2019 Annual report For the Protection of the Greater Bamboo Lemur Our vision To find a lasting balance between the needs of the lemurs and those of the local communities that surround them. Our values To listen, understand and act while respecting Malagasy tradition and culture. To support the populations in their work towards sustainable development. To provide the lemurs a future in a habitat that is appropriate for them. HELPSIMUS was founded in November 2009. Its mission was to protect the Greater Bamboo Lemur (Prolemur simus) in Madagascar through the “Bamboo Lemur” Programme that combines scientific monitoring of the species, protection of its habitat, supporting the development of the nearby villages and financing the education of the local children. The Greater Bamboo Lemur is one of the most threatened lemurs of Madagascar. In the past it was spread widely all over the island, but it is now only found in the humid forests of the East where slightly over a thousand individuals have been recorded. © F. Perroux table of contents 01 The President’s Message Page 6 02 Helpsimus Page 7 Key Dates Helpsimus The Bamboo Lemur Programme The Fokontany The Villagers The Greater Bamboo Lemur The Greater Bamboo Lemurs on the site 03 The Environmental Component Page 14 The Guides Monitoring the Greater Bamboo Lemurs Monitoring the Red-Bellied Lemurs Monitoring the Ranomafana Bamboo Lemurs The Dog Problem The Camera Traps Plant Inventory The VOI Reforestation 04 Lemur Raids on Crops Page 19 05 The Education Component Page 20 The Simus Festival The Schools Avotra, the Lemur of the Bamboos 4200kg of Equipment for Madagascar! Families, forests and Lemurs: all together! 06 Recruitment of an Educator Page 23 07 The Socio-Economic Component Page 24 Vegetable crops Fish Farming Tree Nurseries Craftwork Electricians Without Borders Helpsimus’s Camps The Roadway 08 Ecotourism Project Page 27 © F. Perroux 09 Helpsimus News Page 28 Conference Documentaries Prim’Arts Festival 10 Helpsimus Tour Page 30 11 Partners Page 32 12 Financial Statements Page 33 4 Cover: © F. Perroux 5 2019 THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE KEY DATES ANNUAL REPORT “The reproduction season was exceptional! 74 Greater Helpsimus starts the programme to protect the paddy fields Bamboo Lemurs were born in the 11 groups we follow - 2019 | This is to find lasting solutions for protecting crops from attacks by the Greater a record! Bamboo Lemurs and thus to reduce conflicts. The population of Greater Bamboo Lemurs protected | Helpsimus confirms the presence of Ring-tailed Mongoose 2018 Inventories show the presence of rich and varied flora and fauna on the pro- by Helpsimus now comprises around 500 individuals.” gramme’s site. Helpsimus identifies 4 new species of lemurs within the area it studies 2017 | The programme site is host to at least 5 different species in addition to the Greater Bamboo Lemurs. © F. Perroux For the second consecutive year, conflicts between lemurs and villagers an educator and launched our | Helpsimus co-ordinates the creation of the 1st of the 3 VOI planned for the the reproduction season has been by launching the project to protect environmental education programme. 2016 site of the Bamboo Lemur Programme exceptional: 74 greater bamboo the paddy fields that are regularly We organized the 7th Simus Festival This is the Miaradia VOI which covers the territory of 6 of the 11 groups of lemurs were born in the in the 11 pillaged by the Greater Bamboo during which we celebrated our tenth Greater Bamboo Lemurs. groups that we follow, a record! The Lemurs. The initial results from the anniversary. population protected by Helpsimus guarding that began in October are Helpsimus organizes the 3rd International Technical Workshop on the now comprises about 500 individuals. very encouraging. Finally, we have started the renovation 2015 | Greater Bamboo Lemur of the track between Ifanadiana On this occasion, the population of the species is re-assessed at 1000 The team of guides has again We have continued to support the and Vohitrarivo which had become individuals in the wild, ¼ of which are directly protected by Helpsimus! expanded enabling us to monitor beneficiaries of our agricultural impassable. 2019 was the starting year 3 additional species of lemurs development programme and have of major projects and works which will | The Greater Bamboo Lemur is removed from the list of the 25 most (including a new group of Peyrieras’s completed the first phrase of the continue in 2020. 2012 threatened primates in the world Woolly Lemur or Peyrieras’s Avahi), project to improve the irrigation of This year the scientific monitoring of the groups started. 