Photo by Merlijn Jocque. Retrieved from rewild.org
In the forest of Makira Natural Park in Madagascar, 16 scientists embarked on a three-week expedition to search for 30 lost species. Ornithologists, herpetologists, entomologists, arachnologists, ichthyologists and a primatologist set to work under tree canopies, on riverbanks, in streams and in the wet undergrowth of the rainforest floor.
“It was the first time we tried any kind of geographic large-scale lost species search,” says Christina Biggs, lost species officer for Re:wild. “Our typical model is to send a team to look for a specific species. This new approach felt large and it was somewhat unwieldy at times, but it also had a scope and reach that was incredible.
The search, which took place in August and September of 2023, was a collaboration between The Peregrine Fund’s Madagascar Project, Wildlife Conservation Society’s Madagascar Program, the University of Antananarivo, Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation (BINCO), Re:wild, and American Bird Conservancy. Scientists searched for lemurs, fish, various invertebrates, frogs and reptiles which have not had a documented sighting in at least a decade.