LEMUR NEWS The Newsletter of the Madagascar Section of the I.U.C.N./S.S.C. Primate Specialist Group NUMBER 13, July 2008 DPZ Deutsches Primatenzentrum Universität Hamburg Cover photo: Prolemur simus from Torotorofotsy; identification number FOTSY7.2, July 29, 2007. Photo taken by Richard Randriamampionona. LEMUR NEWS The Newsletter of the Madagascar Section of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group PSG Chairman: Russel A. Mittermeier PSG Deputy Chairman: Anthony B. Rylands Addresses for contributions Jörg U. Ganzhorn Editors Abt. Tierökologie und Naturschutz Jörg U. Ganzhorn Universität Hamburgl Ken Glander Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 Jonah Ratsimbazafy 20146 Hamburg Rodin M. Rasoloarison Germany Michael Schwibbe E-mail: [email protected] Anne Yoder Jonah Ratsimbazafy, Rodin M. Rasoloarison, Assistant Editors Rose Marie Randrianarison Anja Ganzhorn GERP Rose Marie Randrianarison 34, Cité des Professeurs, Fort Duchesne Antananarivo (101) Layout Madagascar Heike Klensang E-mail: [email protected] Lemur News online Number of copies: 1000 Volumes 3 -present are available online at www.dpz.eu ISSN 1608-1439 Printed by Goltze GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen, Germany Lemur News Vol. 13, 2008 Page 1 could become a world model for the integration of eco- nomic development and nature conservation under the EDITORIAL roof of national law and uniform standards applied to all activities alike. Once again we have to mourn over the untimely death of Nécrologie Gisèle Randria-Ravololonarivo (1954- one of our colleagues, Madame Gisèle Randria. She has 2008) been a stronghold of primatology at the University of Antananarivo and a vivid advocate for her students in Professeur RANDRIA-RAVOLOLONARIVO Gisèle fut the very dynamic phase while many organizations and née à Antananarivo le 17 Août 1954. Elle a obtenu son people were struggling to delineate possible areas for Doctorat de 3eme cycle en Anthropologie Biologique, protection under the Durban Vision. Her students will option Primatologie à l’Université d’Antananarivo, Fa- continue the long tradition of expert lemur work. culté des Sciences en 1990, et sa thèse de Doctorat The time of defining possible areas for protection and d’Etat intitulée "Evidences sur la morphologie, analyses assigning preliminary protected areas will come to an phénétique et cladistique des Lemuridae (Gray, 1821)" end and we now have to make sure that protected areas dans la même option en 1998. and conservation actions will be implemented and Dès l’obtention de son DEA en 1983, elle a travaillé à la firmly rooted in the Malagasy law and also in local Faculté des Sciences de l’Université d’Antananarivo, en agreements, culture and thinking. Energy, mining and tant qu’enseignant-chercheur du Département de Palé- other industrial and agricultural initiatives are on their ontologie et d’Anthropologie Biologique, occupant le way, concessions cover Madagascar, and the companies poste d’Assistant en 1983, de Maitre-assistant en 1990 are scraping their hooves to get going as soon as the pro- et de Professeur d’Enseignement Supérieur et de Re- tected areas will be defined. In the wake of these devel- cherche depuis l’an 2000. Elle était le Directeur du opments Madagascar will experience changes of unseen Laboratoire de Primatologie et Biologie Evolutive de- and unexpected magnitudes in the very near future. We puis 1998, et le Responsable de la Formation en Troi- have to work hard to set uniform standards for sustain- sième cycle dans le Département de Paléontologie et able development and to make them an obligation by d’Anthropologie Biologique depuis 2000. default for all activities with environmental impacts. In Elle a encadré plusieurs étudiants de 3ème cycle dans many cases we do not have to reinvent the wheel. The l’élaboration de mémoires de DEA et de thèses de doc- stranding of dolphins in June 2008 may or may not be torat de 3ème cycle, particulièrement dans l’option Pri- linked to offshore oil and gaz exploration. The doubt matologie. Elle fut aussi parmi les membres fondateurs remains. Admittedly there are huge gaps in our knowl- du GERP (Groupe d’Etude et de Recherche sur les Pri- edge about effects of offshore exploration and mining. mates) et a participé activement à l’organisation et à la But there is also a wealth of data, experiences and rigid tenue du 17ème Congrès de l’IPS qui a eu lieu à Antana- regulations applied in offshore activities in North Ame- narivo en 1998. Profes- rica and Europe. The same applies to the mitigation of seur Randria Gisèle était terrestrial environmental impacts. Madagascar is a aussi membre du REPC rich country, not only with respect to people, culture, (Réseau des Educateurs and biodiversity, but also with respect to ore and other Professionnels de la Con- resources which simply can not be exploited in a sus- servation à Madagascar) tainable way. Once ore is extracted from the ground it is et du GDRI (Groupement gone and there will be a hole where there used to be de Recherche Internatio- something else before (including what used to be on top nal). of the hole). The world requests these resources. It is Ceux qui l’ont connue ont ready to pay for them and it would be naïve to believe apprécié en elle son that exploitation would not happen sooner or later. franc-parler et sa géné- Given the world’s requirements, Madagascar has to Gisèle Francine Noro rosité. Nous regrettons make sure that it replaces these limited resources by Randria tous son décès, et nous sustainable sources for income which will last once the pouvons dire que nous ore will have gone. We might have to accept partial de- avons perdu, non seulement une grande amie, mais struction of something to come to something better in aussi une personnalité de la nation malgache. the future. But we must be honest to ourselves and to others that these impacts are happening. If so, we must August 17, 1954 – February 11, 2008 combine forces to find joint solutions for these problems Dr. Gisèle Francine Noro Randria (born Ravololona- beyond the beaten paths. During the 9th conference of rivo), Chevalier de l’Ordre National de Madagascar, and the Convention on Biological Diversity in Bonn in May Professor of Biological Anthropology at the Départe- 2008, the idea of generating revenue through shares for ment de Paléontologie et d’Anthropologie Biologique, "Biodiversity Funds" (similar to the Carbon Fund activ- Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Antananarivo, Mad- ities) has received public attention. Madagascar has agascar, died tragically on February 11, 2008. She was another fortune in this respect and can make a financial 54 years old. Dr. Randria was in charge of doctoral fortune by managing these biotic resources. It might be training for students in Earth Sciences and Evolution, wise also from a purely economic point of view to keep as Director of the Laboratoire de Primatologie. much biodiversity in the "savings account" as possible. After receiving her D.E.A. in Biological Anthropology in Madagascar has been the shining star when His Excel- 1983, Ms. Randria pursued her "Thése de Doctorat de lency, Monsieur le Président Marc Ravalomanana pre- Troisième Cycle" in Primatology at the University of sented his "Durban Vision". Madagascar once again Antananarivo. She had received prior field training in Page 2 Lemur News Vol. 13, 2008 geology in the regions of Antsirabe (1978) on the road to and so on). She always encouraged her students to work Morondava (1979) and in the regions of Antsirabe, hard and excel, and sought new research opportunities Tuléar, Fort Dauphin, Diégo, and Tamatave (1980). In for them. Sometimes she teased them if their skills at 1980 she conducted primatological field research as a anatomical illustration were not up to par (in good fun, member of Dr. Alison Jolly’s team at Berenty, and then she told Emilienne Rasoazanabary that her drawing of in 1984 and 1985, she conducted paleontological excava- a skull of a lemur looked more like a car than a skull). In 1983, she became an Assistant at the Université d’Anta- tions at Antsirabe and then Ankarana Diégo. She sett- nanarivo; in 1990, Maître-Assistant; in 2000, Profes- led on a research project on the vertebral anatomy of a seur d’Enseignement Supérieur et Recherche. Her ad- genus of extinct lemur, Pachylemur, for her Thèse de ministrative responsibilities were varied, and included, Troisième Cycle. She began compiling data on the verte- since 1994, member of the Bureau du G.E.R.P. (Groupe brae in the collections in Antananarivo, and then, in d’Etudes et de Recherche sur les Primates); since 1995, 1986, she spent one month collecting comparative data member of the Conseil Scientifique de la Faculté des at the Laboratoire d’Anatomie Comparée du Muséum Sciences; since 1998, Director of the Laboratoire de National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris, France), and five Primatologie et Biologie Evolutive; since 2000, member months in the USA (in part at the Museum of Compara- of the Conseil de discipline (CODIS) de l’Université tive Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, in d’Antananarivo (Faculté des Sciences); since 2004, part at the American Museum of Natural History in member of the Réseau des Educateurs et Professionnels New York, and in part at the University of Massachu- de la Conservation à Madagascar (REPC); and since setts, Amherst). During the latter, she lived with me, 2006, member of the Groupement de Recherche Inter- and we became life-long friends. Her first child, Myria, national (GDRI). She has been responsible for students completing their doctorates "en troisième cycle" in the was very young at the time. Gisèle missed her terribly, Départment de Paléontologie et d’Anthropologie Biolo- and was glad to have my daughter, Mollie (then 7 years gique since 2000, and in 2007, she assumed responsibil- old) as a household companion.