This archive report was first published on 23 December 2019.
Madagascar's unique biodiversity is under threat, with ruffed lemurs facing a catastrophic 95% loss of habitat within 50 years due to the combined effects of global warming and habitat loss.
As the primary seed distributors for numerous rare plants in the island nation's rainforests, the loss of these lemurs could have a cascading effect on entire ecosystems.
"Loss of either species will probably have a cascading effect on the structure and integrity of remaining forest," researchers warned in a study published in Nature Climate Change on December 23, 2019.
Already critically endangered due to hunting, habitat loss, forest fragmentation, and invasive species, the Varecia variegata and Varecia rubra are among the 101 lemur species in Madagascar, 95% of which are endangered.
Madagascar, one of the world's 'hottest' biodiversity hotspots, is experiencing all key global change threats, including climate change, which has had less impact than other drivers of extinction so far.
Threat Multiplier ¶
However, climate change impacts could increase dramatically in the coming decades as temperatures continue to climb, scientists say.
Researchers led by Toni Lyn Morelli from the University of Massachusetts department of environmental conservation analyzed three sets of data to measure the survival prospects of ruffed lemurs.
The study projected changes in rainforest cover out to 2070, based on two scenarios: 'strict' or 'relaxed' protection, and found that deforestation alone would reduce the animal's range by 30% even under 'strict' protection, and by twice as much with lax oversight.
Climate change by itself could shrink the area by between 15 and 75%, and when combined with habitat loss, the impact becomes devastating, with the area in which the lemurs might live reduced by 95%.
