Back in February, Patricia Wright – a renowned primatologist and
Anthropologist at Stony Brook University – visited Luther College, Iowa (both
USA). This may seem quite ordinary between American academics, what makes this
visit special then? – the subject. In her lecture and following events, Wright
told of her personal love for Lemurs, her academic work in Biology and also how
she had helped found Madagascar’s Ranomafana National Park.
Professor
Wright is acclaimed for conservation and biology in Madagascar, specialising in
the social nature of Lemurs. In this lecture she highlighted how females play a
central role in groups, also she explored the history of Lemurs in Madagascar
and how they manage today – and of course, how we can help them survive.
The positives of this talk? Students claimed they had a greater
sense of personal growth and were more aware of how sometimes seemingly small
acts can make a big difference to countries like Madagascar.
Students heard of not only the immense work which Professor Wright
has done, but also about the importance of getting a balance between supporting
both the rainforests that the Lemurs inhabit, alongside solving social
problems. Wright made it clear that to help maintain the unique natural
environment, the local people must be taken into account and supported too.
This
is also the approach of MFM – supporting the local people - enabling them to
survive, thrive and appreciate the unique landscape and species. MFM is proud
to help provide some of the things which Wright stressed the importance of –
such as health care, education, information and financial support to start
alternative livelihoods.
If you would like to know more about
the work of MFM, or if you could make a donation which would help make a direct
impact on both the lives of the Malagasy people and the Lemurs that they live
alongside, please visit:
https://www.moneyformadagascar.orgSources –
(Both
accessed 11/04/2017)
5/04/2017
28/03/2017
- Written by Matthew Ward -
