Trees and lemurs

Hampshire based Carbon-info.org, the environment organisation behind Europe's largest global warming website, announces new partnership with a consortium of European Zoos and Universities aimed at promoting the conservation of Madagascar's remaining blue-eyed black lemurs to the public.

Supported by over 30 European Zoos and Universities including many from the UK, AEECL (Association Européenne pour l'Étude et la Conservation des Lémuriens) is partnering with Carbon-info.org to save the rare blue-eyed black lemur from extinction in Madagascar‘s Sahamalaza National Park, by asking the public to support the ongoing reforestation projects.

From the 12th August, it will be possible to purchase a range of tree planting packages through the Carbon-info.org website. The planting of thousands of trees will extend existing habitats as well as creating forest “corridors” between fragments of forest and isolated groups of lemurs.

“We are proud to be able to help AEECL plant as many trees as possible,” said Carbon-info.org’s Director Flemming Bermann. “Not only are we providing the blue-eyed black lemur with much needed habitat, we are also fighting global warming. A real win-win situation.“

The blue-eyed black lemur is found in primary and secondary sub-humid forests. Classified as “Critically Endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there is only a small population of 3,000 animals remaining in the wild. The largest groups living in tiny forest fragments around the remote Sahamalaza peninsula - in the Sahamalaza National Park.

Dr Christoph Schwitzer, executive secretary of AEECL, said “We are grateful to carbon-info.org for their kind offer to help funding our reforestation programme in Sahamalaza National Park."

The main threat to the blue-eyed black lemur and other species living in Sahamalaza is habitat loss due to slash-and-burn agriculture and burning of forest to make way for pasture land. Without a large-scale reforestation programme, there is unlikely to be sufficient connected forest habitat left to support viable populations of the lemurs.

Many thousands of trees have already been planted by the AEECL. Purchased from local nurseries, the tree planting project benefits the local economy while providing the blue-eyed black lemur with food such as fruit and leaves. As the trees grow, they will also extract carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, which will aid the fight against global warming.

Tree planting packages start from just £8.00 incl. VAT for three trees, which can be purchased from Carbon-info.org’s website www.carbon-info.org