The sifaka lemur (Propithecus verreauxi) has been studied at the Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve (BMSR) in southwest Madagascar since 1984. The Yale Peabody Museum (New Haven, USA) hosts the Sifaka Database, under a collaborative agreement with the School of Agronomy, University of Antananarivo (École Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques or ESSA). The Database includes monitoring information on over 900 individuals.
The database also encompasses ecological and socio-economic monitoring data that ESSA has been collecting at Bezà for more than 30 years. Its components include monitoring of flora (phenology, inventories), fauna (birds, reptiles, and amphibians including the radiated tortoise Astrochelys radiata), and climate (daily temperature and rainfall). The richness of this database makes it a unique and valuable resource in Madagascar.
The purpose of the Database is to support research, serve as a resource for teaching, and contribute to the conservation of biodiversity in and around the BMSR. The Reserve is the focus of a longstanding, community-based conservation partnership.
Click here to access the Database: https://peabody.yale.edu/explore/collections/mammalogy/madagascar-lemurs-sifaka-database