Madagascar: Turin's role in protecting its biodiversity

In partnership with the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology at UniTo

We will be discussing initiatives led by the MRSN and the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology at the University of Turin, highlighting their established, long-term presence in Madagascar

Madagascar is a world unto itself, harboring approximately 5% of global biodiversity and exhibiting exceptionally high rates of endemism.

Notwithstanding its unique evolutionary heritage, the ecosystem faces critical anthropogenic drivers of degradation: widespread land-use change, anthropogenic fire, landscape fragmentation, and accelerated climate alteration.

Primatologist Jonah Ratsimbazafy has engaged in long-term, high-risk conservation efforts to protect Madagascar's endemic biodiversity and foster socio-ecological resilience. His work represents a broader, collaborative movement within field primatology aimed at preventing species extinction through community-based initiatives.

He has gained key collaborators in Turin: the Regional Museum of Natural Sciences and the University of Turin have been actively involved in research, awareness, and conservation efforts to protect this unique biodiversity, while contributing to internationally significant conservation initiatives and action plans.

The latest significant accomplishment was the publication of a comprehensive systematic review of Madagascar's over 400 diurnal butterfly species, including 243 endemics.

The study was authored by Emilio Balletto, Francesca Barbero and Luca Casacci from the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology at the University of Turin, and by David C. Lees from the Natural History Museum in London.

The volume transcends a purely scientific contribution, representing a profound commitment to a biota facing imminent extinction; this dedication remains ongoing.

The urgency of establishing a global alliance for Madagascar is greater than ever: collaborative synergies must be reinforced and local communities supported, recognizing biodiversity as a critical resource. The convergence of commitment and immediate needs provides both a platform for informed discourse and a pathway to restoring prospects for this highly threatened island ecosystem.

Professor Cristina Giacoma introduces the Maromizaha Multifunctional Centre in Madagascar.

Jonah Ratsimbazafy is a globally recognized primatologist who has played a pivotal role in advancing biodiversity conservation in Madagascar, a key biodiversity hotspot.

He has authored over 170 articles and mentored more than 65 students, including 20 PhD candidates. His primary research focus is the ecology and conservation of lemurs.

Ratsimbazafy received Disney's Conservation Hero Award in 2015 and was elected to the African Academy of Sciences in 2017. In 2023, he was honored with the Seacology Prize, which recognizes exceptional individuals for their contributions to the conservation of island ecosystems, species, and cultures.

In 2020, a new species of mouse lemur, Microcebus jonahi, was named in honor of Jonah Ratsimbazafy. That same year, he was appointed President of the International Society of Primatology.

Prof. Emilio Balletto

University of Turin, Professor Emeritus (Zoology).

emilio.balletto@unito.it
President of the Societas Europaea Lepidopterologica (1987–1998).

Presidentof the Italian Society for the Conservation of Butterflies from 1990 to 1992. Honorary member of the Italian Zoological Union since 2019.

Founding member of Butterfly Conservation Europe.

Member of the IUCN Mediterranean Lepidoptera Group and of the Fauna Europaea Committee for Papilionidae.

Italian delegate to the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention (1984–1997), where he held the European Presidency during the Italian term in 1996 (Strasbourg, 22–26 January 1996), on behalf of the Minister for the Environment and the Minister forAgricultural and Forestry Resources.

Member of the Italian Academy of Entomology since 2011; currently a Senior Academician.