The conservation status of mammals and avifauna in the Montagne des Français massif, Madagascar

The Montagne des Français is a limestone massif in northern Madagascar, which is characterised by a wide range of biotopes including xerophytic karst, gallery forest, dry western forest, grassland and caves. It is situated only 12 km from the regional capital, Antsiranana, and few, if any areas of primary forest remain. In the first comprehensive study to have been carried out at this location we report the presence of 12 mammal species. We also report the presence of 63 bird species. We use data derived from both structured and semi - structured interviews to assess the conservation status of the mammals and birds within the massif. Our study shows that local beliefs are dominated by taboos or fady and that these vary within families and communities. Current anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity include zebu grazing, charcoal production, hunting and rice cultivation. The massif was afforded Temporary Protected Area Status in 2006 and our results suggest that this protection should be made permanent. We propose opportunities for further research and sustainable development initiatives that could contribute to the conservation of the biological resources within the massif. Success in conserving this area will only be achieved if the local communities are fully engaged. La Montagne des Français est un massif calcaire au nord de Madagascar, caractérisé par une vaste gamme de biotopes, y compris une formation calcaire connue localement sous le nom de ‘tsingy’ avec une végétation xérophyte, une forêt riveraine, une forêt sèche de l’ouest, des zones herbeuses et des grottes. Elle se trouve à 12 km seulement de la plus grande ville du nord, Antsiranana, et présente une couverture de forêts intactes extrêmement réduite. Le travail sur le terrain a été réalisé par des bénévoles de Frontier et des chercheurs de Frontier et de l’Université d’Antsiranana. Des inventaires on été effectués pendant une année, au cours de quatre périodes d’essais qui s’étalaient chacune sur une durée de l’ordre de neuf semaines. Les inventaires sur les mammifères ont fait appel à trois méthodes, dont les lignes de trous - pièges, l’emploi de pièges Sherman et des recherches nocturnes aléatoires. Un inventaire sur les oiseaux a été compilé, utilisant la technique de la liste de recensement McKinnon. Au cours de cette première étude détaillée portant sur cette localité, nous avons relevé la présence de 12 espèces de mammifères ainsi que la présence de 63 espèces d’oiseaux. Neuf des espèces de mammifères recensés sont endémiques à Madagascar et la plupart de ces espèces semblaient être représentées par des effectifs réduits sur la Montagne des Français au cours de la période d’étude. De toutes les espèces d’oiseaux reportées, 26 (41 % ) sont endémiques de Madagascar. Afin d’évaluer l’état de conservation des mammifères et des oiseaux rencontrés à la Montagne des Français, nous avons utilisé des données recueillies au cours d’entrevues formelles et semi - formelles. Notre étude montre que les croyances locales sont dominées par des tabous ou fady et que ceux - ci varient selon les familles et communautés. Les pressions anthropogéniques actuelles qui pèsent sur la biodiversité sont représentées par le pâturage des zébus, la production de charbon de bois, la chasse et la culture de riz. En 2006 le massif a bénéficié d’un statut d’Aire Protégée Temporaire mais nos résultats suggèrent qu’un statut de protection permanente serait justifié. Nous proposons de poursuivre les efforts en matière de recherche et encourageons toute entreprise de développement durable qui pourrait contribuer à la conservation des ressources biologiques à l’intérieur du massif. La réussite de la protection de cette région ne pourra se faire sans la totale adhésion de l’ensemble des communautés locales

Madagascan day geckos (Phelsuma spp.) exhibit differing responses along a gradient of land-use change

Madagascar is a key priority for global conservation efforts, as much of its diverse and highly endemic biota is threatened by deforestation. Despite this threat, there are limited data on the responses and tolerances of herpetofaunal species to landscape change. This study investigated the response of Madagascan day geckos (Phelsuma spp.) to deforestation in Nosy Be, Madagascar. We selected six sites along a gradient of land-use change: two in Sambirano rainforest (“Forest”), two in secondary, fragmented forest (“Fragment”), and two in agricultural plantations (“Orchard” and “Cropland”). We conducted a series of time-constrained searches at each site. The mean encounter rate of Phelsuma geckos (geckos detected per person/hour) was greater in agricultural sites than Forest sites, but no difference was detected between Forest and Fragment or Fragment and agricultural areas. Three species were encountered more frequently in agricultural land than forested sites, but this was not true for Phelsuma seippi, an endangered species on the IUCN Red List. These results suggest that adaptive, generalist species may benefit from anthropogenic land-use change, whereas specialist species will suffer. Our study emphasizes the importance of extending research beyond the borders of protected forests to include anthropogenically disturbed areas

New Foundations: Pseudo-pacification and special liberty as potential cornerstones of a multi-level theory of homicide and serial murder

Over the past 30 years the industrialized West has witnessed a move towards space, heterogeneity and subjectivity in the criminological study of violence and homicide. Although large-scale quantitative studies of the temporal and spatial distribution of homicide continue to provide a broad empirical context, aetiological explanations tend to be based on analyses of the heterogeneous psychological interactions and experiences of individual subjects at the micro-level. However, mid-range studies of the temporal and spatial distribution of perpetrators and victims of homicide between unrelated adults have provided a useful link between the micro- and macro-levels. Focusing primarily on British homicide and serial murder, this article attempts to strengthen this link by combining contemporary micro-analyses of the subjective motives of perpetrators with mid-range analyses of space, which can therefore be seen as part of the structural tradition of theorizing about homicide and serial murder. Placing these analyses in a broad underlying context constituted by major historical shifts in political economy and the cultural forms of ‘pseudo-pacification’ and ‘special liberty’ will lay the initial cornerstones for an integrated multi-level theory. © The Author(s) 2014

