifika. The Gremlin like Aye Aye. Chameleons, Spiders, Radiated Tortoises and the recently discovered Golden Bamboo Lemur are all battling for survival.<br \/>\n<object><\/object><\/p>\n<p>Thank you my friends<br \/>\nDLemur<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yes my friends it&#8217;s time that we all start to pay attention to the worlds most endangered primate,and for that matter all of our endangered species&#8230;..because if not us then who,and if not now then when ? The following article and video are for your consideration &#8230;&#8230; Madagascar&#8217;s Lemurs are the most threatened primate in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-other"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92666\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/friendburst.com\/blog-new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}