ANTANANARIVO — At the end of April, a team of researchers scouring a scarred area of spiny forest in southwestern Madagascar came across three individuals of a critically endangered chameleon species. Furcifer belalandaensis had not previously been recorded outside of a tiny, 4-square-kilometer (1.5-square-mile) area near the village of Belalanda after which it’s named, so […]
  • In April, researchers found individuals of a critically endangered chameleon species in southwestern Madagascar.
  • Furcifer belalandaensis had not previously been recorded outside of a tiny area threatened by deforestation for charcoal and agriculture, and by the development of a major mining project.
  • Researchers working to improve knowledge of the Belalanda chameleon’s distribution were excited to find three of the rare reptile five kilometers (three miles) away, in the PK32-Ranobe protected area.
  • But Ranobe’s forests are also under pressure; captive breeding and revising the protected area’s management plan are among of the conservation measures being considered to ensure the species’ survival.

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