<center>[/b]The Effects of Human Development on the Lemurs of Madagascar</center>[/b]
Lemurs have successfully lived in Madagascar because of the island's rich and diverse ecosystem. The majority of the lemur species live in habitats such as wet and lush rain forests, although some lemurs live in dry deciduous forests that are located in the southwest of the island.
Lemurs depend on forested environments for almost all of their primary habitat and cannot survive in deforested areas. This is one reason why it is critical to protect the diversity of lands in Madagascar. The more areas that are being destroyed, the less area in which the lemurs have to live. Unfortunately, much of the land is being deforested because of human's personal needs.
The most noted way citizens destroy lemur habitat is through deforestation. The population is mostly rural and the people strongly depend on agriculture for their livelihood. Throughout the woodlands of Madagascar, peasants slash and burn trees to plant certain crops such as rice, corn, vanilla and manioc. However, the soils that sustain the crops lose their nutrients and fertility in only a few years and are then abandoned. Because the peasants cannot afford plows and fertilizers, they move on to slash and burn new rich and fertile areas of the rain forest.
By preserving rain forests and thus the lemurs, money from ecotourism can be
brought in, benefiting the lemurs with habitat protection and the people with money and new jobs. Funding from foreign conservationists and private donors for specific protected areas can also help save the forest for all who live in it and use it.
If you would like to help save lemurs from extinction, a great way to contribute is to <a href="http://www.duke.edu/web/primate/adopt.html">Adopt-A-Lemur.</a> This program is sponsored by the Duke University Primate Center, which is dedicated to preserving lemurs and other prosimians. You can select a lemur to adopt and the money paid on a per year basis goes to help feed and care for the
animal.
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