WildLife Foundation is proud to call AEECL (Association Européenne pour l’Étude et la Conservation des Lémuriens) one of our partner charities, the lemur conservation association based on the Sahamalaza Peninsula in Madagascar. This community based charity has been working tirelessly since 2000 to help maintain and strengthen the habitat of some of Madagascar’s most endangered lemur species – such as the exquisite blue-eyed black lemur.
Read on for the last quarterly update of 2018, featuring the critical activities AEECL have been conducting to save and document these endangered lemurs, as well as the work they have been doing with the community.
BBC filming: Documentary on the blue-eyed black lemur (Eulemur flavifrons)
Between the 10th and 30th October 2018, AEECL’s tourist camp was joined by a film team from the BBC. The team came to Sahamalaza to create a film on the blue-eyed black lemur. AEECL assisted with transporting filming equipment as they followed a group of lemurs around the research camp. The documentary will be released in 2020 and is hoped to promote the conservation of lemurs in the Sahamalaza park.
Construction of the new school in Antafiabe
The construction of the new school building in Antafiabe began in August 2018. The progress has been steady with the walls already erected and the roof to be put in place in due course. Sixty-five per cent of the work has been completed, and with workers being able to continue during the rainy season the school should be finished soon.
Construction of a new building at the research camp
The construction of a new building at AEECL’s research camp is underway. Fifteen workers from the surrounding villages of Ankarafa have been laying the foundation and bricks under the guidance of a UK architect. The AEECL Programme Director Guy is in regular contact with the team for progress updates. The latest update is that the foundations are now complete and a water supply system is in place.
Ecotourism news
During October and November 2018, the camp received 10 eco-tourist guests. The majority of the guests’ visits were organised through MADAFOCUS. The visitors reached the camp by car, and occasionally boat when the road was inaccessible. The happy visitors stayed two nights and had a full day to observe lemurs in the forest and take part in activities at the camp. However, the tourists noted a lack of information concerning the distance and directions to and from this relatively isolated site.
AEECL employees recognition
Gifts were distributed to the hardworking AEECL employees over the month of December. Their superb work during 2018 has been greatly appreciated and they each received a litre of cooking oil, a can of condensed milk, 1kg of sugar and sweets as a token of thanks. Children under the age of 10 received toys as well!
If you feel inspired by the work of WildLife Foundation and our partner charities such as AEECL, do your part in the race to save the endangered blue-eyed black lemur by donating via the link below.
