The Red Ruffed Lemur
Habitat Destruction
The tropical trees of the rainforest are a vital part of the lemurs daily lives. These hardwood trees, such as the much sought after rosewood, are also the a main source of fruit that play a crucial role in the Red Ruffed Lemur’s diet. Sadly, these trees produce very desirable hardwood when harvested, and therefore are often illegally logged in reserves because they are ‘protected’ from other loggers.
Outside of the nature reserves, the trees that are selectively cut are often the largest and most grand trees, which consequently also produce the most fruit and the best habitat for the lemurs. Lemur populations tend to congregate around these large trees which is crucial for a healthy population. In the wild, ruffed lemurs seldom descend to the ground, preferring instead to spend their time in the top layers of the canopy; so these trees are imperative for the survival of the Red Ruffed Lemurs as a species (Duke, 2015).
The Red Ruffed Lemurs are so incredibly agile that they can fling themselves from limb to limb of the tallest trees of the forest to navigate to feeding areas without hesitation. While feeding the lemurs have such dexterity in their feet that they can dangle from the tree branches to grab the hard-to-reach flowers and fruits (Duke, 2015). When logging companies come into their habitat and demolish the tallest trees, these lemurs no longer have the ability to move through the forest, performing their ecological function. Thus, the presence of healthy populations of ruffed lemurs is considered an important indicator of the health of a tropical forest.
Some authorities estimate as much as 85–90% of primary vegetation, or lemur habitat, has already been lost (Selby, 2009). In fact, only 22% of the area surveyed in the region north of the Bay of Antongil, what used to be prime red ruffed lemur habitat, was considered primary or secondary forest (Andriaholinirina, 2012).
However, there have been some effort to protect these lemurs from the illegal logging of the timber industry. Red Ruffed Lemur (species Varecia rubra), is listed on Appendix I of CITES (Andriaholinirina, 2012). It is protected officially only within the Masoala National Park and the Makira Protected Area. Unfortunately for these little lemurs, Masoala is the national park most heavily impacted on by the very rapid upsurge of illegal logging, after the political events of early 2009 (Andriaholinirina, 2012). Increased regulation and management of illegal logging and hunting within the range is recommended, but it is hard to gain any political traction with these ideas due to the success of the timber industry.
Illegal Logging
