The Red Ruffed Lemur
Red Ruffed Lemurs have many scientific, social, and beauty values!
Red Ruffed Lemurs are very valued for aesthetic and bequest purposes;
they are obviously incredibly cute… Just look at that face!
Forget not being found anywhere else on the planet, red ruffed lemurs are not even found on most of their native island of Madagascar. Their habitat is restricted to the forests of the Masoala Peninsula, a tiny strip of land in the Northeast of the island. It’s not just the red ruffed lemur though. For example, More than 600 new plants and animals were discovered in Madagascar between 1999-2010. Many of these were already in danger of extinction, and endemic only to Madagascar(Lemur World, 2015).
It is our responsibility to conserve this critically endangered species, since it is mostly due to human activities that the red ruffed lemur is endangered. A population reduction of ≥80% is suspected to be met over the next three generations, or 24 years, assuming a generation length of 8 years (Andriaholinirina, 2012).
This is based on a continuing decline in area, extent and quality of habitat due to a very rapid upsurge of illegal logging after political events of early 2009, in addition to exploitation through unsustainable hunting pressure, and frequent cyclones. Based on these premises, the species is listed as Critically Endangered.
This was further proved by the density estimates of the red ruffed lemur, which were recorded at 31-53 individuals/km² in Andranobe and 21-23 individuals/km² in Ambatonakolahy (Andriaholinirina, 2012). Population numbers are in sharp decline due to a very rapid upsurge of illegal logging in addition to hunting pressure, frequent cyclones and fires.
Why Care about the Red Ruffed Lemur?
The red ruffed lemur was the most influential indicator species due to its large habitat range, dependence on old growth trees for nesting, and high profile image. The northwest extent of the red ruffed lemur habitat is unknown. As scary as it sounds, it is possible that the Masoala Park contains almost the entire habitat range of red ruffed lemurs. But this may in fact be a blessing in disguise. Tourism has become a huge economic bonus and a primary source of income for this region, which has received over 200,000 tourists each year since 2011(Frailey, 2014).
Evidence of Population Loss
Lemurs are an Indicator Species
The presence of the lemurs in the forest of Madagascar ensures that there is a steady and healthy source of trees, flowers, seeds, and pollen; such as the flowers and pollen from Rosewood and Baobab trees (Red Ruffed Lemur).
Along with this, they confirm that there is sufficient shelter in the area; in the lemurs’ case, this means the presence of tall, strong tree canopies (Red Ruffed Lemur). This is because these resources are needed for their survival, so if an area of the forest lack sufficient food or shelter, the lemurs will stay out of the area as well.
These resources also allow for a biodiverse ecosystem; we know that if there are no lemurs in an area of the forest, then the forest is lacking and unhealthy. Hence the name indicator species; lemurs indicate the health of the surrounding forest (Red Ruffed Lemur).
Two arguments could be made as to why it is important to save Varecia rubra, commonly known as the Red Ruffed Lemur. First and foremost, it’s our responsibility as the human race to save these important lemurs because humans are the sole reason for their endangerment. This fact is true even hundreds of years ago.
Even when we first crossed over to Madagascar from Africa, humans quickly went to work on the island's lemur population, reducing the number of species found in Madagascar by at least 15 independent species (Kerstein, 2014). But hunting is not the only detrimental human activity that has helped to decimate the populations of lemurs like Varecia Rubra over the years.
We have further impacted this species, one of our closest relatives, through massive increases in both the exotic pet trade and illegal logging of hardwood tree species. The second argument as to why the red ruffed lemur should be saved is that it’s actually vital to the overall health of the local ecosystem around the Masoala Peninsula. Varecia rubra serves as a pollinator species for hardwood tree species like the highly prized rosewood. Thus, it is an indicator species to the overall health of the rainforest.