1 carnivorous species and 3 bird the crops which benefit about forty None of this would have been possible species. Our inventories have also families. without the support of our partners | Funding of the “Bamboo Lemur” Programme starts revealed the presence of new species and donors. We are extremely grateful 2010 Identification of the various groups of Greater Bamboo Lemurs starts as well as including several mammals. We have continued to help 5 to them and take this opportunity to recording of births. schools in the programme including thank them. We assist the VOI with their Annual renovating a classroom for the | Foundation of the French Association for the Protection of the Greater Work Programme (AWP) and amongst kindergarten at Sahofika, starting the 2009 Bamboo Lemur, called “Helpsimus” other activities have organized the construction of a new school building Partners have to be found to finance the first activities onsite. first reforesting campaign with forest at Ambodimanga, electrification of the species, with over 6000 seedlings schools of Sahofika and Ambodigoavy, planted! In parallel, we are continuing and supporting some of the costs of The (future) president meets the local stakeholders involved in conserving our fight against illegal fires. the new teachers… 2008 | the Greater Bamboo Lemur in Madagascar They inform her of the critical situation of the species and ask for her help in We have made efforts to resolve the We have recruited and trained preventing the Greater Bamboo Lemur of becoming extinct. Delphine Roullet 6 7 2019 HELPSIMUS THE BAMBOO LEMUR PROGRAMME ANNUAL REPORT Helpsimus is based close to the These are based around three main and we facilitate access to education Location National Park of Ranomafana but components: for the children from villages located 390 km south east of Antananarivo, 4 km from in an unprotected zone, located - Environmental component in the Fokontany involved in the the National Park of at the heart of the agricultural We identify the priority conservation project. Ranomafana, in the rural land of several villages inhabited areas on the programme site by area of Tsaratanana, in the by the largest wild population of improving knowledge about the province of Fianarantsoa. Greater Bamboo Lemurs (nearly eco-ethology of the species and The conservation activities 500 specimens of an overall total of by working on resolving conflicts are concentrated on the slightly more than 1200 individuals). between humans and the lemurs. land of the “Fokontany” of Vohitrarivo, Sahofika, The aim of our “Bamboo Lemur” - Socio-Economic component Ambodimanga, Ambodigoavy and Programme is to find a balance We are improving the standard of Ambohipo. between the needs of humans living of the local populations by and those of the lemurs, so the helping to secure the products of local communities and wild their harvest and improve yield, fauna can cohabit in harmony. developing new Revenue Generating The bamboo lemur programme is a tripartite project. Activities, building infrastructure It brings together local Malagasy stakeholders (villagers, agents of the National Park of To achieve this aim, we are and means of communication, Ranomafana) and Helpsimus who define together the list of priority actions. developing a strategy consisting of: and implementing better hygiene 1. Protecting the lemurs’ habitat practices to improve the health of (thanks especially to the creation the communities. of the VOI); 2. Giving the local communities - Educational component Ranomafana National Park sufficient resources to protect We develop activities to improve the lemurs’ habitat. This consists awareness among local communities of improving the standard of living of the local population by supporting actions to secure Bamboo forests located on the agriculatural land the products of their harvests of several villages and in which the lemurs live and to increase the yield and by developing new Revenue Generating Activities. The Greater Bamboo Lemurs’ habitat, comprising mostly bamboo forests on which they feed almost exclusively, is very badly damaged by “tavy” (slash-and-burn cultivating). We are therefore implementing a certain number of conservation Paddy fields activities to ensure the long term survival of this species. 8 © F. Perroux © S. Meys 9 2019 THE FOKONTANY THE VILLAGERS ANNUAL REPORT The Bamboo Lemur programme works with 5 Fokontany. The villagers are farmworkers that grow mainly rice, sugar case, potatoes, manioc, coffee, beans. They are extremely This is the smallest administrative unit in Madagascar that general groups together several villages. We also work poor and entirely dependent on their land where the greater bamboo lemurs live. They use bamboo daily as a with the Municipality of Tsaratanana which controls these 5 Fokontany. construction material. Fokontany of Vohitrarivo Fokontany of Sahofika