Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group

The Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group (MFG) is an international conservation consortium that brings together zoos, wildlife agencies, research institutions, and other conservation organizations to support the protection of Madagascar’s animals, plants, and habitats. Rather than operating as a conventional commercial brand, MFG functions as a coordinating and resource-pooling organization. Its work combines field conservation, captive breeding, wildlife reintroduction, protected-area support, environmental education, veterinary assistance, and professional training. MFG emerged from a request made by the Government of Madagascar to the international zoo community in 1987. That appeal sought outside expertise and resources to help conserve Madagascar’s distinctive species and ecosystems and to strengthen local capacity in wildlife management. The request was discussed at a meeting on St. Catherines Island in Georgia, convened by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Participants included the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, then known as the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust; Parc Zoologique et Botanique de Mulhouse; the Strasbourg consortium; the Duke Lemur Center; and several United States zoos. The participating institutions became the founding members when the group was formally established in 1988. The organization works in cooperation with Madagascar’s Ministry of Water, Forests, and the Environment and with national-park and wildlife-reserve authorities. Its activities have included support for Parc Ivoloina, a major zoological park and conservation facility in Madagascar, where assistance has covered public outreach, education, veterinary services, and training. MFG has also supported protection and management at the Betampona Natural Reserve, including efforts to return captive-bred ruffed lemurs to protected forest habitat. These projects connect zoo-based breeding expertise with in-country habitat management and monitoring. A central part of MFG’s role is coordination. Member institutions may maintain captive populations of Malagasy species, conduct field research, provide technical assistance, or finance conservation activities. MFG helps connect those capabilities with priorities identified in Madagascar. Its conservation portfolio has included lemurs, the Madagascar side-necked turtle, the Malagasy pond heron, and other fauna and flora associated with threatened habitats. The group also works to align conservation objectives with Madagascar’s national parks association and related protected-area priorities. Education is another major component of the organization’s work. Through participating zoos and public-facing initiatives, MFG communicates the biological importance of Madagascar to audiences outside the country. Its Save the Lemur campaign has been used to raise awareness and funds for lemur conservation, making lemurs an important public symbol of the group’s wider biodiversity mission. MFG’s visual identity has featured the ruffed lemur and the aye-aye, two species that reflect the conservation significance and distinctive evolutionary heritage of Madagascar. By August 2021, the consortium had approximately 30 member institutions. Its institutional base is associated with the Saint Louis Zoo, while its conservation activities are primarily focused on Madagascar and supported by an international network. MFG’s present significance lies less in selling products than in mobilizing expertise, funding, breeding capacity, research, training, and public engagement for long-term conservation outcomes.

The origins of the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group lie in an appeal made by the Government of Madagascar to the international zoo and conservation community in 1987. Madagascar was seeking assistance with the protection of its unusually rich but increasingly threatened biodiversity, as well as training and technical knowledge that could strengthen conservation work within the country. The appeal was considered at a meeting on St. Catherines Island in Georgia, United States. The meeting was convened by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The meeting brought together organizations with complementary capabilities. Participants included the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which at the time operated under the name Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust; Parc Zoologique et Botanique de Mulhouse; the Strasbourg consortium; the Duke Lemur Center; and several American zoos. These institutions became the founding participants in the group, which was formally established in 1988. From its beginning, MFG was designed as a cooperative mechanism rather than a single-site conservation project. Its purpose was to combine the financial resources, animals, scientific knowledge, husbandry expertise, and educational reach of participating institutions in support of priorities identified in Madagascar. MFG’s work developed across several linked areas. It supported Parc Ivoloina, described as one of Madagascar’s leading zoological and conservation facilities, through educational outreach, visitor programs, veterinary assistance, and training. The organization also became involved in protected-area support, particularly at the Betampona Reserve. One of its best-known conservation activities has been the effort to reintroduce captive-bred ruffed lemurs into the reserve, linking ex situ population management with the restoration and monitoring of wild populations. Field research has formed another part of the group’s mission. Projects associated with MFG have addressed lemurs and other Malagasy wildlife, as well as species such as the Madagascar side-necked turtle and the Malagasy pond heron. The broader objective has been to improve knowledge of species status, threats, habitat conditions, and practical management needs. MFG has also supported training for rangers and wardens, recognizing that protected areas depend on local personnel capable of monitoring wildlife, enforcing protections, and managing conservation landscapes. The consortium’s mission includes coordinating captive-breeding programs both inside and outside Madagascar. This coordination allows member zoos and conservation institutions to contribute to managed populations while maintaining a connection to field-based recovery priorities. MFG has also sought to plan conservation objectives in conjunction with Madagascar’s national parks association and relevant government authorities, including the Ministry of Water, Forests, and the Environment. Public education has remained central to the group’s international model. Zoos affiliated with MFG can introduce visitors to Madagascar’s biological heritage and explain the pressures facing its forests and wildlife. The Save the Lemur campaign has provided a recognizable public platform for fundraising and awareness, while the group’s use of the ruffed lemur and aye-aye in its logos emphasizes Madagascar’s distinctive fauna. By August 2021, MFG was reported to have 30 member institutions. The organization is headquartered at the Saint Louis Zoo and continues to operate as an international network whose principal geographic focus is Madagascar. Its historical development reflects a durable partnership between Malagasy conservation priorities and the resources of zoos, research bodies, and conservation agencies around the world.

