2010
AMBATOVY SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
22
C1. Environmental Performance
Biodiversity Management Programs
Lemur Management Program
The goal of the lemur management program is to maintain
population viability in the mine area. To monitor the
effectiveness of its environmental management practices,
Ambatovy has been employing the capture, mark and radio-
tracking technique. Since 2007, a total of 140 individuals
belonging to seven species (
Lepilemur mustelinsus, Avahi
laniger, Eulemur fulvus, Indri indri, Propithecus diadema,
Eulemur rubriventer
and
Hapalemur griseus
) living in and
around the cleared forest and refuge areas have been
equipped with radio collars. This has enabled technicians to
follow and monitor 181 individual lemurs (carriers of radio
collars and members of the groups without collars) from
48 groups. This radio-tracking methodology enables the
monitoring of lemur movement and behaviour and determines
whether they are able to adapt to a new home range over
time. Tree-top bridges were installed to maintain habitat
connectivity, allowing lemurs to cross trails and roads cut by
mining activity. A community-level assessment also helped
evaluate local hunting pressure on wildlife and design suitable
refuge areas.
Since 2009, a total of 35 newborn lemurs have been observed
within Ambatovy’s conservation areas: six
Indri indri
,
14
Propithecus diadema
, 11
Avahi laniger
, and four
Eulemur
fulvus
. Of these newborn lemurs, 16 came from groups that
were displaced to special refuge areas. The relatively high
number of recent offspring indicates that these lemurs have
successfully adapted to their new environment. Ambatovy is
currently developing biomedical health monitoring systems
to help ensure the long-term survival of lemur populations
affected by the Project.
Actions in the lemur management program are presented
in Ambatovy’s Biodiversity Action Plan construction phase
(January 2007) and have been enhanced through the lessons
learned from the early forest clearing actions. The need for
surveys of the refuge forest was also recognized to help
determine the effect of displaced lemur populations on the
refuge forest recipient populations (“wave effect”). These
surveys will be carried out for the Ambatovy central forests
and subsequent clearings.
Thirty-three species of mammals (other than lemurs) are
also monitored by the Project, including endemic rodent and
carnivore species. A conservation strategy for the endangered
Northern Shrew Tenrec,
Microgale jobihely
, will also be
developed.
Biodiversity Management Programs
Lemur Management Program:
The goal of the lemur management program is to maintain
population viability in the mine area. To monitor the
effectiveness of its environmental management practices,
Ambatovy has been employing the capture, mark and radio-
tracking technique. Since 2007, a total of 140 individuals
belonging to seven species (Lepilemur mustelinsus, Avahi
laniger, Eulemur fulvus, Indri indri, Propithecus diadema,
Eulemur rubriventer and Hapalemur griseus) living in and
around the cleared forest and refuge areas have been
equipped with radio collars. This has enabled technicians to
follow and monitor 181 individuals (carriers of radio collars
and members of the groups without collars) from 48 groups.
This radio-tracking methodology enables the monitoring of
lemur movement and behavior and determines whether they
are able to adapt to a new home range over time. Tree-
top bridges were installed to maintain habitat connectivity,
allowing lemurs to cross trails and roads cut by mining activity.
A community-level bush meat assessment also helped
evaluate local hunting pressure on wildlife and design suitable
refuge areas.
Since 2009, a total of 35 newborn lemurs have been observed
within Ambatovy’s conservation areas: six Indri indri, 14
Propithecus diadema, 11 Avahi laniger, and four Eulemur
fulvus. Of these newborn lemurs, 16 came from groups that
were displaced to special refuge areas. The relatively high
number of recent offspring indicates that these lemurs have
successfully adapted to their new environment. Ambatovy is
currently developing biomedical health monitoring systems
to help ensure the long-term survival of lemur populations
affected by the Project.
Actions in the lemur management program are presented
in Ambatovy’s Biodiversity Action Plan construction phase
(January 2007) and have been enhanced through the lessons
learned from the early forest clearing actions. The need for
surveys of the refuge forest was also recognized to help
determine the effect of displaced lemur populations on the
refuge forest recipient populations (‘wave effect’). These
surveys will be carried out for the Ambatovy central forests
and subsequent clearings.
Thirty-three species of mammals (other than lemurs) are
also monitored by the Project, including endemic rodent and
carnivore species. A conservation strategy for the endangered
Northern Shrew Tenrec, Microgale jobihely, will also be
developed.
lemur crossing!
During the environmental impact assessment,
11 lemur species were found in the area of the mine
site and the first 33 km of the pipeline right-of-way
(ROW). Ambatovy, mindful of this sensitive location,
looked for innovative solutions to mitigate the impacts
of habitat fragmentation. Taking note of successful
bridges to help tree-dwelling mammals cross roads
in Australia, Ambatovy built bridges at key locations
around the mine and along the pipeline. Two
experimental designs were the result of collaboration
among local lemur experts, structural engineers and
the Project’s Environment Department. Both structures
took into account the road size, the traffic type and how
the lemurs moved – by clinging, leaping or running
on all fours. These bridges were a critical component
for lemur population preservation and now allow safe
crossing away from vehicle traffic and predators.
The pipeline ROW and mine road crossing points
were det rmined by lemur xperts through s eci s
o ser ations (cros ings and crossing attempts).
Identified crossing locations were mapped and it is
important to note that lemurs were observed crossing
roads at ground level, indicating that some species will
not be restricted to u ing the structures but c uld still
benefit by their presence. Conversely, certain species
such as the
Avahi laniger
appear totally unable (or
unwilling) to move around on the ground.
The pipeline installations consist of simple wooden
bridge-like structures 2.5 m above the road, allowing
the passage of off-road vehicles. The mine road
structures consist of a more complex suspension bridge
at a minimum height of 4.5 m to allow large vehicles
to pass. The lemur bridges will be a critical link until
rehabilitated forest along the roads allows for natural
crossing points. Several crossing structures will be
equipped with digital cameras (infrared and motion
detectors) to log the frequency of species crossing.
These lemur bridges have been successful. When
first implemented in 2009, four species were observed
using the seven bridges built in the mine area and
along the pipeline. By the following year, another two
species had been added to the club. The Project’s
team noted a marked decrease in the number of lemurs
crossing the road on the ground.
