The ETC-UMA strenghtens its collaboration in biodiversity conservation in Madagascar

In the framework of the current scientific and education cooperation agreement between the University of Malaga and Madagascar National Parks, researchers from both institutions have joined contributors from the University of Antananarive and the Wildlife Conservation Society to produce a joint study on the ‘Identification of Priority Forest Conservation Areas for Critically Endangered Lemur Species of Madagascar’, which has just been published in a Special Issue of Land.

The study selected the best candidate forest sites for enlarged protection of eight critically endagered species of lemurs based on a number of spatial criteria that considered habitat quality, inner fragmentation, connectivity and human pressures, including human settlements, distance to roads and distance to croplands. Seven new sites, totalling over 33,000 ha, were identified as priority sites for the feasible protection of those species and numerous other endangered species in this threatened World’s biodversity hotspot.

The study can be freely accessible here: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/9/1455

The Special Issue where the publication has been released is coordinated by the ETC-UMA and the Spanish Research Council (CSIC). It seeks original contributions on global change pressures on terrestrial PAs, PA effectiveness in responding to such pressures and conserving biodiversity, and assessments of other on-site conservation initiatives that can complement PAs and help retain as much biodiversity as possible in the face of global change. Examples of such tools are Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), community-conserved areas, areas under land stewardship, or ecological restoration areas/projects.

For further reading or for proposing submissions, please follow the link to the Special Issue website at:

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/land/special_issues/global_change_on_biodiversity

 

For more information:

David Rodríguez-Rodríguez

davidrr@uma.es

(+34) 951 953 102