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The
Madagascar Fauna Group is an international consortium of
zoos and related organizations that pool their talents and
resources to work together in one of the world's most endangered
places. Madagascar is legendary for its levels of biodiversity
and endemism, and many of its species are so bizarrely beautiful
that the whole island seems improbable, a mythical biological
wonderland.
Unfortunately,
the island is now home to fragmented populations, burned
forests, vast stretches of unpalatable grasslands, people
struggling to survive, and rivers of red topsoil bleeding
into the Mozambique channel and the Indian Ocean. The problems
are numerous and can overwhelm both Malagasy government
agencies and conservationists. The Madagascar Fauna Group
was formed by zoos so that
they could effectively apply their particular expertise
to some of these problems.
In
the US, the MFG works closely with the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), which counts
the MFG among its Conservation
Action Partnerships. This is highly beneficial in terms
of logistical support, collaboration with other conservation
committees and funding opportunities. The MFG values its
strong relationship with the AZA. Nonetheless the Group
is cognizant of its multi-national status and is diligent
about the importance of recognizing all partners. The MFG
was one of the first major multi-zoo, region-based conservation
initiatives and as such served as the model for the AZA's
Conservation Action Partnerships program.
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