Poachers threaten Madagascar forest wildlife

VOHIBOLA: Under a leaden sky, six rangers walk silently through Vohibola, one of the last primary forests in eastern Madagascar.

Michael Tovolahy’s patrol is tracking poachers who are inflicting grievous harm to this jewel of biodiversity – targeting lemurs and endangered primates and chopping down trees – some of them rare hardwoods – to burn for charcoal.

“There are at least 20 indigenous animal species here,” said Tovolahy. “Because of logger-poachers, I fear this forest will one day be no more.”

A terrible irony is that a 2014 documentary, Island of Lemurs, which drew attention to the lemurs’ plight, unwittingly encouraged a market to have them as caged pets.

Some kill the harmless creatures for food, others sell them as pets – and to get to their prey, they chop down precious tropical trees.

Out of 111 recorded lemur species, 105 face extinction, said the Lemur Conservation Network.

Other damage is being inflicted by the need for wood for cooking. The forest patrol often finds empty spaces and mounds of bark – traces of illegal logging to burn trees and sell the charcoal to Madagascans.

Eric Rabenasolo, director-general for forests at the environment ministry, said Madagascar’s nine million hectares of forests shrink each year by 50,000ha to 100,000ha.

The state is trying to boost awareness of the dangers of such trafficking, but the message often goes unheard in a country where most of the population live in poverty.

Poachers have a reputation for violence and their connections with locals mean arrests are rarely made.

The battle to save the lemurs has caused tension with the authorities – a dozen environmentalists were arrested earlier this month.

“They accused us of illegally cutting down trees and destroying loggers’ businesses,” sighed Tovolahy.

“And while all this was going on, the real poachers were hauling out their booty.”