Enabling community-based protection and governance for the Alaotran gentle lemur
Monday 22 December 2025
With the support of IUCN Save Our Species, we are conserving the Critically Endangered Alaotran gentle lemur and its habitat in Madagascar through community-based conservation.
Lake Alaotra, in central-eastern Madagascar, is home to the endemic gentle lemur, known locally as the Bandro, which Durrell has been working to conserve since 1996. As the largest wetland area in the country, the Alaotra watershed is also home to Madagascar’s largest inland fishery and rice growing region, making it an important area economically and a critical source of livelihoods for local communities. At 20,000 hectares of open water, surrounded by ~26,000 hectares of marsh, the scale of the lake cannot be understated (it’s nearly four times as big as the island of Jersey). The Bandro is found nowhere else on earth except these marshes and is the only lemur species to live solely above water, amongst the dense papyrus and bamboo reedbeds. Unfortunately, the marshes, hills and lake itself are under threat from human activities, which have degraded lemur habitat and make it hard for people living around the lake who depend on these resources for their livelihoods.
The objective of this project is to protect the Bandro and its marsh habitat through the active engagement of communities in conservation, and through increased capacity of community-based organisations to sustainably govern natural resources. We aim to generate robust population data for the Bandro to inform conservation action, restore 120 hectares of marsh through community groups, support sustainable livelihoods for 1,200 people across the region, increase marsh protection through patrols, and strengthen capacity for community-based governance of the Alaotra watershed, improving long-term natural resource and biodiversity management at the local level.
To help us make the best plan for the conservation of this endemic species, we first need to understand the status of the current Bandro population. Traditional methods to survey the lemurs rely on observing them from canoes. Not only does the dense marsh restrict canoe access to limited areas (it can take half a day by canoe just to reach the middle of the lake), it also makes the small and elusive Bandro very tricky to spot. Our team of drone experts has therefore pioneered a novel method of surveying the lemurs, not from the water, but from the air. Flying above the marshes, custom-built drones have been equipped with infra-red thermal imaging cameras, which can detect the lemurs from their body heat amongst the dense reeds. This allows surveys to cover a much larger area and is a more reliable method of gathering population data. The team have also developed unique AI tools to aid effective data analysis.
Recently, the team has undertaken the first of several of these crucial surveys. In November, the team spent two weeks at the lake, flying the drone above the marsh along set paths to systematically survey the Bandro. With early morning starts from around 3.30am, the early morning humidity and minimal heat from the sun provided ideal conditions for detecting the Bandro’s body heat. Afternoon flights coinciding with when the lemurs are most active also helped the team spot them going about their days above the lake. The drone battery gives us about 30 minutes of flight time, and after trialling different methods, we make sure that we fly far enough above the lake to avoid disturbing the lemurs, whilst also within range to be able to spot them. These initial surveys provided good learning opportunities for the team who will now be able to refine the methodology, and adapt to challenges that they encountered, such as finding a clear take off point within the marsh!
The drones are also used to map the marsh, to provide essential baseline data of marsh loss prior to restoration; development of the marsh restoration plan is currently underway.
Along with the drone work, this year we have also cleared invasive plants from 2,985 metres of channels, which will aid water quality of the lake and promote native biodiversity, as well as create local employment opportunities. We have developed a novel technique of turning these invasive plants into an organic compost that can be used by local farmers, which has been demonstrated to significantly increase crop yields and was recently awarded an international innovation award.
In order to lower land-use pressure on the marsh, to increase financial security, and to help people derive greater benefits from agriculture and natural resources, we have established 8 farmer field schools (FFS) (with 92 members) who have been supplied with over 700kg of seeds to enable improved crop production, and who have had training in climate smart agriculture and business practices. We have also revitalised 9 village savings and loans associations (VSLAs), as well as conducting exchange visits between neighbouring associations, to enable shared learning.
The Alaotra watershed is a protected area, of which Durrell are co-managers. We’ve recently updated the protected area management plan as well as renewing 8 natural resource management contracts with local community associations. These agreements aim to facilitate strong and effective community management and empower local authorities to enforce regulations, to ensure the lake is better able to support wetland-dependent people and wildlife. Community patrollers have also conducted 624 patrols, covering a combined distance of 2,462.03km, to deter illegal activities and encourage protection of the marsh, as well as to collect data on biodiversity and its threats.
We look forward to continuing to implement this IUCN SOS Lemurs project next year – to improve the status of the Bandro, Gerald Durrell’s ‘honey-coloured teddy bear’, and to support the people living around the Lake Alaotra Protected Area, who are just as dependent on the lake, marshes and surrounding area.