Earthwatch at 50: Jonah Ratsimbazafy
2nd September 2018
Earthwatch at 50: Jonah Ratsimbazafy’s story
Madagascars famous lemurs are on the verge of extinction but one man is on a mission to protect the iconic creatures. Jonah Ratsimbazafy has spent his professional life advocating for lemurs, working tirelessly to protect their habitat and raise awareness of the animals plight.
In 2002, Jonah was working as Principal Investigator on Earthwatchs Lemurs of Madagascar project in Ranomofana National Park, and was awarded an Earthwatch Capacity Development Fellowship. Earthwatch also went on to fund Jonahs first research team between 2004 and 2008. Jonah has continued to nominate fellow researchers for Earthwatch fellowships and awards ever since.
Now President of the Groupe dEtude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar, an organisation that advocates for the protection of Madagascars lemurs and other wildlife, Jonah leads a team of 20 Malagasy staff who work with the community to preserve the last remaining rainforests linking the northern and southern regions of Madagascar.
As a primatologist my role is to go to the village, talk to the people, if humans are part of the trouble, they should be part of the solution.”
Madagascar famous lemurs are on the verge of extinction but one man is on a mission to protect the iconic creatures. Jonah Ratsimbazafy has spent his professional life advocating for lemurs, working tirelessly to protect their habitat and raise awareness of the animals’ plight.
In 2002, Jonah was working as Principal Investigator on Earthwatch Lemurs of Madagascar project in Ranomofana National Park, and was awarded an Earthwatch Capacity Development Fellowship. Earthwatch also went on to fund Jonah first research team between 2004 and 2008. Jonah has continued to nominate fellow researchers for Earthwatch fellowships and awards ever since.
Now President of the Groupe d’Etude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar, an organisation that advocates for the protection of Madagascar lemurs and other wildlife, Jonah leads a team of 20 Malagasy staff who work with the community to preserve the last remaining rainforests linking the northern and southern regions of Madagascar.
As a primatologist my role is to go to the village, talk to the people, if humans are part of the trouble, they should be part of the solution.”
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