Aesthetic Value: Concerning or characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste. Lemurs are appreciated for their beauty.

 

Bequest Value: The value of satisfaction from preserving a natural environment or a historic environment, in other words natural heritage or cultural heritage for future generations.

 

Biodiversity: Diversity of life in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals.

 

Conservation:  A careful preservation and protection of, in this case, an endangered animal; especially :  planned management of a natural resource or habitat to prevent exploitation, destruction, or neglect, that could result in the extinction of the animal.

 

Conservation biologists: Studiers of conservation biology; the scientific study of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions.

 

Deforestation:  The action or process of clearing of forests; also :  the state of having been cleared of forests.

 

Ecological Niche: The total role or way of life an organism has in an ecosystem; Lemurs are pollinators in their ecosystem, and they indicate the health of the surrounding ecosystem as well.

 

Ecological functions: The branch of ecology that focuses on the roles, or functions, that species play in the community or ecosystem in which they occur, similar to the role or niche an animal has in an ecosystem.

 

Ecosystem:  The complex of a community of organisms and its environment functioning as an ecological unit.

 

Ecotourism: The practice of traveling to beautiful natural places for pleasure in a way that does not damage the environment there; Many travel to see the Red Ruffed Lemurs in their natural Habitat for the purpose of viewing their way of life.

 

Endangered species: A species of animal that is very threatened with extinction; Lemurs are one of the most extinct creatures on Earth.

Frugivores: A fruit eater that can be any type of herbivore or omnivore where fruit is a preferred food type.

 

Genetic Diversity: Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. Lemurs are one of the most genetically diverse species of the apes

 

Habitat: An environment or collection of ecosystems that an animal or plant usually grows. The habitat for Red Ruffed Lemurs is the high canopies of trees in the Masoala Peninsula of Madagascar

 

Human Encroachment: The act of humans trespassing upon the property, domain, or rights of another, especially stealthily or by gradual advances. For example, many humans trespass the Masoala Peninsula and hunt down the lemurs for bushmeat, and fragment their habitat

 

Indicator Species: A species that indicates the health and quality of the environment around it, the absence of which concludes that the ecosystem is not healthy or something is wrong; for example, the Red Ruffed Lemur indicates that there is a sufficient amount of healthy trees, seeds, and pollen to live on, the absence of the lemurs indicate that there are no longer these resources- perhaps ecosystem is too degraded to continue producing flowers, or there are not enough trees to live in

 

Instrumental Value: Instrumental values can be defined as specific methods of behavior, that can be used or provide services for people. For example, scientists can study and learn from lemurs and the importance of other animals

 

Intact primary forest: An undisturbed old growth forest containing trees that are hundreds of years old; for example, areas of the forest in Madagascar that have not undergone any sort of human activity, such as habitat fragmentation from deforestation, or forest burning

 

Poaching: To illegally trespass for the purpose of stealing game

 

Intrinsic Value: In terms of the Red Ruffed Lemur, they are belived ethically to have the right to exist as they are for their own sake. 

 

Pollinator: An Agent or Insect that pollinates or spreads the pollen of flowers

 

Primatologist: Studiers of primatology; the study of members of the order Primates especially, such as Lemurs, other than recent humans (Homo sapiens)

 

Rosewood: a type of precious hardwood, the tree of which lemurs live in and disperse seeds

 

Species Evenness: the number of individuals in a specific species that an ecosystem contain

 

Species Richness: The number of different species that an ecosystem contains

 

Endemic: Natural to/characteristic of a specific people or place; native; indigenous. For example, lemurs are endemic to Madagascar

 

Uninterrupted Habitat: When there is little to no man made stuctures that prohibit a species from preforming their natural functions. For example, when a highway runs through a forest and the animals are put at unessasary risk when crossing.