• 2021

  Network reported at approximately 30 institutions

  [1]Madagascar Fauna and Flora Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material stated that the consortium had approximately 30 member institutions by August 2021.

• 1988

  MFG is formally established

  [1]Madagascar Fauna and Flora Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The institutions involved in the 1987 planning meeting became founding members of the Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group.

• 1987

  Madagascar appeals to the international zoo community

  [1]Madagascar Fauna and Flora Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The Government of Madagascar called on international zoos and conservation organizations for assistance with species and habitat protection, training, and technical expertise.

• Ruffed lemur reintroduction begins at Betampona

  [1]Madagascar Fauna and Flora Groupen.wikipedia.org

  MFG supported the release of captive-bred ruffed lemurs into the Betampona Reserve as part of a protected-area species-recovery effort.

An international zoo-and-conservation consortium focused on translating global zoological expertise and pooled resources into species, habitat, training, research, and education programs in Madagascar.

• Conservation facility support

  Parc Ivoloina support

  MFG provides support for Parc Ivoloina through conservation education, public outreach, veterinary assistance, and training. The facility serves as a practical link between zoological work, local capacity building, and communication about Madagascar’s wildlife and habitats.

• Species recovery

  Betampona ruffed lemur reintroduction

  This program connects captive-breeding expertise with in-country protected-area conservation. MFG has supported efforts to return captive-bred ruffed lemurs to the Betampona Reserve, where reintroduction contributes to the recovery of a threatened Malagasy species.

• Field research

  Madagascar field research programs

  MFG coordinates or supports research concerning Malagasy fauna, flora, and habitats. Referenced subjects include lemurs, the Madagascar side-necked turtle, and the Malagasy pond heron, with research intended to inform practical conservation and protected-area management.

• Ex situ conservation

  Captive-breeding coordination

  The group coordinates captive-breeding activities among member institutions in Madagascar and abroad. This work helps align managed animal populations with wider conservation objectives and, where appropriate, with future reintroduction or field-recovery efforts.

• Public campaign

  Save the Lemur

  Save the Lemur is MFG’s public awareness and fundraising campaign focused on the conservation needs of Madagascar’s lemur species. It uses the international reach of zoos and conservation partners to explain threats to lemurs and encourage support for protection programs.

• Save the Lemur

  International zoo audiences · Madagascar

  A fundraising and public-awareness initiative highlighting the conservation challenges facing lemurs and supporting broader efforts to protect their habitats and populations.

  Outcome. The campaign established a recognizable public vehicle for MFG’s lemur-conservation message; specific financial results are not stated in the available material.

  Source

• 1988

  Create an international conservation consortiumStrategy

  Background

  Madagascar requested international assistance to conserve its fauna, flora, habitats, and protected areas and to develop local training and technical capacity.

  Action taken

  Participating zoos and conservation organizations formalized MFG as a cooperative network that pools resources and coordinates captive, field, educational, and training programs.

  Aftermath

  The consortium developed a long-term international support structure centered on conservation work in Madagascar.

  Source

• Link captive breeding with wild reintroductionStrategy

  Background

  MFG’s mission includes managing captive populations while protecting natural habitats and threatened species in Madagascar.

  Action taken

  The group supported the reintroduction of captive-bred ruffed lemurs into the Betampona Reserve.

  Aftermath

  The effort connected international zoo-based breeding programs with protected-area recovery work in Madagascar; detailed population results are not provided in the available sources.

  Source

• 2021

  Madagascar Fauna and Flora Group reaches approximately 30 member institutions[1]Madagascar Fauna and Flora Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Reference material reported that the consortium had approximately 30 member institutions by August 2021, illustrating the breadth of its international zoo and conservation network.

• Save the Lemur campaign promotes lemur conservation[1]Madagascar Fauna and Flora Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Campaign

  MFG’s public campaign seeks to increase awareness of threats facing lemurs and raise support for conservation activities in Madagascar.

• Betampona reintroduction work supports captive-bred ruffed lemurs[1]Madagascar Fauna and Flora Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The consortium has supported efforts to reintroduce captive-bred ruffed lemurs into the Betampona protected reserve as part of its species-recovery work.

1. 1Madagascar Fauna and Flora Groupen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Madagascar Fauna Group conservation informationlemur.duke.edu