“The fact she has anorexia fits in perfectly”: Beverley Allitt, self-starvation and media narratives of criminal femininity

This article examines the press construction in the early 1990s of Beverley Allitt, the nurse known as one of the Britain’s most prolific women serial killers, focusing on Allitt’s diagnosis of anorexia at the time of her trial and how it shaped understandings of her mental state, her character, and her perceived culpability. It is the relationship between Allitt, gender, and everyday constructions of anorexia that is of interest here, particularly in terms of how her image contributed to media discourses on self-starvation and femininity. The analysis suggests that Allitt’s anorexia was primarily understood in terms of manipulation, inauthenticity, and performance—discourses which consolidated perniciously gendered conceptions of self-starvation, as well as the problematic clinical practices through which anorexia was “treated.” As these treatment practices continue to have a legacy today, it is crucial to examine how they have been normalized and legitimized through popular media discourse

The impact of natural resource use on bird and reptile communities within multiple-use protected areas: evidence from sub-arid southern Madagascar

Multiple-use protected areas, in which sustainable levels of extractive livelihood activities are permitted, play an increasingly important role in the global protected area estate, and are expected to rise in prevalence. However, we know little about their effectiveness at conserving biodiversity. We surveyed bird and reptile communities in three areas across a forest disturbance gradient resulting from charcoal production and shifting cultivation within a multiple-use protected area in Madagascar’s sub-arid spiny forest. We scored individual species using a Conservation Value Index (CVI; a simple metric based on rarity, threat and distinctiveness), and estimated the total conservation value of each treatment by calculating the sum of frequency-weighted CVI scores across all present species. Bird and reptile community responses to forest disturbance were idiosyncratic. Bird richness was greatest in the moderate-disturbance treatment, but the low-disturbance treatment had the superior conservation value due to higher frequencies of locally-endemic species. Reptile richness was the same in low- and moderate-disturbance treatments, but the conservation value of the latter was greater. The high-disturbance areas had lowest richness and conservation value for both groups. For birds, increasing disturbance levels were accompanied by community turnover from high-value to low-value species, a pattern highlighted by CVI that is masked by assessing species richness alone. Although some endemic species appear to be resilient to degradation, multiple-use protected areas in Madagascar may lose biodiversity since most endemic species are forest-dependent. Stricter protected area models may be more appropriate in areas where much of the high-value biodiversity is sensitive to habitat degradation

Scientific crowdsourcing in wildlife research and conservation: Tigers (Panthera tigris) as a case study

With around 3,200 tigers (Panthera tigris) left in the wild, the governments of 13 tiger range countries recently declared that there is a need for innovation to aid tiger research and conservation. In response to this call, we created the “Think for Tigers” study to explore whether crowdsourcing has the potential to innovate the way researchers and practitioners monitor tigers in the wild. The study demonstrated that the benefits of crowdsourcing are not restricted only to harnessing the time, labor, and funds from the public but can also be used as a tool to harness creative thinking that can contribute to development of new research tools and approaches. Based on our experience, we make practical recommendations for designing a crowdsourcing initiative as a tool for generating ideas

Scientific crowdsourcing in wildlife research and conservation: Tigers (Panthera tigris) as a case study

With around 3,200 tigers (Panthera tigris) left in the wild, the governments of 13 tiger range countries recently declared that there is a need for innovation to aid tiger research and conservation. In response to this call, we created the “Think for Tigers” study to explore whether crowdsourcing has the potential to innovate the way researchers and practitioners monitor tigers in the wild. The study demonstrated that the benefits of crowdsourcing are not restricted only to harnessing the time, labor, and funds from the public but can also be used as a tool to harness creative thinking that can contribute to development of new research tools and approaches. Based on our experience, we make practical recommendations for designing a crowdsourcing initiative as a tool for generating ideas

Camera trap survey of mammals in the Fazao-Malfakassa National Park, Togo, West Africa

For the first time in Togo, we used camera trapping to investigate the mammal community in Fazao-Malfakassa National Park (FMNP), a forest and savannah mosaic landscape subject to poaching and other detrimental anthropogenic activity. We compiled a species inventory, that is species occurrence, habitat use and activity patterns during dry and wet seasons. Based on images from >80 locations during 9,007 camera days, we identified 32 mammal species, which, when combined with other published studies, increases the total number of mammals (excluding bats) historically reported to 57 species. Our results confirm the presence of five mammal species evaluated as threatened according to the IUCN Red List, highlighting the significant conservation value of the FMNP. Specifically, it appears to be the only protected area in Togo where the African savannah elephant and the African forest elephant occur sympatrically, and only the second site currently known with direct observations of Walter's duiker. We also report the presence of poachers and other anthropogenic activity within the FMNP. We recommend that continued survey efforts should be combined with detailed ecological data collection, effective law enforcement, community outreach and eco-tourism development, to safeguard the remaining mammal species communities necessary for a functioning ecosystem in the park